Blog posts by Carrie A. Pearson: children's book author

Mentor Monday on a Tuesday: The Art of Receiving Critiques

1/3/2012

As part of the Mentor Monday series, I wanted to talk about receiving critiques. Yes, it is hard to give effective critiques (which is a topic for another Mentor Monday) but it can be just as difficult/confusing/frustrating to receive them.

If the critique is positive, you might think:
Did the reviewer spend enough time with the manuscript? Did she/he miss or gloss over the real problems?
Maybe he/she doesn't want to hurt my feelings by saying the real truth about it?
Does the reviewer have enough experience/industry knowledge to know if it is technically well-written? Sellable? Appropriate for the intended market?
(It couldn't be that the manuscript is actually good, for gosh sakes).

If the critique is not positive, you might think:
Did the reviewer spend enough time with the manuscript? Did she/he miss the Newbery goodness of it all due to lack of sleep or their own distractions?
Is professional jealousy an issue? (dare I say it?)
Is this a reviewer who feels negative comments are necessary for my growth? Or just feels he/she needs to say something negative...
Maybe the reviewer is reacting to something other than the writing -- the genre or style, perhaps? (The problem couldn't be the writing. Heck, no. Not the writing.)

Either way, you might think:
How much can I rely on this feedback and use it to move the manuscript to the next level?
What do I take from the critique and what do I leave? (This is an important decision whether the reviewers are in the same stage of writing and being published as you or further along. )

How do you respond to critiques? A colleague shared her typical reaction:
1) Denial.
2) Avoidance.
3) Denial.
4) Grudging admission that my colleague's comments may offer valuable insights.
5) SLOW percolation of ideas.
6) Aha moment.
7) Revision (and significant improvement, thanks to those insightful critiques).
8) Gratitude for everyone's patience.

Ah, yes. Patiece with the process is key. That's my take home point for today. What's yours?

11 Comments

Wendy link

1/5/2012 03:06:00 am

Great post. It's good to hear about different types of critiques. I think the best way to take a critique is smile and nod. Then go home and think it over for a couple days before doing anything else.

carrie pearson

1/10/2012 04:29:56 am

Yes, the "post-critique mulling period" is standard for me. I try not to think about the critique for a couple of days and let my subconscious chew on it. When I'm excited to work on it again, I know I'm ready.

MotherReader link

1/7/2012 10:15:19 am

Interesting thoughts on critiques. I have been very private about my own writing and some of it is that I don't know how to take critiques. Which I just kinda realized. So, thanks!

1/10/2012 04:44:32 am

One of my first posts on this website featured this quote sent from my brother in law: "A person who publishes a book appears willfully in public with her pants down' - Edna St. Vincent Millay. I guess feeling exposed starts with the critique, eh? :)

tanita link

1/18/2012 03:39:19 am

*here via MotherReader's blog post

Okay, that Millay quote has got me even laughing harder.
Oy, the patience it all takes.

I think your friend has it right with the Avoidance and Denial; with an editorial critique, I find that temper sometimes takes a tiny bow. I get annoyed when I'm repeatedly asked something and then I begin to snap, "Well, I don't get it!" I think fear plays more of a part with critique than we know sometimes, and when I feel myself getting angry, I realize that, "Oh. Okay. I'm afraid of being asked to do something that I cannot do." And truthfully, when has my editor ever asked me to do something I can't? So, I stop and back up and hopefully have that <i>Aha!</i> moment sooner than later.

Willfully appearing in public, pantsed. Oh, yeah. I need to share that with my writing group.

1/18/2012 06:37:19 am

Glad to give you a chuckle, Tanita. We don't laugh enough, do we? That's my goal for 2012; don't take myself or my writing too seriously. Not that I don't want to accomplish a lot. I just want to do it with more humor and lightheartedness. Sort of like the approach of most children I know. ;)

Laura (moosatcows) link

1/23/2012 12:51:42 pm

Great post. #5 and #8 are so important. Sometimes I think it's best to just leave the feedback be for a while and don't even think about it for a few days. The distance can take away those knee-jerk reactions and the subconscious sometimes has a great way of working things out.

1/23/2012 09:58:24 pm

Totally agree with you, Laura. It can be hard to let feedback sit around doing nothing but always seems to be better for me. Then I can see a more full picture of the critiquer's intention rather than focusing on the words.

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