Let's be honest. There's one editorial comment we all want to hear from a reader, whether professional editor or friend: "This is THE most BRILLIANT thing I have EVER read! DON'T CHANGE A THING!" Every writer holds this hope in his or her secret heart, but it's the kind of hope that breaks our hearts, because in this world of ours, there's very little innate perfection. And that's the good news!
The wish for validation is both deeply human and potentially quite destructive. Before you give your work to a reader, you can protect your vulnerable writer's heart by re-framing the implicit question. Instead of hoping for a response that answers "Is it good enough?" or "Is this ready yet?" a more helpful way of thinking about feedback is: "What's working here?" and "How can I make this better?" You'll get a jump start on this process if you can identify the places where you have struggled with your own work. Where have you tried to improve on past mistakes? Is it working now? And where do you feel stuck?
We can't always identify those issues for ourselves as writers. Sometimes all we know is that we've written and revised to the best of our ability and the work feels done. A trusted reader or editor can help you articulate those questions for yourself and help you move forward. That's one reason good editorial feedback often resonates with the writer: the editor is telling you something you always knew or suspected about a piece of your writing but which you were hoping no one else would notice. If a reader notices that spot, it's great news for you! You know what to work on next!
Taking feedback is hard. It's one of the hardest things you have to do as a writer. In fact, it's one of the hardest things you have to do as a human being. That's why feedback that gives us a way forward with our work is such a gift.
Remember: you're good enough; you're smart enough; and, gosh darn it, people like you! Those are the resources you need in order to make use of real feedback and get back to work.
The wish for validation is both deeply human and potentially quite destructive. Before you give your work to a reader, you can protect your vulnerable writer's heart by re-framing the implicit question. Instead of hoping for a response that answers "Is it good enough?" or "Is this ready yet?" a more helpful way of thinking about feedback is: "What's working here?" and "How can I make this better?" You'll get a jump start on this process if you can identify the places where you have struggled with your own work. Where have you tried to improve on past mistakes? Is it working now? And where do you feel stuck?
We can't always identify those issues for ourselves as writers. Sometimes all we know is that we've written and revised to the best of our ability and the work feels done. A trusted reader or editor can help you articulate those questions for yourself and help you move forward. That's one reason good editorial feedback often resonates with the writer: the editor is telling you something you always knew or suspected about a piece of your writing but which you were hoping no one else would notice. If a reader notices that spot, it's great news for you! You know what to work on next!
Taking feedback is hard. It's one of the hardest things you have to do as a writer. In fact, it's one of the hardest things you have to do as a human being. That's why feedback that gives us a way forward with our work is such a gift.
Remember: you're good enough; you're smart enough; and, gosh darn it, people like you! Those are the resources you need in order to make use of real feedback and get back to work.
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