But it's also a ridiculous amount of emotional, more painful than rejection letters, honestly. I spend a good amount of my time engaging in mental arguments with the comments at hand, which is a complete waste of time...a fact that eventually burrows its way to my brain and reminds me that 1) the book isn't going to edit itself, and 2) I don't know everything.
And in those moments, I cling to these two beautiful pieces of advice that I've gleaned from writers as I've pursued the writing adventure.
- If the reader doesn't understand something, it's likely the writer's fault.
- Never argue with critique. If it's wrong, don't make changes. If it's right, which is statistically more likely, make changes.
Does it keep me from writing long-winded explanations of what-the-reader-should-have-noticed? Yes.
Critique is hard, but absolutely vital if you want to do something well. Over and over and over again, I've discovered that truth. But it requires humility, over and over and over again humility. The constant reminder that I really don't know everything. It's downright hard.
But it's downright good.
What about you? How do you cope with critique...of anything, not just your writing?
{Those Who Trespass will be available exclusively for Kindle {and all Kindle apps} on August 27, 2013.}
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