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There is one stage in the publishing process that pretty much every writer doesn’t look forward to and that’s hearing feedback from the people who read his manuscript. Constructive criticisms for writers are the toughest part of the journey since it’s no fun listening to what people feel are the weak spots in the book they’ve worked hard on. Despite that, it’s necessary if you’re serious about publishing your book.
Constructive criticisms for writers can encompass a wide spectrum of things such as uneven character development or a lack of clarity in the plot. Whenever a writer finishes the first draft of his book, he looks through it to identify the areas he needs to work on before he’s comfortable having other people read it. When it’s their turn, they do the same — and since they’re not as close to the book as he is — they’re able to spot issues that the writer might not be aware of.
As painful as it might be to hear other people tear your book apart, listening to their feedback will do you well in the long run. For starters, you get to hear other people’s thoughts and perspectives which is a great thing. Listening to their thoughts can spur you to make changes in your story or come up with new ideas.
One thing every writer struggles with every now and then in regard to constructive criticism is taking it personally. At times, it’s easy to feel like other people are criticizing your writing skills to the point where it’s affecting you personally but you have to put it aside for the sake of the story. Even experienced writers have this problem too!
The best thing about constructive criticisms for writers is that they can spur progress. They can push writers to take their book to a whole new level while remaining true to its spirit. All the changes you make in your book after hearing the feedback can only make it better.
This is the forty-eighth article in the writing a fantasy book series. For more, check out our blog page where new ones come out weekly!
No matter when you’re discussing your book with your readers, be it at the end of a chapter or key scene, they’ll comment on the good and bad parts. It’s vital that you keep an open mind as you hear their thoughts, though you may not want to. Listening to what they have to say comes with several invaluable benefits.
The first and the best is that you hear their viewpoints. Everyone has an unique perspective shaped by what they’ve experienced in their lives which drives how they perceive the world. This applies to the books they read. It’s quite fascinating to get insight in how other people see the world and characters you created.
Secondly, you discover issues in your novel that you had no idea existed. This gives you the chance to rectify them in your next set of revisions. If you elicit to have the same readers go over it again, you can ask their thoughts on what you changed.
Thirdly, constructive criticisms for writers is part of becoming better at their craft. Constructive feedback helps writers grow and gain more confidence to push themselves to do better than before. Writers at all levels need to constantly push themselves, being stagnant does them no good.
The fourth benefit is that while you hear their thoughts, you can choose to heed their suggestions or not. One thing all writers learn at some point is that there will always be someone who will nitpick their work just for the sake of it. You’ll have to decide to what extent you’ll rework your book but you won’t be able to please everyone.
Fifthly, it gives you the opportunity to defend your work against other people. You know all the ins-and-outs which means you can explain the rationale for the decisions you made, as long as you do so professionally. Giving them added context might make them change their mind on an issue they believe your novel may have.
It’s no fun hearing other people point out the weaknesses and other flaws in your book. It feels like someone is tearing your heart into little pieces. Nevertheless, you always need to remind yourself that it isn’t personal and that can be tough to do at times.
Your beta readers, plus whoever else you asked to read your story, are approaching it from a different perspective. Everything they know, they got from going through the pages of your novel. They don’t know why you made the decisions you did or the thought process that went into a particular scene or storyline.
The clash of different viewpoints regarding constructive criticisms for writers can make people feel like they’re being attacked personally when they aren’t. It’s important to set your emotions aside so you can hear them with an open mind though you might not want to. Most of, if not all, your readers just want to help you and you should be willing to meet them halfway.
Going in with an open mind significantly lowers the chances of not taking it personally. Even though you’re expecting your book to be criticized, you’re going in with the mindset that you’re not the one being criticized which makes things go easier. You’ll be amazed at how much having the right mindset makes a difference as you hear what your beta readers have to say.
There’s no such thing as a perfect book. Even the best ones have their own flaws and yours is no exception. There are things you don’t like about your favorite stories but they don’t stop you from reading them over and over again. Knowing this can help make the process go more swimmingly.
Sometimes painful things lead to amazing results and the same applies to books. It’s no fun listening to people point out the issues they feel like your book has but you shouldn’t let it discourage you from wanting to make it better. In fact, that should motivate you to make it the best it can be.
When your beta readers look through it (at least for the first time), your novel is still a work in progress where there are still outstanding issues that need to be remedied. You can use their thoughts as inspiration to push yourself to produce a book of outstanding quality.
One central fact of constructive criticisms for writers is that they list what their readers feel are areas that require a bit more finessing. They could range from a story progression that doesn’t occur naturally or multiple characters who have too similar roles to the point where they feel redundant. This gives you a chance to rethink them and work on improving them.
Hearing out other people can give you new ideas or concepts you’re interested in exploring in a later book, especially if you’re writing a series. Perhaps they mention something about a plot point or concept that they wish had been more expanded upon in said book and you can decide to focus more on it in the next one. You never know where inspiration will strike!
If you choose to use the same group of readers when you’ve reworked your book, you can have them compare the new version to the one they read before. They can comment on the changes you made and you get to see the progress you made which can feel great and motivate you to push yourself to do even better than before!
The fear of many writers is having their readers tear down all the hard work they put in. Nevertheless, constructive criticism is an invaluable part of the process of publishing a book for it’s the first time other people besides you get a look at your story. It can be scary but in the end, it’ll be worth it for your book will emerge stronger than before due to the changes you made after hearing what they had to say.
Constructive criticisms for writers come with several key benefits. Things like hearing about your book through the prism of other perspectives enable you to see it in a different light. These benefits can help make your book better.
When listening to other people criticize your novel, it’s imperative that you keep a cool head and not take it personally. You’re free to defend it but you also have to remind yourself that they’re not as invested in it as you are. They’re just pointing out things they feel like you should work on.
Having a good dialogue with your readers can motivate you to push yourself to fine-tune your book which is the whole point. Don’t you want to publish it in the best state it can be in?
Constructive criticisms for writers, if you implement them correctly, can spell the difference between an unpolished book and one your audience winds up loving!
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Sunfire
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