Scott Oldford Site

Tag: writing critique

  • Stop Obsessing Over Criticism: 3 Steps to Emotional Resilience for Writers

    Stop Obsessing Over Criticism: 3 Steps to Emotional Resilience for Writers

    It’s ironic.

    Writing and freelancing are careers that require an enormous amount of resilience. But what I’ve found, through my interactions with writers and other creatives, is that we are some of the least emotionally resilient people out there. Many of us are sensitive and emotional — it comes with the gift of creativity.

    We feel life on a deeper level, and we are moved to express ourselves because of this. We should accept our sensitive natures as something that makes us unique, but when it gets in the way of a successful writing career, we need to take notice.

    As professional writers, it’s vitally important  we don’t crumble at the occurrence, or even just the thought of rejection. Our livelihoods depend on our ability to press on through adversity.

    But how do we change our fundamental nature? While it’s unlikely  we’ll be able to change our inherent personality traits, we can learn to recognize them when they get in the way — and in some cases, even use them to our advantage.

    Here are three steps to cultivating stronger emotional resilience.

    1. Realize when you’re “hooked”

    I’ll admit it: I have a stereotypical writer’s brain. Dreamy, anxious, slightly obsessive.

    I recently received some constructive, but slightly discouraging feedback on a piece I wrote. It was one of those times I thought I’d done really well, but actually missed the mark. I was disappointed in myself, and that’s normal — but my brain took it to the next level.

    It happens to me all the time — I hear a less than positive comment about my work, and I mark it as the inevitable end of my career — the final proof needed to affirm my belief I am not good enough to do this writing thing.

    The initial, small negative thought usually snowballs into a huge one: Bad writing. Bad writer. Bad person. (Okay, I admit I may be more than slightly obsessive.)

    At this point, I was what author and psychologist Susan David, PhD, would call, “hooked.”

    In her book, Emotional Agility, David explains that we are often unaware of when we become “hooked” by a negative thought loop. Like a broken record, the same old story plays over and over:

    I’m such a failure. I never do anything right.

    My life is a mess. I always have bad luck.

    These types of thoughts can become so habitual we hardly notice them — they’ve become part of our mental environment. But these thoughts all have common themes, and you can learn to recognize them when you make the effort.

    For example, thinking in absolutes — using word like “always,” “never,” and “forever.”

    If you recognize yourself using one of these words, it’s time to do what Susan David calls, “stepping out.”

    Reframe each phrase:

    Change “I’m a failure” to “I’m having the thought that I’m a failure.”

    This creates a space in between the thought, and our emotional reaction.

    “I’m a failure,” is stated like fact — one we’re liable to start believing if we think it enough.

    “I’m having the thought that I am a failure,” reveals the true nature of this phrase as nothing more than a thought — and one that isn’t necessarily true.

    2. Ask, “Are these thoughts serving me?”

    There is always one point during my negative ruminations that a small but firm, rational voice says, “Enough already.”

    In my brooding about the criticism, I did have a moment of clarity. I thought,

    Is obsessing over this helping me get where I want to be?

    I thought about what I truly wanted — a healthy career in writing, doing what I love.

    Obsessing over this negative feedback and believing all of my discouraging, insecure thoughts was actually causing me to back pedal. While my brain was hijacked by negativity, my creativity was blocked. I wasn’t able to write or be productive.

    Not because of the criticism about my writing, because of the thoughts I was having about the criticism.

    If your thoughts aren’t serving you, allow yourself to let them go. This is easier said than done, of course, but with practice, letting go of useless negative thoughts can keep you from sliding into fear-based habits like avoidance and procrastination.

    3. Focus on your values, and forget everything else

    Failing to accomplish a specific goal can be incredibly disappointing. But what if you forgot about your goals for a minute and focused on your values?

    Values are more than just a moral code. They are what you want your life to be about, some examples being compassion, loyalty or balance. The difference between a goal and a value is that goals can be objectively attained or accomplished. Values cannot.

    Steven C. Hayes, Ph.D, professor of psychology and author of the book, Get Out of Your Mind, and Into Your Life, explains it this way:

    “Values are never possessed as objects, because they are qualities of unfolding actions, not of particular things.”

    Here are three of my core values: Honesty, authenticity, creativity.

    Looking back at my recent meltdown, it’s true that I did not meet my goal of getting my writing approved of by an editor. But in taking the time, energy and intention to write, was I not living out my core value of creativity? By taking the risk of exposing my personal art to the world, wasn’t I staying true to my values of honesty and authenticity?

    The time and effort I used to write that piece, with all its imperfections, wasn’t wasted. It was used in the service of my deepest values.

    Framing it this way, how could I possible feel like a failure?

    The bottom line: When you learn to view your thoughts as just thoughts, and focus on what matters most in your life, you can be free from the negative thought patterns that don’t serve you, and handle criticism with grace.

    After all, criticism means you’ve used your words to create something, and isn’t that what the craft of writing is all about?

    How do you “unhook” from negative thoughts? Share your ideas in the comments!

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  • How to Give and Receive Constructive Feedback as a Writer

    How to Give and Receive Constructive Feedback as a Writer

    The first time I sat down to critique another writer’s work, I was one week into an MFA program for creative writing. I had never read literature with an eye for anything more than the pleasure of the language or the plotline, and I’d never shared my own work with other writers.

    In short, I had no idea what I was doing.

    Without guidelines to follow, I had only two basic goals in mind: I wanted to offer solid advice on my fellow students’ craft, and I wanted to receive their critique with grace without it crushing my spirit.

    The first time around, I did not succeed on either account.

    But, with two more years of critique ahead of me, I needed to find a way to improve both my and my fellow writers experience.

    How to give a writing critique

    1. Allow for failure

    The ability to offer constructive feedback is a skill that develops over time.

    It takes practice to grow into the kind of reader who can observe the writerly moves beneath the words. Allow yourself to fail at this in the beginning. Just as writing takes practice, so does the art of critique.

    The first time I offered feedback to a classmate, I focused on their punctuation and use of passive voice. I felt ridiculous when all of the other students asked leading questions and focused on the content.

    But, I learned from my failure. The students gave me a safe place to fail while demonstrating how to do it better.

    2. Apply the Golden Rule

    How do you want your fellow writer to feel after reading your comments? Hopeful, encouraged, and challenged or frustrated, angry and doubtful?

    Put yourself in their writing chair, and imagine what it would feel like to receive the feedback you provided.

    Always critique the writing, not the writer. You may not care for their subject, or even the manner in which they choose to tell it, but stay focused on their craft.

    We don’t get to choose the material we critique. In school, I’ve critiqued a number of essays I would never willingly read based on their subject matter. However, I learned to put my personal feelings aside with regard to the topic.

    I balance comments about necessary changes, with comments on a word choice or turn of phrase that worked well.

    3. Take a wide lens view

    Remember you are critiquing the overall craft, not mechanics like punctuation and misspellings.

    You’re not reading as a copyeditor, but as a fellow writer looking at the bigger picture. When you hyper-focus on the minutia, it helps the writer improve as a practitioner, but not as an artist.

    Save the editing for later drafts and focus first on the larger revisions. Look at the broader ideas and themes, and learn to ask good questions.

    Think like a reader. Ask for clarity when needed. Ask the writer to delve deeper where the work is shallow. Ask why — why this word choice, illustration or character?

    4. Read and critique literature for practice

    Choose a well-received work of literature in your genre, and read it like a writer, rather than a reader.

    Take notes on what you observe the author accomplishing across the pages. What are the themes you see emerging? How does the writer use dialogue? How do they use description? Once you recognize these literary moves in a published work, you will begin to see what’s missing in the rough drafts of your fellow writers.

    As a writer of non-fiction, I read and take notes on stacks of memoirs. One professor identified a weakness in my ability to set a scene when writing, and assigned James Joyce’s Dubliners for me to analyze.

    Reading these books through a critical lens, helped me improve my own writing, but also helped me to identify areas of weakness in my fellow writers.  

    How to receive a writing critique

    1. Check your ego

    No one receives purely positive feedback, and once you begin working with editors regularly, you will need the thick skin you’re developing.

    We are all on a journey towards improvement in our craft. If you receive feedback from a defensive posture, it will take longer for you to see real improvement in your writing. If a critique leaves you feeling inadequate, remember we all struggle with imposter syndrome.

    After receiving my first writing critique, I wanted to rip my essay to shreds and cry. Instead, I called my husband who reminded me that ultimately, my fellow writers’ comments would make my work stronger.

    2. Remember critique is subjective

    Your fellow writer and your future readers come to your work with their own set of values, experiences and preferences that color how they read your words.

    If a critique doesn’t resonate with you in any way, you’re not compelled to make the recommended changes. You decide how far and how many of the changes will make their way into your work.

    Trust your instincts. You, the writer, have the final say.

    3. Rely on more than one reader

    Because feedback is subjective, you will need more than one critique, as well as different types of readers.

    Beta readers provide comments based on their reading experience, rather than a place of expertise. Fellow writers are able to read as practitioners, and provide a critique on your skill as a writer.

    Both are important to the development of your craft. Take note where similar themes emerge between readers. If more than one reader recognizes the same weaknesses, it’s a sign you should address them.

    In my most recent submission, every classmate recommended I remove my favorite quotation. I wanted to keep it in the essay, but when every writer agreed that it didn’t belong, I decided to remove it. Reading it again after the edits, I believe my piece is better for it.

    With an eye towards craft, an attitude of humility and a lot of practice, you’ll be well on your way towards improving your own work as well as improving the work of others.

    Writing is a solitary occupation, but our work becomes stronger when we include others in the editing process. We need the writers who have gone before us and the writers who work alongside us to propel our work forward.

    To grow and cultivate our craft, we need to sit down and do the work, but we also need each other.