Dear Writer,
So, you just received feedback on your work…Before you even look at it, let’s take a few steps back.
You must find writing is like second-nature to you. It almost comes as naturally as breathing. The stories inside of you pleaded at the gates of your mind to be released and you released them.
You sat at your kitchen table or your desk, you stayed up while everyone slept, or you squeezed in ten minutes at work or the pick-up line until you had something that resembled a story. You took a chance every single day until it was done. You took a chance on yourself. You took a chance and learned enough to gather an entire world into thousands of words. Nothing will ever discount that.
You should be proud of yourself for that alone, but you also sought feedback, which means you know no one is without errors. No one is churning out perfect novels, even A.I. can’t get everything right—also, f$#k A.I. Your imperfection makes this story incredibly human and you know all humans can benefit from improvement. This story is no different. You knew it could be better, so you sought out a new set of eyes because you knew yours alone weren’t enough and I applaud you for that. It takes a lot to let someone see the world you crafted in your mind, but you did it.
Now you have to let the feedback in as well.
Take a deep breath and know that whatever the feedback is, you’re still a writer. You still have to make this story better. You will always need other eyes on your work. It may or may not get easier, but you’ll never know if you give up because you didn’t like the feedback you received that one time.
Before you open the form, email, text, or whatever, did you have a certain fear regarding this draft? Whenever I seek feedback on my works-in-progress, I always send the questions to my readers before they read it. They’re usually very specific, but there’s always something I don’t ask until after they’ve read it just to make sure I don’t skew their opinion while reading. That’s just something to keep in mind in case you wanted to quickly jot down a few concerns.
Ready to read the feedback? Read it knowing the entire point of it is to make your story better—not hurt you, not attack you, not make you feel bad. You wanted feedback because you knew you know good writing cannot exist in a vacuum.
Once you’ve read it, take a breather. Yell, scream, or cry if you must, but take a step back from the story and feedback. Take a few days if you can. Don’t think about it. Do the things you love. Read some stories. Remind yourself how much you love the craft and being immersed in a story. Think about how much you want others to be immersed in your story. When that all-consuming need for others to be immersed in your story consumes you, it’s time to return to the feedback and your story.
Receiving feedback on a story, especially one that hasn’t been professionally edited or isn’t even the reader’s preferred genre, is huge. Please be sure to thank them for their time even if you “hated” the feedback. I’ve learned that there was some helpful tidbits in feedback that I’ve “hated.” You’ll find people who can give helpful feedback without making you hate yourself of your story, but you can’t find them if you hide your story away.
Back to the feedback…
Did they mention something that you were concerned about?
Was there anything useful? Did Something make you go…Huh, I never thought of that?
Was there anything you knew you could kind of disregard because maybe the reader missed a critical detail? Is there anyway that you weren’t as clear as you thought you were with that detail?
There’s so many things that can come up as you read your story and the feedback again so don’t make any rash decisions. I encourage you to read more craft books, and study the stories you love until you’re feeling ready to tackle revisions. Take as much time as you need, but don’t let your story grow stale. Don’t leave it to collect dust because you’re doubting yourself and your abilities. You can only improve if you’re open to feedback and committed to learning the craft. I know you can do it. I know you can produce a draft that you’re proud enough to let others read again. I believe in you. You cannot quit. You cannot give up on your story. Let the feedback fuel you. You’re going to be fine.
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