{"id":22029,"date":"2019-08-15T03:00:21","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T10:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=22029"},"modified":"2019-08-09T10:16:22","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T17:16:22","slug":"the-double-edged-sword-of-critique-accepting-feedback-with-grace-and-perspective-by-willow-woodford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/15\/the-double-edged-sword-of-critique-accepting-feedback-with-grace-and-perspective-by-willow-woodford\/","title":{"rendered":"The Double-Edged Sword of Critique: Accepting Feedback with Grace and Perspective by Willow Woodford"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist Willow Woodford<\/a> as she shares with us: \u201cThe Double-Edged Sword of Critique: Accepting Feedback with Grace and Perspective.\u201d Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

One of the hardest parts of being a writer<\/strong>, for me, was learning to accept critique of my work without being defensive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s skill. It really is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve spent countless hours carving out words on a page<\/strong>, sure they\u2019re infinitely amusing, informative, and deep, only to have someone read them and point out how they aren\u2019t all those things. Or maybe not say anything at all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Worse yet, when you are a new writer, that person is often someone close to you. Or a complete stranger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know which is worse<\/h2>\n

On the one hand, it\u2019s heartbreaking to have someone close to you not love what you wrote, though that\u2019s its own can of worms.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, it might be harder to have a complete stranger reject your work because they have <\/span>no reason<\/span><\/i> to lie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For me<\/strong>, it was hardest to <\/span>know<\/span><\/i> there were flaws in what I wrote, and to hear my husband say he thought it was amazing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To this day, I don\u2019t know if he was lying to protect my feelings, or if his standards are just that low.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, here are my quick tips for finding critique and not letting it break your heart. (If you need to find a critique partner, <\/span>Beth Barany has a great course on how to do it!<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Types of Feedback<\/h2>\n

Some feedback is <\/span>emotional<\/b>, a visceral reaction to the words you pasted on a page. \u201cI loved this!\u201d or \u201cThis bored me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This feedback tells you more about the entertainment value of your story and your audience.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emotional feedback can be difficult to hear, but even the negative feedback can be incredibly helpful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n