by Reba J. Hoffman
For some
reason writers—particularly new ones—have a dreaded fear of the “C” word. No,
thankfully not cancer. I’m referring to criticism. My guess is that word just
made your skin crawl. There are a few reasons why.
Writers
usually feel things on a very deep level. Anything feedback is internalized
down to the toenails.
Our work is
like our baby. Criticizing it is like telling us our newborn looks like the
prize goat at the county fair. It cuts to the core.
Our
identity is in the words we write. We aren’t writers who type words on a page,
we ARE the words on the page.
I cannot
tell you how many (hundreds of) times I have fought in defense of my baby. Ok,
truth be told, I was horribly defensive any time I received criticism. I
finally realized—yes I’m a little slow—that they were doing me a favor. They
were actually providing a dress rehearsal of readers who might snag my book off
the shelf at Barnes and Noble.
When I
finally took off the boxing gloves and listened, I realized most of their
comments were correct and valid. I began really taking an honest look at my
imperfect prose I called a story, and decided to use every bit of criticism as
an open invitation to learn and grow.
Yes, I see
you shaking your head and I know what you’re thinking. Rhonda Reader doesn’t
know the first thing about point of view and wouldn’t have a clue whether or
not you were head hopping with your characters. So, her criticism isn’t valid,
right? Umm… no.
See, here’s
the glory of that wonderful friend called criticism. When you fulfill your
dream of being a published writer, you will encounter at least one Rhonda
Reader who tells the world how badly you’ve developed a storyworld.
Rhonda may
not be your friend, but she hands you the gift of patience, virtue, diplomacy
and tact, all wrapped up in a tight little bow. No doubt the next time you sat
down to write, you’ll work that much harder to create a masterpiece.
It’s not
always a fun, comfortable or exciting relationship but criticism is a trusted
and valued friend. You’ll grow much, much more from your new best friend than
those who dote over your prose. Trust me. I know.
What about
you? How have you handled criticism about your writing? Share it here.
Reba J. Hoffman is the founder
and president of Magellan Life Coaching (www.magellanlifecoaching.com).
She holds a Ph.D. in Clinical Counseling and is a natural encourager. She
serves as Member Care Coach for My Book Therapy and is the author of Dare to Dream, A Writer’s Journal. You can
connect with Reba through her motivational blog, Finding True North, or by email at reba@magellanlifecoaching.com.
You can also follow her on Twitter at @RebaJHoffman.
