Creative Reviews discussion

The moment we, writers, decide to share our work out there... it strikes! Criticism is a very needed part of writing. But it can hurt. I put together a few tips to deal with it and use the critical feedback to your advantage:

https://mybookwhisperer.org/2020/03/3...

BookWhispers wrote: "The moment we, writers, decide to share our work out there... it strikes! Criticism is a very needed part of writing. But it can hurt. I put together a few tips to deal with it and use the critical..."

Good article. I think it was in Stephen King's On Writing that I saw the advice about critiques and it's great advice. Find ten people to beta read your manuscript. If more than three people have the same negative comment, work needs to be done. If it's just one, that's a personal preference.

Ann wrote: "BookWhispers wrote: "The moment we, writers, decide to share our work out there... it strikes! Criticism is a very needed part of writing. But it can hurt. I put together a few tips to deal with it..."

Exactly. Criticism is a big problem with any art. As you said, if it is just one person it is not important. If the same complains pile up, the artist should reconsider the issue.

Hey all. I've got a bit of a different take on "harsh criticism". It comes from the world of art— up until writing a novel, I made my living as an artist and have two art degrees to prove that I've survived years and years of CRITS.

2-3 times a week— per class, so several times a day— we would let a roomful of our peers, plus a professor, zoom mercilessly in on any and every aspect of our work, zero holds barred, nowhere to hide. We didn't mind because the critique— while micro-targeted, unequivocal, and often ruthless—came from people who shared a vocabulary. Literally.

Not so with amateur criticism. Writers and other people are expected to take criticism, sure. And they're judged as a bunch of thin-skinned egotists if they take issue with anything said. But the truth is: amateur "harsh criticism" is sometimes *not* strong medicine, a sobering look in the mirror, a pointed word to a naked Emperor... sometimes it's just pompous snark, served up hot n' fresh by someone who's in the catbird seat and knows it. Why, if you dare to complain... you "just can't take criticism!"

There is nothing in the world that says you have to accept it if people use vague, rude terms or get uncomfortably personal. The critic should be educated enough to express him/herself in language that shows s/he is offering helpful suggestions on the matter of craft, not tearing a fellow human being new orifices to bleed and cry from.