Criticism is perceived as an ugly word. It conjures up images of snide and hurtful remarks. In the world of writing, however, criticism is a necessary evil.
As mentioned in an earlier post, I belong to a large online critiquing group. Posting a sample of my writing for the first time was terrifying, even though I knew the first comments would come from friends who had joined the same time I did. Still, my heart raced every time I opened the site and saw that I had a new critique waiting for me.
Most of the critiques I give and receive are inline, meaning comments can be left after each paragraph. There’s also a space for opening and closing remarks. That’s a whole lot of opportunity to hear things you might not want to hear. I’m embarrassed to admit that I almost always (even after 6 years) go to the bottom of the critique first. If the end comments are positive, I figure I can handle what comes before. If the reader didn’t like the chapter on the other hand, I steel myself for what’s to come.
It took me a while to understand that no matter how the comments are worded, I have to trust that the person giving their feedback has my best interests at heart. Every person on that site is a writer to some degree. Some are looking for publication while others simply write for the sheer joy of it. It’s an incredible support system.
Ultimately, the story is mine and I get to do what I please with it. But if six people comment on the same issue I’m not fool enough to ignore the fact that something needs change. It’s never easy putting my labor of love out there for people to shred to pieces, but in the end critiquing (both giving and receiving) has made my work better.
I’ve come to accept that there are no perfect writers – especially me—and no perfect stories. Criticism might be an ugly word to some, but it’s one I’ve grown to embrace.