Writing Excuses Season 3 Episode 5: How to Take Criticism
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Jun 29, 2009
Learn how to handle criticism as a writer, from dealing with rejection letters to managing negative online reviews. Hear anecdotes from authors like Patrick Rothfuss and Kevin J. Anderson, and discover the value of incorporating feedback to improve your work.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Don't Defend Your Work
Do not defend your work when receiving criticism, whether from peers or editors.
Understand that reactions to your work are subjective and you can accept or reject them freely.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Rejection Letters Are Trophies
Treat rejection letters as trophies representing your effort and persistence.
Develop a thick skin and find ways to cope, like having someone else read them first.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Criticism Strengthens Resolve
Howard Tayler received harsh criticism on the ending of his webcomic but used it to strengthen his resolve.
The criticism motivated him to prove doubters wrong and improve the story.
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How do you take criticism? How do you react, if you even do react? Does criticism cause you to change the way you work? Criticism can come from your peers in a writing group, from editors sending you rejection letters, and from those one-star Amazon reviewers who are out there looking for something to hate. In this episode we provide anecdotes from other authors including Patrick Rothfuss and Kevin J. Anderson, and share our own experiences about criticism we've gotten and how we've responded to it. This episode of Writing Excuses is brought to you by XDM: X-Treme Dungeon Mastery, by Tracy and Curtis Hickman, and illustrated by Howard Tayler. Pre-orders for XDM open on Wednesday, July 1st. Writing Prompt: Write a story about a critic who is the hero.
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