Tag Archive: criticism

Dealing with criticism

December 10, 2009 5 Comments

One of my favorite bloggers on writing and the publishing industry, literary agent Nathan Bransford, recently made an excellent post about dealing with criticism. Excellent reading for any and all aspiring writers. Confronting a critique or criticism need not be a gut-wrenching trial. It can, and should, be a valuable learning experience. One of the first and most difficult hurdles on the road to publication is learning to cope with criticism. Yet you must. No matter how good you think you are, criticism is inevitable. It is also vital to your growth as a writer. The ability to solicit critiques knowing they will poke holes in your work, and to then listen to said critiques objectively and with an open mind, is one of the…
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Writing

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Writers, put your work in front of people

July 8, 2009 2 Comments

One of the hardest points to reach as a writer is the point at which you’re willing to put your work in front of people and are not seeking validation. In other words, when you’re ready for real opinions rather than pats on the back. The praise of family and friends is the bane of the aspiring writer, though too often the aspiring writer does not realize this. Your mother and your close friend tell you your work is good, and you believe it because that’s what you want to hear. However, praise for its own sake does you more harm than good. It blinds you to flaws in your own work and gives you an elevated sense of where you are in your development…
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Writing

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Tearing your readers apart

May 15, 2009 1 Comment

Even as I type this people are reading my first book. And the fact is, not everyone will like it. That’s okay. It’s not a big deal. (Besides, I can always blame Jim for the parts people don’t like, right Jim? Right?) As I continue to work and write, and as people continue to read what I’ve written, I hope I don’t fall prey to launching into defensive rants against my readers. It seems sort of counter-productive, no? Not only are you not changing anyone’s mind, you’re just coming across like a jerk. It would be like a best-selling author lashing out against Amazon reviewers. Why do this? Please, Eric, never do this. (That’s me talking to myself.)

Writing

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You want to write? Then read this

March 5, 2009 0 Comments

I spotted this post over at A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing and couldn’t walk away without passing it on, because it’s about as essential as essential gets. Confident or Delusional? ‘Tis a brilliant (and entirely true) entry. Some highlights: Confident writers expect to be periodically rejected. Delusional writers are shocked every time someone fails to recognize their brilliance. Confident writers take suggestion. Delusional writers believe their words are written in stone. Confident writers work even when it’s hard. Delusional writers believe they need to be inspired first. If you write or have any inkling of writing, you need to read this. Read it and ABSORB it. A lot of those lessons are hard learned. You need to set aside the naive arrogance of youth or,…
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Writing

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