How I handle criticism as a writer.
As long as you are serving your talent to people; you will face criticism. Would you prefer to hear the truth, even though your feelings may hurt, or be comforted with a lie?
It doesn't always mean that people are fighting against you because they are criticizing what you are doing. You have to learn how to filter the feedback that you are getting from people.
Whatever your talent is; you will face criticism. There's no escape! It doesn't matter how good you think you are. You can never please everyone.
As an author, I know that everyone will not appreciate my writing, and that's fine with me. However, I'm still willing to hear the feedback of others because there's always room for growth and improvement in my writing.
You don't need to accept every feedback that you receive. It's up to you to declutter the reviews that you're getting. Some people will love and appreciate your work but others won't.
I remember reading a one-star review that someone had left on one of my children's books that also received good ratings. The reader said the book lacks creativity, it was simple, and there wasn't anything new that I had said that parents didn't already teach their children.
I took no offense to the review. It would appear as though the reviewer has a strong family background. They may not have thought that not all children are blessed with the opportunity to grow up in families that shower them with love and care.
These things happen all the time, you may get good ratings that praise you for the excellent job that you've done, followed by poor ratings saying something else. It just goes to show that people have different tastes.
If you are an author or someone whose work is in the public domain don't feel discouraged by poor ratings, and never argue with anyone about a bad rating.
Don't take them too personally. Use them as stepping stones to improve your quality of work. Remember that your viewers aren't you, and there are times when their opinions make sense.
Don't ignore all the negative reviews that you are getting. Thinking that people are just hating. There could be some valuable lessons in them. Remember, your work is nothing without people.
Without readers, there would be no point in me being an author. You must be resilient in whatever industry that you are in. Serve your talent well!
Take Away
Don't fear criticism when you are showcasing your talent. Whatever you do, do it from your heart; not for men's applause.
You can never control what people say, but you can control how you react. Having good intentions doesn't mean that you'll win the heart of everyone. Good intentions won't exempt you from facing harsh criticism.
Everyone won't see the purpose in what you are doing. People will say all kinds of hurtful things about your work, and it can destroy you if you aren't focused. When I write, I know that there will be those who view my work as nothing.
I know that the negativity is going to come, but that won't stop me from writing because many look forward to me empowering them through this medium, and that's enough to keep me going.
I'd love to hear from you. How do you handle criticism?
See this post:
3 lessons I've learned from rejection
