There are few things quite as daunting for a writer, other than a blank page, than receiving feedback from our fellow writers. Whether they are just a few comments or entire pages of suggestions, knowing how to take and apply that feedback is extremely important.
What’s actually on the page
When you’ve written your short story, you don’t just have the words on the page. You also have a full picture in your mind, that sometimes fills in the blanks that words alone don’t always convey. It makes sense. To you.
When someone else reads it, they unfortunately don’t have the same picture that you’ve constructed in your mind. Instead, they’ll use their own imagination to fill in those blanks. Depending on how you’ve crafted the story, they’ll see it just as you do, or it might come across as something entirely different.
At the end of the day, the words are all that’s on the page. They don’t know what happened before to your main character, not what will happen after, unless you tell them. They don’t know what your character is feeling, unless you show them. They might have questions about things that seem quite obvious. But maybe they aren’t obvious to them.
How to take criticism
Constructive criticism can in many ways feel like rejection. Deep down, writers (I won’t say most, but I expect a sizable percentage of us) want validation from others when we send out our work. We want the story we’re so passionate about to instil the same feeling in them. And there are few feelings as great as when someone tells you they loved your writing.
But in order to write the best story possible, people are going to point out what isn’t working in your current version. Maybe those lines that you think are perfect are actually missing something. Maybe the description in the first paragraph is a tad overwritten. Maybe that other paragraph is a bit bare-bones.
My own personal approach to this is to always expect the worst. Even when I think I’ve written something perfect, be prepared to be told it’s the complete opposite of that. But find whatever method works best for you. If you’re going to write for the rest of your life, taking criticism is a skill just as important as any other craft.
What to take, what to toss
But not all feedback is good feedback. Taking on someone else’s vision of your story can ruin it, so it’s important to know what to keep, and what to toss.
Remember the theme and purpose of your story. Does any of this feedback contradict those elements? If it does, toss it. Does it clash with your writing style or voice? Toss it. Are they being rude? Toss it. Don’t tell anyone tell you that if you can’t take the heat, you shouldn’t be in the kitchen. Especially not if they’re using those words as an excuse to be an arsehole. (But if you disagree with their feedback, don’t be an arsehole either!)
Knowing what to keep can be trickier. Your writing is subjective, and so is a reader’s feedback. The easiest way to know if someone else’s opinion is sound, is to hear that same feedback from different sources. If you have four or five readers parroting the same thing, then chances are that that element needs work. Even if it’s one of your favourite lines, or favourite scenes.
Mindset matters
But one of the most crucial elements is your mindset. Earlier I mentioned how I like to prepare for the worst when I open any notes I get from a reader. Sometimes it’s good to take that a step further. You might need to let that feedback settle. You might read it the first time and have a visceral reaction, wondering why they don’t see your vision, but once you revisit their feedback a few days later, it will all click into place. So just like the way we let our drafts settle, the same is true with feedback. Give it a few days, and see if it makes sense.
Once you’ve figured out what feedback to take on board, you can get to work. Make sure you keep a copy of the previous version, so you can compare them and ensure you like the new one better.
So, to sum things up: accepting criticism can be a skill in itself. The more you do it, the better you’ll get at seeing what’s helpful and what’s not. Good feedback will also inform your writing for the future. You’ll remember tips from feedback when you’re writing another draft, and slowly, your writing will get stronger. So don’t shy away from it.
Written by Annie S.