I vaguely remember the first time I ever shared a story I wrote: I must have been five or six, sitting in my brother's room with a big old 90's computer, reading the story I had typed up about a mouse to my family. I had no fear then; I just had a cool story I wanted to share. As I got older and wrote more, that fear of criticism slowly started creeping in. I don't know why - I never received explicitly bad feedback. But still, as with many writers I would meet over the years, there seemed to be nothing scarier than sharing my writing with the world.
Luckily, that fear subsided pretty quickly into the two writing programs that I took part in, a Creative Writing certificate program (still ongoing), and the Professional Writing program I recently graduated from.
So, how did I learn to open myself up to criticism?
A professional writer understands that writing is not a solitary venture. Sure, writers are responsible for the research and writing of a piece. However, good writing can only become great when you allow a trusted source to provide constructive criticism of your work.
When I started the Professional Writing program at Centennial College, the thought of sharing my writing with such a talented group of writers terrified me. I was scared to hear what they thought about my writing ability. What if they didn’t like the piece that I had spent hours working on? What if they didn’t like the thoughts I tried to convey, or the words I chose? What if they didn’t like me?
That anxiety subsided pretty early in the program – on our first day, we were tasked with sharing a piece of writing that would be critiqued by the class. At the time, I couldn’t imagine anything worse; but now, I see the value in welcoming critiques of my work. That program taught me that accepting criticism is one of the best things you can do for your craft.
Why listen to criticism?
It's natural to feel protective of your writing. This is something that you've spent hours researching, organizing, writing and editing. But, diversity keeps things interesting, and if you're the only one to read your work, there's a high chance that you'll overlook some key details, or (gasp!) errors.
As I learned in the program, criticism allows you to see what’s missing from your work from an unbiased party. Allowing a classmate, a manager, or a co-worker to critique your writing also teaches you how to look at your work objectively.
Don’t take it personally
Throughout both writing programs, I learned not to take critiques of my work personally. The purpose of good constructive criticism is only to make your writing better. It says nothing about you as a person.
While this can be a tough lesson to learn, it makes a world of difference. If you're able to learn how to separate your personal emotions from acknowledging criticism of your writing, you'll excel at your craft.
How to accept criticism
By this point of my life, I share a lot of my writing with others (either at work, on this blog, on Wattpad, etc.) Of course, I still feel some anxiety at first, but now, that old fear has been replaced by a gratefulness that my peers are willing to read and respond to my work.
I've now learned some practises to accepting the inevitable criticism that comes with sharing your work. First thing’s first: take a deep breath and remind yourself not to take things personally. This is meant to help your writing, not to insult you. Thank the person for taking the time to read your work.
Next, and this is an important step, remind yourself that just because someone thinks you should change something, doesn't mean that you need to. Take the time to reflect on the criticism and modify whatever you agree needs to be improved. In the end, this is your work, and you need to be proud of what you put out into the world; you are the expert in whatever you’re writing.
So, I thank my writing programs for taking me out of my shell when it comes to sharing my writing. And now, even though I still feel prickles of fear and anxiety whenever my writing needs to be shared, I’m much more confident doing so. I understand that although I’m sure to get feedback, and some of it negative, it’s only for the best. I'll try to take what's said to me, reread my work objectively, and make the changes that I think are necessary. I invite you to do the same.
A version of this blog post was originally posted on the Communications - Professional Writing Blog.
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