Criticism & Creative Endeavors

Flip past any channel on t.v. these days and you’ll likely see some contest with raucous judges telling starry-eyed hopefuls just how much they suck. That’s the norm. Scandalous, harsh, scathing reviews on where they failed and by how far. My husband once pointed out how he couldn’t understand how these ravaged artisans on these dancing or singing competitions could not only accept that some stranger was tearing them a new one on national television but thank them with a smile and walk away.

My response was obvious to any person who has put themselves under the creative microscope. They accept the criticisms to grow. Whether it’s a painter, a writer, a dancer, a singer or a musician, any creative person who has put their masterpieces, their brainchild, their hard-earned physical prowess, their vocal ability, or their soul on the line for whatever reason has had to deal their whole life of a slew of (semi)professionals telling them how, what and why. By the time they make it to the point of presenting their work to the world they (should) have developed a thick skin. I walked him through the process and he understood…but not everyone does, especially the inexperienced.

I’m going to talk about writing, but it really applies across the board.

A singular negative criticism has the ability to draw out the ego immediately. After all, you put your heart and soul into this! How dare they tell you that you’re work isn’t good? Who do they think they are to tell you a comma should have been placed somewhere rather than a period or that your thoughts aren’t conveyed correctly? No it must be their problem that they just don’t get it!!! Those are some common reactions to a harsh critique. After all…questioning your masterpiece is to question you, right? Wrong. What if everything they said was correct? OR what if just one thing they said was correct? Will you sacrifice the integrity of your work over hurt feelings, bruised ego, or an immature gut reaction?

It would be a shame if you did.

Even if one iota of their criticism was accurate, fixing it would get your piece one step closer to perfection…and isn’t that what you desire the most? Now if the person who’s reviewing you is simply spouting off hurtful nonsense because they had a bad day and is looking to simply vent, then do your best to ignore the emotional garbage to get to the gems.

You should treat negative criticism in the same way you treat positive criticism. Take everything with a grain of salt, differentiate the personal from the professional and adjust your work according to what works for you. Do not make changes to your work simply because someone says so…even editors can be wrong at times but if they’re a professional give them a little more credit than Sally Sunshine from your favorite website writing forum.  If you have questions, you shouldn’t hesitate to ask.

Just as important as receiving criticism, you should learn to give it properly. The worse thing I see is people who do cookie cutter critiques…the ones who habitually write “I like this” or “Great work” with little else. Because not only does it not help you grow, it doesn’t help them grow and it gives others the impression of vacancy, thus hurting their credibility. If your credibility is damaged then when you do have a poignant issue to bring up, people won’t listen. Learning to properly analyze others’ works can greatly enhance your understanding of your own work as well as reinforce the understanding of a professional criticism versus a personal attack.

For some tips on how to write give a proper critique/review here’s a good article to read:

http://tiaden.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/writing-a-good-review/

The most important advice experienced writers can give to the inexperienced is DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED! Take the feedback as a learning experience and grow! If you throw your hands up and quit writing because one or two people give you a disparaging review then you’ll never learn anything and you’ll never get that masterpiece out of your mind.

(Another good tip for those on writing forums…if you don’t want people to thoroughly analyze and potentially tear apart your work…put something at the end of your piece that it’s a rough or first draft or that you’re new and would appreciate if they held off on the harsh remarks. Most people respect that)

Potentially Related Articles

• Why writers need negative criticism – Part 2 (marwaelnaggar.com)
• Confidence and Writing (museampoule.wordpress.com)
• Useful criticism: 3 tips & 3 things to remember (marwaelnaggar.com)

Your comments and feedback are always welcome!