Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Negative Feedback is Actually Good For You!

"Take a teaspoon of criticism and call me next year. Your writing will be healthier for it." Wouldn't it be nice if agents just outright told you this in their rejection letters? I think when we receive rejections, we take them the wrong way. We personalize them and throw up our defenses. "What do you mean my characters are flat? I think they're so three dimensional they're jumping off the page!" But if we looked at rejections and feedback differently, our writing could dramatically improve. Let me hit you with another analogy. One that shows how positive feedback is actually not so good.

Positive feedback is like the sun. You look outside on a beautiful day and feel a sense of worth, a sense of purpose. You can't wait to get outside and bask in the sunlight. Without a cloud in the sky, you run out the door and spend hours in nothing but brilliant sunshine. As the sweat drips off you, you grow warm and tired, then become lazy and unmotivated. The heat of the sun slows down your momentum.

Like the sun, a positive review on the surface is exciting. It rejuvinates you and gives you that sense of validation we all crave. But that's where it should stop. A quick bout in the sunshine, then back inside again. If you bask in that positive review too long, you become complacent. "Well, this person says my writing is awesome! Why should I change anything about it then?" The truth is we're constantly learning and growing. Even the most seasoned writers improve the more they work at their craft. Don't get me wrong, positive reviews are great in small doses, but it's really the negative ones that make us better writers.

I think about where I'd be if it weren't for the many critiques I've gotten over the past two years. Let's see, I'd still be starting my first chapters with my MC waking up, and she'd definitely be looking in the mirror and describing what she saw. (Hey, I thought I was quite clever to have thought of that!) I'd also have a bunch of talking heads and everything would be "told" to the reader. Just imagine if someone had said right off the bat that my writing was freakin' awesome. To not change a thing! I'm glad that didn't happen. In fact, my very first beta read the first three chapters of my manuscript and refused to read any further. She said very truthfully, "Listen. I love the premise for this book. But I just can't continue reading because it's lacking in so many areas. It's supposed to be a romance but I'm 50 pages into the book and you haven't introduced the hero yet! All I can think about is what I would do with the story if I was writing it." Now that was a splash of cold water in the face. And you bet your fanny I stared at the email with my jaw dropped in complete and utter disbelief. But guess what? The first thing I did the next day was bring in the hero in chapter one.

Critiques may sting, but they're the best possible thing in improving your writing. So go take your medicine and get out of that blazing sun already!

4 comments:

  1. Awesome post, Julie. I was laughing at your description of your first book, thinking--did we write the same book?!? You're so right; if I hadn't gotten some excellent feedback that slapped reality into me, I'd never have gotten this far.

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  2. It is really funny because I think the majority of us have first manuscripts just like that! I wonder why that is? There must be a psychological reason. He he.

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  3. Ahh, honest, sweet feedback. I know I wouldn't be anywhere NEAR where I'm at today if it weren't for those wonderful critiques that sometimes even made me cry. Ok, so it's still hard these days to get feedback. But, I must admit, I've come a long way and learned a lot on how to take that feedback and use it the best ways possible. It has been a hard, but fun road. I'm happy you have this attitude because I know the first time I gave you feedback, I was absolutely 100% impressed with how you handled it. Truly. You are on a road to success. :)

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  4. Thanks, Michelle, but part of that comes from being a people pleaser and wanting everyone to like me. I actually have a different problem than most in that I don't question advice as much as I should. I'm working on this though. I've recently begun to accept that after two years of serious writing, my opinion is just as valid as my betas'. I know what I'm doing. Wow, it was hard to write that! Like I said, I'm still working on it... :)

    Of course your advice is always awesome! And I love love LOVE my new title!

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