Healthy Ways of Handling Critiques Part II

And we’re back! The second half of our list of Nsibidi Fables tips for dealing with criticism is here. Hope there’s something for you to pick up in this list!

1)  Revision is a journey, not a one-time event.

I like to compare writing projects to cooking pasta: you throw a variety of ingredients at the wall and see what sticks. Some writers prefer to quickly draft their work, check for typos and grammar, and then send it off to critique partners, hoping for glowing feedback. These writers often face a harsh reality check. I view revision as an ongoing process of reassessment.

2)  Write ahead, but write “as if.”

Keep writing ahead. Don’t go back and adjust or edit minor details because that will prevent you from finishing a draft. Instead, continue writing, but write “as if.” In other words, if you suddenly decide to change your main character from a man to a woman, don’t go back and rewrite the earlier chapters. Just note the change and proceed accordingly with your new female protagonist. A writer friend right now is powering through her revisions, and I’ve been learning a lot from her approach to the project. She created a fast draft just to capture her ideas and is now going back to fill in the gaps. She’s made adjustments throughout the drafting process but hasn’t allowed those changes to slow her down. Instead, she simply made notes to herself and continued writing forward.

In conclusion: Keep in mind that this is YOUR project, and no one else can create it for you. So don’t allow them to take that away from you.

At times, I find myself concerned that I might overwhelm my critique partners with too many recommendations, but I believe it all relates to the pasta analogy. I present a variety of ideas and leave it to the writer to determine which, if any, they want to consider.

Critiques are merely suggestions, and not every suggestion holds the same value. It’s your responsibility to decide which suggestions fit best with your work.