One of Many Writer Duties: Accepting Constructive Criticism

Posted on March 31st, 2009 in Writing Business by Stickinthemud

Is your writing close to perfect? Does it need next to no improvement? Are you of the frame of mind that there is nothing left that you need to learn about writing? Well then, pass on by. .. you clearly don’t need to read this article, because if your work can come out on its first draft as superb, then you don’t need to be here on Triond; you should be signing books at the local store and making a living from your writing.

You’ll have to forgive me for being so blunt. However, I agree with Ernest Hemingway when he said that writing is a form of art which has no masters.

We All Need To Improve

You don’t have to regard every constructive criticism as a way to grow as a writer, but neither should you disregard every one of them. When another writer is willing enough to spend the time giving you ideas about how your work could improve, don’t begrudge them simply because you believe that they are probably being pretentious. Most writers who offer advice do so with a take it or leave it attitude anyway, so why complain?

Writers have their own lives to live—their own projects to complete. Perhaps no one should tell you how to live your life, since you have the right to live it as you deem worthy to yourself. It’s true no one has the right to judge the kind of person you are or to tell you what to do with regards to your writing, but a little constructive criticism never hurt anyone. How are we supposed to get better at writing if we think our writing is already so darn good that it doesn’t need to be improved on?

We Are Human—We Make Mistakes, All Of Us

The worst we can do for our abilities is to deny that. Yet, that is what I’ve seen many people do.

So, when people offer criticism of your work, don’t throw it all away the way you would discard the garbage. Not all criticisms should so lightly be thrown away. As with everything in life we must take it like we would take a grain of salt—with the idea that it can add flavour to what we consume.

Of course, if all you’re getting is an irascible note from someone, just ignore it and move on. If there is nothing constructive about it, then there is no need to pay attention to it.

We amateur writers need a place where we can share and not be afraid of the sting of rejection—a place where we can learn to better our craft. This is such a place, and in it we need to be encouraging, understanding, and helpful. We cannot improve otherwise.

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Tags: constructive criticism, criticism, encouragement, Helpful, Improvement, Mistakes

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12 Responses to “One of Many Writer Duties: Accepting Constructive Criticism”

Bullwinkle Muse
March 31st, 2009 at 1:20 pm

A very important admonition, this. I appreciate your concern for the craft, and the time you take to assist others in improving their work.
Adam Henry Sears
March 31st, 2009 at 2:24 pm

Hi, Stick, how are you?
I like the bluntness of this article; its edge is just sharp enough to make a point, but not enough to draw blood,.lol. Anyway, I agree with you: we need to be encouraging and helpful. Thanks for sharing.
magicdarts
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:27 am

I agree, the whole beauty and challenge of writing is about learning and developing your craft, for that you need feedback, good or bad , it all helps
BC Doan
April 4th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

I don’t mind constructive criticism such as: your sentence is way too long, or misused of words, etc..What I find annoying is the bashing to the ground for one typo mistake..

Great piece!
kate smedley
April 8th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

I never mind constructive criticism that will help me improve, it’s always a learning process. Good article.
MrZebra84
April 9th, 2009 at 9:11 am

Very good article, I completely agree. You have to be willing to accept some degree of criticism to improve your art form. Nice work!
payge
April 13th, 2009 at 9:48 am

Good advice to take.. The critisme I can take since it does help.however its the mean comments that are anoying.How can someone with one writen article or two really judge what you spent ages writing?
maranatha
April 14th, 2009 at 8:00 pm

Oh, so true! I started here because I hoped for critique. I have gotten very little.

BTW, The phrase, “it’s first draft” should be “its first draft”. “it’s” would only be used if you can repeat the sentence and insert “it is”.
Stickinthemud
April 14th, 2009 at 8:58 pm

Well, thanks, Maranatha, thanks for pointing that out, I appreciate it. I am submitting a fix for it now.
Morgana
May 20th, 2009 at 8:04 am

There was a time I would feel attacked by any type of criticism , but I have learned that I can use the criticism offered to me by other users, to analyze my own work and figure out if I’m on the right track to improvement.
Solange Prado
August 10th, 2009 at 4:22 pm

I totally agree xD I like when I receive some good criticism. It’s a way for me to be better =]
Julia L. White
October 13th, 2009 at 12:51 pm

I enjoy hearing both the good and the bad about my writing. All writers, even those that are successful and signing books at the bookstores, have their “not so shining” moments. I have followed different authors published work over the years, and have found that during certain periods of their lives, their work either flourishes, or flounders. One of my favorite fiction writers has perpetually awful beginnings to their novels, only to keep the reader turning the pages if they survive the first five chapters. Some I have actually had to put down, unfortunately. Like the beginnings of a bad movie, if there isn’t anything to catch your interest within the first 15 minutes, you are lost. The channel is changed, and there is little that can be done to get you interested again.
Good write!