Is the FEAR of Negative Feedback Stopping You From Writing?
Yikes, this has happened to me. At the time, I was very new to writing and didn't really know what I was doing. I had an idea but didn't know how to execute it. I was trying different approaches, and I settled on one. It was an approach and idea that I connected to, and I wrote it from my heart.
When I got the feedback, I was devastated. It was from a professional in the writing industry – an EDITOR at one of the big publishing houses (big like Scholastic, but not Scholastic). I remember seeing all the red writing, circles and arrows, big QUESTION MARKS, and even a dreaded exclamation point. The critique of my work felt like a personal attack. How was I going to write a best-seller if no one likes my work?
After I finished eating my tub of ice cream and took a shower (after not bathing for about a week), I took the pages out again and looked at the critique I had received again. This time I tried to ignore all the red marks. After-all if I wanted to be a better writer,, if I wanted to write a best seller - I'd have to understand what I was doing wrong. Plus, I asked for the critique.
I asked myself a few questions about my Negative Feedback:
Is this valid feedback? Does this person know my audience better than I do?
Is this person biased? For example does this person HATE the genre I was writing?
Is the person who gave me this feedback tuned into the book world? Or did I choose a friend or family member who has no clue?
Did more than one person give me the same feedback and criticism?
Then, I did an honest out-of-body re-read of my work and the negative feedback I received. I removed myself as the author and looked at it from the viewpoint of an innocent bystander.
Yes, this feedback was valid. This person knew my audience way better than I did. I was still new and hadn't thoroughly researched my audience and my message.
No, this person was not biased. They loved the genre I was writing. They'd written several books in the same genre. And no, they were not stealing my work or mean-spirited.
Yes, this person was TUNED in big time to the book world. They were not a family member or a friend who had no clue. This person was a better writer than me. I had proof because they had three books published, and I'd read one of them.
Yes, I got more feedback from other people after the fact. And it was the same.
While the feedback was negative, and I had similar responses from others, I took this hard. Why? Because of the delivery. It was harsh and matter-of-fact. It was from a PRO. The paper had red lines all over it, for Pete's sake.
Here's the lesson you can learn from negative feedback -
You may have gotten a bad critique but also may get delivered to you in a manner you didn't like, but it doesn't mean that person is wrong. The rule of thumb is to always get your work critiqued by several people who are writers at your level or above - or professionals. If they all have the same responses (negative or positive), then you know what's working and what isn't. It's up to you to readjust Or not.
I could have taken this person's feedback and chucked it. I could have said, "What does she know? Just because she's an editor and has written three books?"
Instead, I took a deep breath and fixed what wasn't working. I embraced it and used it to become a better writer.
Your lesson – take the negative feedback – if it genuinely is warranted (see the steps above) and cherish it as golden advice.
Remember, the end game is to have a book that your READER is going to devour, no matter what genre you write.
If I hadn't listened to the people who critiqued my work and if I hadn't found a team of like-mined writers, I would never have published my book, "The Truth is a Lie." What fear are you holding on to that's stopping you from writing your book?
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