Hey Writer Person

Hey Writer Person ✍️ - Dealing with Criticism

Hey Writer Person,

There's a lot of talk for writers about criticism. About feedback, being open to other perspectives on the story you are creating. Yes. You absolutely MUST be willing to listen, to learn, to grow and change as a writer. And you can't do that without the input of others. Criticism is vital to your success as writer.

BUT ALSO....

I think, for a lot of writers, especially me, when you are told again and again how important it is to be able to accept criticism, you can find yourself desperately trying to fix EVERYTHING that others highlight as problems. In trying to please others, to shape your story to something that pleases readers, agents, publishers, you can very easily lose sight of the story you were trying to tell in the first place.

Part of being a good writer, I think, is knowing when a critique is valid, why its valid, or why its wrong/doesn't fit with the story you want to tell. When you set out to write, only you can know whats at the heart of your story. Your job is to communicate it as best you can. Someone may tell you where they aren't getting/understanding what you're trying to say. It could be as big as someone not getting the story's central premise, character's whole motivation, or as small as not understanding a questionable simile -- this is THE IMPORTANT STUFF. FLAG IT. FIX IT!!! 

But then they might tell you HOW to fix it -- WOAH, PUMP THE BREAKS THERE, PARTNER. Only YOU can fix the problem spots in your story. Listen to suggestions, absolutely, but ultimately, you know how to fix your story the right way. So don't doubt yourself. Be open. Be receptive. But always trust your gut. Sometimes it can be scary to stick to your guns, to push back -- what if you're wrong!?!?!? -- but remember writer person, the story you're telling is all yours. It's your name on the thing anyway :)