The Value of Critique

Be brave. Let yourself be critiqued in all things, especially writing. Cherish the affirming reviews of your writs and your life, for those are precious things indeed.

However, be brave. Take the critical reviews with thick skin and a smile. For they can show your deep blind spots you have or show you the character of the reviewer. If nothing else, the harsh review is usually dripping with more honesty than a polite one that is filled with white lies that just act as white noise.

Be brave. The constructive criticism is the richest reward of all, but the hardest to gauge as well.

Answer this question. Are you trying to be the best in your writing or at least always improving at it? If so, never wince from the constructive or harsh critique. Embrace it instead like a lover you are vulnerable to. Look at your work with the critic's eye. Their viewpoint, by its very nature is not your own, so there is wisdom in it. Even if the wisdom gleamed, is that their opinion doesn't strengthen the piece.

You will never please everyone with what you write, so keep that in mind. It is freeing once you know that.

Let the harsh critiques be like sandpaper. Helped to smooth out rough edges that you may over looked.

Let the constructive critiques be like glue. To help complete or bind the partially formed ideas to become something a bit better.

Let the praising reviews be the stain. To brighten up the piece but to also make you question if there isn't something more that can be done.

By gods, do not take any of it personally; or, if you must, be stubborn enough to still improve the piece just to prove them wrong.

I have found in my journey of life, some of my best writing gets some of the deepest positive and negative feedback. For it has made the reader think, and feel, and emote in ways they may not have been comfortable doing.

In the end, what is the point of writing, if we are not writing well and growing along the way. Criticism gives you the guidance to accomplish just that.

So be brave and embrace it all!