On dealing with the peanut gallery

‎"Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost how it feels about dogs."
Christopher Hampton

Critics come in many shapes and sizes, but they all seem to operate on a similar level. Indeed, if I've learned one thing during my life as a writer, it is that everyone feels he/she can do a better job than I can. I often invite them to pick up the pen, yet they always refuse. Funny how that works.