HEALTHY METHODS OF HANDLING CRITIQUES (Part I)

Eventually, you will receive feedback on your work. Whether it comes from an editor, an agent, friends, family, or fellow writers you trust, it’s best to accept this reality.

So, what should you do with all that feedback? My first instinct is often to tear up the papers and create a nice decoration, but that wouldn’t be very productive. The reality is that sorting through feedback can feel overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Here are some strategies I’ve discovered that help me process reader feedback effectively.

1) Gather the comments.

This task can be quite tedious, yet it often turns out to be the most beneficial thing you can do. I prefer the traditional method, so I write down comments by hand, transferring important margin notes from each critique onto a clean copy to view the comments side-by-side. I tend to get a bit obsessive during this phase, using different colored highlighters to categorize comments based on who provided them, and so forth.

Why gather comments? Ultimately, it’s important to understand where there is agreement about your work and where opinions diverge. Compiling comments helps you gain perspective on individual critiques. Are there areas where all readers are suggesting the same thing? If that’s the case, your readers might be onto something, and it’s worth considering their suggestions.

2)  Prioritize the overarching issues initially.

The urge is frequently to fine-tune and fiddle with the minute details of your work, such as word selection or stylistic elements. You can certainly experiment with specifics, but if you neglect to tackle the larger issues first, you might find yourself needing to reverse or redo all the meticulous adjustments you’ve made.

When you act on the feedback you receive, start by considering the elements that could alter the overall structure of your narrative. This encompasses significant modifications to characters (including adding or removing characters), changes to the plot and story arc, or the choice to explore a different perspective. After you’ve implemented these major adjustments, you can then enjoy refining the details, confident that your efforts are well-placed.

And Join us next week for even more tips!