Learn ways to deal with Writer Criticism

You can move beyond this and let go of their negativity

Are you tired of dealing with self-doubt and criticism?
In this episode, we explore the challenges of handling criticism and how to use it constructively without derailing your writing journey.

Discover how to differentiate helpful feedback from unhelpful negativity and understand that criticism often says more about the critic than the recipient.
Learn the power of perspective and the importance of asking a key question that will shape the way you look at criticism again.

Keep in mind that you can’t please everyone, so focus on finding your tribe and staying true to your creative vision.

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Full podcast transcription of episode 04

I wanted to talk about one of the hardest things for writers to get beyond, and that is criticism.

That word is tough.

Do you have writer’s block? Do you struggle with procrastination when it comes to your writing all the time? Do you often feel worried or doubtful about your writing with every click of the keyboard? If so, you are in the right place. My name is Cheryl Reynolds and I help fiction writers become authors Here at Finish Your Fiction podcast. I will share easy ways for you to move beyond writer’s block, smash those self-sabotaging behaviors and finally stop procrastinating. It’s time for you to cultivate the right writer’s mindset and finish your fiction book now. Let’s get started.

Welcome. It is hard for all of us. Writing is such a personal journey and we’re taking the things that are hidden in our brain, those creative things that may be fun and excited and a little weird and a little creepy, and we’re putting them out for the whole world to see. And oh boy, does that bring up some really uncomfortable emotions, especially when people criticize. Now there are a few things you need to know about criticism.

Number one most people who criticize Number one most often the person who criticizes It tells you more about them than it does about you. There are always going to be people who have something to say, who love to start angst and make people upset and make people uncomfortable and have no concern for how you feel. Those people don’t pay attention to it because you can’t change them and what they have to say doesn’t matter. If you get criticism, that is true and that is helpful kind of table it and look at it as constructive. It is something you can use in the future. Don’t try to process it right away. Let it settle. I like to give everything the 24 hour rule. This gives me time to let it settle. I’m not reacting, i’m not able to overthink about it, i just let it be And that helps to give me perspective and it helps to me to look at it with a little bit better light. If you need 48 hour rule or 72, take it. But please do not respond, do not engage. Just remember. People are probably giving you what you asked for. We’re always asking for reinforcement, for feedback, so we’re going to get criticized. It’s just a natural process. Some people just don’t deliver it very well and it comes across as mean and unhelpful.

Number two people who are on your same journey And who are above you Now, i’m not saying above you as it being rude but who are striving and maybe writing five or six books as opposed to your one or two. I’m not going to criticize you. It is the people who are not finishing their writing who are all into telling you what you’re doing wrong, but never actually working on what they’re doing wrong. So take into account where it is coming from, because most often your criticism will not come from the top, it will come from the bottom.

This last bit of advice is probably the most powerful. Criticism is subjective to what that means is it’s an opinion, and opinion does not validate truth. Opinion does not say that this is true. So what I want you to do when you are getting criticism, what I want you to do when you are getting criticism that it is making you feel as though you’re a failure. You’re a lousy writer. You can’t do this because one or two, maybe three people don’t like what you’ve said or what you’ve done.

I want you to ask yourself this powerful question Is this 100% true? Because if it’s not 100% true and nothing is 100% true then it’s only an opinion, it’s only a thought from somebody else. It does not validate your entire writing based on one person’s thought because, as you know, writing is creative and everything that is created is unique and different and an experience unto itself. You can’t put creativity in a box and there are going to be people who like it, who love it or who hate it. There are books you read that you don’t like. There are movies you watch that you don’t like a character. There are people who don’t like you. There are people who you don’t like. That is okay. It is not a personal attack on you.

Give yourself the perspective of realizing that you cannot please everybody. It is impossible. There are 8 billion people in this world, so you need to find your people, your lane Appreciate. When people give you positive compliments, allow yourself to take those in. And when you hear something negative and it’s going to be spiky and it’s going to be uncomfortable I get it. I’m the same way. I don’t like negativity when it comes to comments and people saying things about me. None of us do. But the way you’re going to move forward with your writing is to keep it and put it in perspective.

My mentor does not have all the best reviews on his book. He has five stars, but he has four. He has three. He has even a couple of one or two, and that’s okay. He looks at it like that’s their opinion and he keeps going on here. What would happen if he focused so much on that? he got out of his head. He stopped listening to his internal mind, his beautiful writing mind, and let that dictate how he was going to be a writer. What would have happened was he wouldn’t have gone on to write another 25 books.

In order for you to continue to write and to become an author, you are going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you can do that, you will be golden.

I’ll see you on the next episode. Thank you for listening all the way to the end of this podcast. Head on over to the web page to read the show notes at FinishYourFictionNow.com.

Be sure to grab the Vibre resources and never miss an episode by joining my newsletter. Remember you have the power to go from overwhelmed to overjoyed as you become a published author. See you next week.