Why Criticism for your Writing is a Good Thing

As a writer, criticism for your writing may be as prevalent as your next paragraph, but the criticism itself doesn't have to be daunting or depressing. I have learned through the years of writing that criticism can be a real winner if you look at it in a positive way. After publishing for almost 30 years I still get criticism when it comes to my work, and this is a good thing. Why?

Photo by Tony Hall, courtesy of Flickr

• Valid criticism helps you see your work with new eyes. Perhaps the reader didn't understand a sentence you used or why the character changed hair color "suddenly" from blond to brown when there wasn't a logical explanation for doing so. Allowing someone else to critique your work gives you an opportunity to revise and improve it. 
• Sometimes the criticism you receive appears more off than beaten track than on it, and in writing, you want the comments that you take in to be "right on" the money. After I read feedback, and before I return to make changes, I let a couple of days go by. When I pick up the manuscript again it's easier to pinpoint the criticism of my work that is valid. If you're having your work read by multiple readers, see if they have problems with the same areas of your work. This is usually a good clue that what you've written isn't working--for multiple readers.



Photo by Chris Radcliff, courtesy of Flickr

• Criticism, wise criticism, helps you to connect with a reader who loves your work. I have friends and family members who read my work before I publish it. I am grateful for their help because I am able to publish a better product. Though I publish my own works through self-publishing, having others read your work will get you beyond the "slush pile"  when it comes to submitting your work to a publisher. 
• One more thing about valid criticism. You will sometimes get a reader's "opinion" when it comes to your work. They might not like it because you've written romance and they prefer westerns. They may prefer nonfiction when what you've written is fiction. They may like more dialogue in the books they read and less setting. Make sure that the changes you make feel good to you. You will never be able to make every reader happy.

In the end, criticism of your writing is merely a critique anyway, and never has to do with you as a person. Keeping your feelings separate from the critique will go a long way in allowing you to improve your work. Put on an reader's hat if you have to when it comes to reading the criticism you receive and leave your creative mind at the door.