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I believe that, in general, writers are some of the most sensitive and fragile beings on the planet. We don't mean to be, really we don't, but at heart we're artists, and artists crave recognition for their work. When that recognition turns out to be negative and, in some cases, downright cruel, it can prove to be a nasty blow to our self-esteem and even motivation.

Naturally, some writers handle rejection and criticism better than others. Some even seem to thrive on it, belonging to that vast minority of creative types blessed with an inherent and unshakable faith in their own abilities. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that, if completely honest, most writers would admit to at least occasional lapses into self-doubt or even utter despair. And this can happen on your own! Throw in a blood-thirsty critic or two and things get really nasty.

As ironic as it may seem, however, criticism is vital to the writing process. Writers (and again, I'm generalizing, here) have a difficult time being truly objective. It isn't that we are necessarily attempting to protect our "baby," although that may be part of it. It's just that we are parents who find it hard to see past our child's abilities and accomplishments and get right at those faults and failures. While this isn't actually wrong, it can be very harmful, and that is where criticism plays its vital role.

On a personal note, I don't mind constructive criticism, if it's truly constructive (and you can usually tell). I feel that, if someone took the time to read my work and then come up with insightful suggestions about how to better it the next time, then they must have seen some promise there. That, in itself, is an accomplishment.

But what about those people who, for whatever reason, need to criticize for criticism's sake? No, you can't do that; I believe there are laws against it. This is where "Critiquing Your Critics" really comes into play. On the one hand, you don't want to completely ignore everything they said without at least giving it a thought, since they may have a valid point, crudely put though it was. On the other wildly-typing hand, you can't automatically accept whatever they say, because you'll never write again. Hmmm. A dilemma.

Remember when we talked about writers having a difficult time being objective about their own work? Well, scratch that, because that is ultimately what you're going to have to do. A lot of writers, especially beginning writers, search with admirable zeal for any and all

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