Can you take criticism?

 

Image by Anne Karakash from Pixabay

This is a question you must ask yourself if you want to be a writer.

By nature, we humans have an opinion and no matter where you are, there is always an abundance of people ready to tell you theirs.

This applies tenfold to writers. You see, once you publish something, it’s out there, and no matter how hard you try, there is no taking it back, so what do you do if people don’t like it?

Well, to be honest; there isn’t much you can do, besides lie in bed and cry while eating a tub of ice cream. (No? Just me?)

But there are things you can do before you publish…

Like, hire an editor.

However, this leads us back to the title of this article… Can you take criticism?

You see, when you let an editor look at your work, you’re not paying them to stroke your ego and tell you how good it is. You are paying them to spot mistakes and tell you how to improve it.

Now let’s be honest, no one, myself included, likes to be told their work isn’t up to scratch, but there is a lot of truth to the saying that no one can spot their own mistakes.

When you write, you know what the words are supposed to say and you know all the back story.

It’s all mapped out in your head.

You don’t need to think about the colour of someone’s hair or what the weather was like, or how cold the room was because you know. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to forget that the reader doesn’t know these things. They are waiting for you to tell them.

When you hire an editor, you are paying them to tell you the things you forgot.

But are you prepared to listen?

Well, to be frank, if you want to get anywhere as a writer, you have no choice.

Yes, you are free to tell them they were no help and your book doesn’t need more description or sentence structure changes; but where will that get you?

The life of a writer is an uphill journey. There are always new things to learn and people who know more than you. You just have to be open to their help. Maybe you won’t agree with everything they say. I know I’ve rejected some editor suggestions in the past. But if you don’t at least think about their comments, you might miss something important.

So… personally, I’m the kind of writer who wants my work to be the best it can be and I’ll accept any help I can get along the way.

But what kind of writer are you?

Can you take criticism?