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Don’t Let Critics Stop You Writing

By on December 17, 2016
Don't Let Critics Stop You Writing - Writer's Life.org

Some people hate your writing.

Unfortunately, this is a fact that each and every writer will have to deal with throughout their career.

But you know what? It’s OK for people not to like your writing, and coming to terms with this and learning how to address out critics in a way that isn’t bursting into tears or plotting a wild and elaborate revenge plan is extremely useful if you want to continue enjoying your writing career.

Many writers find criticism incredibly difficult to deal with, but unless we understand how to, and find mechanisms and coping techniques for it the danger is that the critics will stop us from writing altogether.

So how can you learn how to deal with negative feedback about your writing, and ensure that no critic will ever stop you from writing?

Let’s take a look.

Know you are not perfect

As soon as you understand this, you won’t continue to beat yourself up every time a critic points out a spelling mistake or a piece of imperfect content that you have put out into the world. Of course, it is annoying when you have poured our heart and soul into something for someone to point out that you’ve missed out the apostrophe in ‘it’s’. (Of course you know the difference - you had just read the piece 500 times to make sure it was perfect and become blind to the actual words). Just learn to let it go. You will continue to make these little mistakes throughout your writing career, and at some point, you have got to learn not to sweat the small stuff.

Rise above it

There will always be people who decide to attack you and your writing in an unnecessarily vicious way. Rather than retaliating and getting into a horribly messy and unprofessional war of words, why not just rise above it. People that don’t have anything constructive to say obviously have too much time on their hands and are just negative and depressing. Thank the world that you are not one of those people, believe in yourself and know your worth enough so that their attack cannot penetrate you and focus on all the lovely positive things that people have said.

Understand you can’t please everyone

If you try too hard to please people, you’ll only end up getting stressed and frustrated. It’s OK to have an opinion that doesn’ fit with someone else’s. In fact, that should be celebrated. Some people simply cannot be pleased, no matter what you try to do, and if you end up wasting all of your time trying to appease them, you’ll never be able to get on with what you love. Remember art is subjective therefore while some people might not like your work at all, others will think it is the best thing they have ever read.

Also it's important to remember that people are completely entitled to their opinions. Just because they don’t like your work it doesn’t mean they are wrong, so try not to jump on the defensive.

Thank people who engage with you

Negative or positive if you do decide to reply to critics, thank them. If you retaliate with anger, you will only fuel their fire. Stay professional, logical and positive at all times. If someone critiques your work because they are looking for a fight, but you don’t give them one, they’ll soon pipe down and move on.

Remember, no matter what anyone says about your writing, if it is what you love to do then you shouldn’t let anyone stop you. Critics will come and go, and so will fans so just try to take the rough with the smooth and never let anyone, no matter what they say, get in the way of your dreams!

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