Viewing the revising process in a healthy psychological way, then getting help from the right places, will help a writer get the most out of his/her feedback.
A Different Perspective of Writing and Criticism
When one understands the intimacy that writing is, it can be hard to face constructive feedback. If writing is the true exposure of the soul, what right does someone have to tell another that their “soul” is not good enough?
If the writer is the only audience, little or no revising may be needed. But the case is that most writers do not just write for themselves; they write for others to read it, and they write to be understood. It is not just a bearing of the soul; it is a translation of the soul to others. Thus, reviewers and editors are not actually critiquing the writer’s soul; they are critiquing the way in which it is translated.
More Tips On Taking Criticism
With this in mind, criticism can be easier to take. Here are some other tips to help a writer swallow suggestions for improvement:
First of all, a writer MUST understand that she/he is not perfect and needs the feedback. A writer should have a goal in mind for the way the writing sounds and the desired effect on the audience, realizing that feedback is needed in order to achieve this goal.
A writer should go to the right people for criticism. This means not approaching family members or loved ones unless they are also writers. People in the writing field, English majors/grad students, English teachers/professors, ect, would be helpful people to ask.
Getting advice from a variety of people in the writing field will give one the most varied feedback, which will allow one to view one’s writing with many different lenses and see different aspects, strengths, and weaknesses of it.
A writer should try especially to get feedback from the intended audience. If the work is aimed at senior citizens, single men, working mothers, big families, or people of a certain religion (as a couple examples), one should be sure to get input from those people.
Being available to give feedback to other writer friends can also boost a writer’s confidence by showing him/her different writing levels and abilities.
Facing reviewers and criticism can be daunting, but one should realize first that the revisions are being suggested to the writing itself—not the writer (who is capable of much more than that one piece). One should also remember that revisions from the right people are only suggested for the purpose of improvement.
Elisabeth Sharber - Elisabeth Sharber is a Messiah College graduate with a BA in English, and minors in politics and psychology. She is currently job ...
