How to Deal with Criticism as A Writer

Being a writer is putting yourself in a vulnerable state as you’re now exposed to the opinions and judgments of almost anyone. As a writer, your work gets reviewed not only by your editor but your readers as well, being in a writer’s group or having beta-readers also widens the pool of who gets to comment on what you write.

Criticism for writer work isn’t always nice; some people will give you critical commentary because they want you to improve your work. Other people who aren't interested in helping you improve so their comments will be harsh and if you aren’t prepared for this, your confidence as a writer will deteriorate.

Take a break to recharge

To be able to deal with criticism of any sort effectively, you’ll need to take a break by distancing yourself from the critique you’ve received and silencing self-criticism. Doing this might not be easy, but you can try to do so by not taking this kind of commentary as a personal attack.

You should always bear in mind that the criticism you’ve received does not critique you as a person, but your writing. If someone does critique you as a person, that he/she is most likely a troll and doesn’t deserve your attention.

If you feel overwhelmed by a critique that your work received, deal with this later after you’ve built up the necessary confidence.

Spot the difference between useful and harmful criticism

Criticism for writer work will not always be rosy, but at the same time, some of the critiques you’ll get will be unnecessary. To determine the usefulness of each critique, take a look at where it’s coming from. For example, if it’s coming from a veteran editor, that person’s feedback will contain useful tips that’ll improve your writing.

Comments from readers won’t necessarily contain a lot of useful information, but that doesn’t mean you should dismiss them entirely. The only thing that should make you concerned by reader comments is if different readers are raising concerns on the same issues.

Reading or responding to reviews isn’t a good idea

Now that we understand how writers can make the best use of the critiques they’ll get, there are platforms that writers should be aware of. One of these platforms is Amazon, while this platform is a very useful way to profit off your writing; reviews from a site’s comment section aren’t reliable critique.

We say this because these reviews or comment sections are for readers who want to share their opinions about your work with other readers. If you choose to deal with criticism as a writer on these sections, chances of gaining anything from this are slim because people who post here usually have unchangeable opinions about your work.

Don’t let one person’s opinion bring you down

Humans like different things and that’s why they can never share the same opinion on something they read. There have also been many instances of people having opposite views on a common piece of writing due to their experiencing it in their own unique ways.

To see how people can experience things differently when they’re reading, try to ask writing service such as EduZaurus.com. After buying these papers, try to get opinions on these papers from a science major student and an art major student. You will be surprised by the opinion as these papers are written by expert writers from EduBirdie. 

To avoid getting sidetracked by differing views on your writing, remember why you wrote that piece in the first place because ultimately, you’re the writer and you should stick to the message you wanted to share.

Cut yourself some slack

Writers are usually their own worst critics, even though this can be helpful when they’re editing their work, it can also be a detriment to their mental health. 

For example, after writing a piece on blogging trends, you could think that the trends you’ve written about aren’t good enough when they’re fine. This will then lead you to have negative thoughts about your work that could end up depressing you.

Practicing self-leniency can also save you from reconsidering your decision to be a writer because of thinking that your work is too terrible after receiving criticism.

Start talking with other writers

To deal with criticism as a writer, sharing any critique that you find hard to handle with a friend who’s a writer or with a writer's groups will be of great help. You shouldn’t just share information about the critique in question; you should express how it makes you feel.

Dealing with criticism is hard and that’s why we should give ourselves a break and only read critiques when we feel strong enough to do so. When we’ve mustered up the courage to face criticism, we have to weed out any comments that won’t add value to our work. You should also ignore comments on our work that don’t concern us as writers.

Conclusion

Not letting someone’s personal opinion affect you will also help you to deal with criticism better in the future. You should also be careful not to let perfectionist and self-deprecating tendencies drive you away from your writing passion. Also, if you’re in doubt or despair, reach out to other writers who empathize with you and will offer you practical help. Next Up: https://www.thesmartconsumer.com/software-for-research-paper-writing