Handling criticism is never easy. Whether you’re an actor, a programmer or singer, listening to negative comments about your work can hurt. And I personally think that it can be harder for a writer. After all, for every writer, writing is what Ernest Hemingway described as to “sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” We open up our heart and soul and let the words flow, giving vent to emotions and thoughts that even we didn’t know were harbored deep inside. And when you have to deal with critical comments to your writing, it can touch some sore spots!
All Criticism isn’t Evil
Studies show that humans are more likely to remember negative comments than positive ones. This may actually be a blessing when it comes to constructive criticism to your writing. It gives you valuable feedback about the quality of your writing and helps you identify your weaknesses. It also helps you discover new aspects of your style and you begin to see what sets you apart from other writers. At any rate, hearing a few negative comments from time to time keeps you grounded, and makes you strong enough to deal with reviews from ‘sharks’ when you start writing for the big league!
How to Deal with Critical Comments to your Writing
1. Look at the Source
If you spend even a little time on social media these days, you know that there are people out there who’ll say mean things just for the sake of it, even if they have absolutely no authority to comment on the matter at hand. Are your negative reviews coming from trolls like them? If so, just ignore them right away. The critical comments you should be considering are those from experts in your niche, experienced writers, or people you look up to. They’re the ones who’ll have comments of true value.
2. Get Detached
For a writer, it’s hard to think of what they’re doing as just a job, but when it comes to objectively analyzing your work, it helps to at least pretend it is so. If the negative comments are overwhelming, it works best to just stay away from them for a while. When you’re feeling more stable, come back and go through the comments again. Keeping your emotions aside will help you look at what the reviewer is actually saying about your writing, and that is where the useful stuff is!
3. Look for Commonalities
Trying to deal with critical comments can be hard when it’s just one or two, but a bunch of them can actually prove quite useful! By looking at all the comments at once, you might find a few common threads running through the reviews, which pinpoint your areas of improvement. Some writers read and re-read negative reviews from sources they trust – each reading throws up something they hadn’t realized earlier.
4. Discuss it with Someone you Trust
Sometimes all you need is a different perspective. You can’t help but take negative comments about your writing personally, but another individual can be more objective. Haven’t you heard the quote ‘The best mirror is an old friend“? Share your reviews with someone you trust, and they might be able to give you better insight into what the reviewers are trying to say. They might also put it across in language that’s a little less harsh!
5. Look for Hidden Compliments
Occasionally, negative comments are just compliments in disguise. Some reviews may indicate that your writing is incredibly powerful and can touch people. Maybe you speak the raw truth which is making someone uncomfortable, resulting in hateful comments. It could also be that a fellow writer is writing or has written something in a similar genre as you, and he or she is now feeling insecure since you’re doing a better job than they are!
6. Let it go
Sometimes, no matter how articulate you are, what you write might come across as something completely different from what you meant. A lot of this depends upon the reader’s individual personality, experiences and circumstances, and on how objective they are being while reviewing. Since there’s not really much you can do in this situation, just go with Elsa from Frozen – let it go!
If you ever feel completely let down by a bad review or negative comment, just remember that classic books like ‘Gone with the Wind‘, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls‘, ‘The Great Gatsby’ and even ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ have received terrible reviews at one time. A bad review or two is in no way an accurate reflection of you as a writer. As American writer Elbert Hubbard said, “The final proof of greatness lies in being able to endure criticism without resentment.” So don’t worry, all those negative reviews are your stepping stones to greatness!
#WritingWednesday
Last month, we introduced #WritingWednesday on The Frangipani Creative. Do join us.
Prompts:
Fiction: It’s Marnie’s first night as a babysitter, and she’s only an hour in when she hears a window shatter and the alarm go off. Too bad the house is deep in the forest without neighbors. (Credit)
Non-fiction: Is trying too hard to be happy making you sad? (Credit)
This has happened with me.. A few years ago when I had just started my parenting blog, I had posted an article on how homemade kohl had led to an eye infection in my newborns eyes and had pleaded to new mothers to refrain from putting Kajal. One lady wrote a very bad comment saying how I could be a mother and do something stupid. I was upset because the whole premise of thr post was to share my mistakes so that it doesn’t get repeated elsewhere. I simply deleted that lady’s abusive comment and forgot about it.
When we write we are open to criticism, you critique the work, that’s fine, it’s good in fact as we learn but don’t get personal.