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Write on! Responding to criticism [1]
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Date: 2022-07-14
We all write for a reason! Choose one below.
1) Myself. I have a story I need to get out.
2) Endorphin rush. I love people’s reactions.
3) Craft. I admire another author and want to be that good.
4) Fun. If others enjoy it, fantastic! But really, I write because I’m curious.
5) To share knowledge. I am an expert in something, and I want to advance my field.
6) Money. Sure, it’s not just that — but it’s also a job, y’know?
….
So, who was able to choose just one?
Most of us write for a lot of different reasons — and we have various peers and friends and family that we share our musings with.
Some of them will adore it.
Some of them won’t.
Critique or criticism?
We’ve talked about the editing process, we’ve talked about giving good critique — but it’s been a while since we’ve talked about receiving critique.
“Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.” - Neil Gaiman
So, someone tells us that there’s something wrong. What do we do about it?
Choose one:
1) Get angry. They just don’t get it.
2) Get mad. That’s wrong.
3) Get defensive. Look, I’m trying my best!
4) Try to explain. No, here’s how it actually works, let me give you my eight page essay on….
5) Reject it. I didn’t want your criticism anyway!
6) Thank the person. Whether I wanted it or not, they didn’t ghost me at least…
7) Immediately revise. Everyone else is right!
8) Give up. I can’t do this, I’m a failure.
..
Ok, so how many of these did you go with?
The best response is to start with a simple ‘thank you,’ especially if you told them you wanted feedback. After that, though? The answer is ‘it depends.’
Some criticism is just that — and worthless.
If the feedback is some variant of ‘this is trash and you suck,’ move on. That’s not helpful and that’s not critique. It’s not being straightforward and direct, it’s being mean. The person might realize it, they might not. They might be speaking out of jealousy; heck, they might even believe they are giving critique to you straight. Doesn’t matter. There’s nothing actionable or helpful. MOVE ON.
Some criticism is mixed.
’Hey, I really think you should do X’ can go either way. After you thank the person, consider. Do they seem to understand your genre and the tropes you’re using or subverting? Do they know the current market, or the author you’re trying to emulate? If so, then it could be handy. If not? Then you’ve gotten SOMETHING. That part didn’t work for that person. That’s all, though. Bridgerton is a romance series. If someone complains that there should be more drama and how about adding an eldrich horror? Thank them and move on. HOWEVER, if someone is reading Bridgerton and point out that the hero needs an inner wound (a reason to hesitate to commit to a romance), then that’s worth considering. Inner Wounds are expected parts of the genre, and if that’s the critique? Then either a) you forgot, b) you’re not actually wanting to write a romance, c) you’ve decided for another reason why you’re avoiding this particular convention, or d) it’s not visible on-page.
THAT is the main useful bit — readers respond to what was written, not what you wanted to write. If you get mixed feedback (directive rather than subjective), then you can sometimes pull out something useful, but you need to consider.
Some feedback is fantastic.
’This part moved slowly — I got bored here.’
‘I had no idea who was fighting who!’
‘I don’t like the Callow Youth.’
‘Tomawog was a swamp? Wait, when did that happen?’
So — this is the kind of feedback that’s easiest to get defensive over, because we as the writer know what’s supposed to happen. However, the feedback is a) specific to something (a character, a part of the story, a setting, etc), b) clear on the reader’s reaction, and c) IS NOT PRESCRIPTIVE.
It’s perfect.
The reader isn’t trying to rewrite our story for us. No, they’re letting us know how they reacted to it, and leaving it entirely up to us how we take the feedback and how we handle it.
Maybe, just maybe, the Callow Youth is actually moving to be a new Dark Lord. Maybe it’s really the Stout Companion that the reader is supposed to root for! That will probably need a big rewrite, but? It’s all in our hands, and we decide what we want to do.
Maybe that fight scene was something we thought we had to include, but we’re not really good at writing a sword duel. Ok, so now we know that either we got too specific or too chaotic, and can dial back the sword thrusts and focus more on the dialogue and emotional climax that’s happening while the two seek the other’s heartsblood.
Maybe we’d removed the scene that showed the Callow Youth and Stout Companion entering Tomawog, and forgot to merge some of the description into the rest. WHOOPS, but easy fix. We can add in the mud pulling at the Stout Companion’s boots, the bugs alighting over every inch of the Callow Youth’s skin, the way they need to use a pole to make sure there’s dry land in front of them.
One trick that works for me:
If the feedback makes me uncomfortable, it’s probably good.
What? WHAT? WHY?
Because I’m still learning. If it sticks in my craw and I keep chewing at it, it means the reader has caught something I missed — or missed something I meant to include. It holds on like taffy because they have a point.
Will that work for you? I have no idea. We’re all different, and react differently! But consider!
Tonight’s Challenge!
Pick a set of characters. They hear something they really didn’t want to. How do they respond?
Happy writing!
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