I've just wrapped up the first week of my six-week group for novel writers.
We had a great group call last week, giving detailed feedback on one another's work. And I wanted to share with you the perspective I shared with those novelists at the start of our call.
We all want the work to be as good as it can be.
Whether you're the author of the piece, or the person commenting on a piece, you share a common goal: you want the writing to be the best it can be (in the context of what the author is trying to achieve).
I think this perspective can take a lot of the sting out of feedback, especially what we might call "constructive" or even "critical"
feedback.
Offering your work up for others to comment on – especially if you're on a first/second draft, like most of us in the group – can feel really vulnerable.
Any criticism of your writing can feel like a criticism of you, the writer.
But in almost all cases, the people giving feedback want to support you. They already think that your writing is good: they're investing their time in reading it. They just want to help you make it even better.
And as the author, that's what you want, too!
Getting (and acting on) direct feedback on your work is the fastest way to grow as a writer.
Whether that feedback comes from a writers' group, a beta reader, a paid editor, or anyone else, the point of it is to make your writing even stronger.
If you can keep that in mind, the whole process of receiving feedback will feel less daunting.
Happy writing,
Ali
P.S. Interested in joining a group of novelists who are making massive progress together? I'm planning to run the six-week group again from mid/late October. Here are all the details (and the waiting list):
Six Week Novel Writers' Group Details
If you missed last week's blog post, here it is:
How Long is a Novel ... and How Long Should YOUR Novel Be?
