by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Every two-three months, I get a series of critiques and feedback from beta readers, ARC readers, and my freelance editors. I always open those emails in a hurry and glance over them immediately to see how much needs to be fixed. Yes, I’m one of those people who, when asked, will say “I want the bad news before the good news.”
The good news is, if you’re getting edits and critiques, the finish line is in sight for your novel. The bad news is that you might have some tricky work ahead of you on your project.
Here are 10 tips for handing feedback:
Try to look at it objectively, through a lens. This gets easier with practice. See if you can look at the manuscript objectively, as if you were reading someone else’s work. I know this is a tough one, but you’ll be amazed how quickly you can make this work (probably after book one).
Read it all the way through, as quickly as you can. It’s like pulling off the bandage. Best just to get it over with. Besides, it might not be as bad as you suspect. Once you’ve read it through, it’s not in your inbox anymore and you won’t be dreading reading it.
Consider printing the feedback out. Unless the feedback is inline, try printing out the email or document you’ve received. For some reason, handling it on paper seems easier to me. I can make notes in the margins, brainstorm approaches for fixes on the back, and cross off each item as I complete it.
Remember that the edits or critique comments are intended to make your manuscript better. This is tied into having some distance from your work. Although it can be hard, try not to take any of the suggestions personally. Your book will be the better for it.
Also, remember you’re the one with the final say. You don’t have to do anything with the feedback at all. You’re the one in charge of your project.
Go through the feedback and decide what rings true. This goes hand-in-hand with the tip above. Some of the feedback will ring true to you. It may not be particularly fun to fix, but you know that the book will improve with a bit of work.
If there’s a big issue (a protagonist isn’t developed enough, there’s a big plot hole, etc.), brainstorm various approaches. List all the ways you can think of to fix the problem and then choose the best one. Or, ping your editor or critique partner to see if they have suggestions of their own, or what they think of your ideas for fixing it.
Take a break if you need one. Just acknowledge receipt of the edits/critique, thank them, and jot down on your calendar when you plan on addressing the feedback. Sometimes it’s just not a great time to work on feedback. If you’ve had a rough day/week, consider assigning it to a different day on your calendar for completion.
Decide what will make you feel less-overwhelmed: either knock out all the easy stuff first or get the worst edits out of the way first. I’ve done both and found both ways very satisfying. Whatever works best for you.
Celebrate when it’s over. This is something I’m working harder on. If you’ve gone through some challenging edits, make sure to acknowledge when you’ve done a good job knocking them out. This celebration can be as private or public as you want and as inexpensive or pricey as you feel.
How do you handle feedback when it comes in?
10 Tips for Handling Feedback: Share on XImage by Anne Karakash from Pixabay
Never understood those who just let it sit there. I want to see it right away. I usually have three critique partners, so I'll compare and see which points they agree on. Two or more, I make the adjustment. Just one, I think about it first.
That sounds like a great system. Sounds like we have the same approach–rip that bandaid off and see the suggestions, ha.
These are great tips on handling critiques. I found that when I'm open to what my critique partners are suggesting that I can improve and deepen my story in ways I hadn't envisioned.
They can be very helpful!
This is really good advice, Elizabeth! The one that really resonates with me is to read the whole critique set at once. It may seem daunting, but I've found that if you read all the critiques, you may find a pattern, and that's easier to fix than a lot of little isolated things. I also find it's easier to set priorities if you know everything at once. And whatever else, don't take it personally. A helpful, useful critique won't be personal, and one that is personal isn't useful.
Yes, such a good point! It may just be a single strand of editing, all tied together.
Great information and glimpse into your writing tasks. I need lists to work from and this will help me line up my ducks. P.S. I would want the bad news first, too.
Teresa
Thanks! Hope those ducks get lined up nicely. :)
The bad news first is so much easier to digest somehow.
One more thing. How many beta readers and critique partners do you normally use for each book? I feel like you've addressed this before (so point me to the blog post if you can), but if not could you do a post on the job of beta readers, ARC readers and critique partners?
T.
Depends on the series (some are more interested in a particular series over another), but generally speaking 2-3 beta/critique partners for my books. The ARC readers, who I urge to let me know if they see issues, are more like 22-25 people. Good idea for a blog post…thanks!
“I want the bad news before the good news.” I agree with this. The more I write, the more I want to hear the opinions of my editors and critique partners. I realize I can't read my own work the way others will, so their feedback is critical.
We just get too close to our work, don’t we? The perspectives of others is so helpful.
Most of the time I just jump in and plow straight through. Get it over with.
It can really make things a lot easier that way.
No one enjoys having to go back to the drawing board with huge edits, but it's better to do it with friends than have readers call you out for it in the reviews.
Sooo much better!