How to Handle Negative Feedback

“This isn’t working.”

“I know this is tough to hear, but I also know you can shape this into something great.”

“Sorry, but you might have to start over.”

Perhaps nothing could be more crushing than receiving negative feedback on your work. I’ve been there many times and once had to re-engineer an entire manuscript. The revision felt like I was starting from scratch after I’d spent months toiling with the material thinking I was on the right track.

It happens. It’s normal and part of the writing process. If you never get any negative feedback, that probably means you haven’t asked the right people to review your work and you’d do well to search for honest criticism. I love getting beat up by editors and my critics, even after the work is published and those mean reviewers who show up online.

All feedback—good and bad—is a powerful writing tool for success. As the old saying goes, writing is re-writing. When you feel the sting of judgment you don’t like, see if you can view it as an opportunity for growth and further development as a writer. Be willing to share your work with others because not all criticism is created equal, and you’ll want feedback from people who are knowledgeable about your genre or have relevant experience. (Sorry your best friend and mother are probably not ideal reviewers.) Identify which feedback is the most constructive and focus on comments that will improve your manuscript. Don’t take everything personally and avoid letting criticism derail your confidence. Let go of feedback that’s not useful or is too vague to be actionable. Keep moving forward.

Also bear in mind that writing is an art and not everyone will connect with your work. Even bestselling books receive one-star reviews. You can’t please everyone!

Credit: Photo by Orkun Azap on Unsplash