5 of 5

Write now Article Tools

Many of us are writers. For whatever reason, when we put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, the feeling we get from writing our pieces makes us feel good...maybe, to a degree, almost like gods.

As in any field, writers are subject to criticism from other people. Some may not like what we say. Others may read what we say and not like it for reasons. Some of the criticism is made by people who don't understand it and are just sniping at it to snipe at it. But a lot of times, the criticism is of the constructive variety. The constructive critics are the ones who are trying to help the writer out. The constructive critics are the types who can see where someone is trying to make a point but can't because they are either rambling or writing/typing so incoherently that no one can read what they say.

Not everyone responds to constructive criticism the same way. While many of us are willing to accept constructive criticism of our writing, there are some who refuse to do so. To this group of people, they have either pumped themselves so full of hot air or deluded themselves about their writing style enough that whatever people say appears to be hate speech. Some just ignore it, saying to themselves that the critics don't know anything. Others take it to ridiculous extremes, calling into question the critic's sexual orientation, calling them haters, accusing them of racism, accusing them of being jealous of their style, and many other things. While in some cases that may be true, in most cases it's just unnecessary rhetoric designed by the writer to turn attention away from the main problem with their writing- an incoherent group of ramblings that needs some serious retooling.

Regardless of why we criticize writers, most of us are doing it to help. The ones that accept it are appreciative and are willing to learn from their mistakes. The ones that don't aren't, and their motives can range from delusion to outright distraction and hate. For these people, they need to understand that most of the critics are only trying to help, and by helping they are trying to help them improve as writers and make them better. A writer who writes incoherently with no attention to sentence structure or syntax is not helped by people who only praise their writing. If a person only pays attention to the good and disregards the bad feedback they get, they cannot learn and grow as a writer. They'll just say, "Oh, these people are haters; they don't know what they're talking about." They will be content with the haphazard and the mediocre, and continue to write in that style while the interest wanes...all because of their incapability to take criticism.

In conclusion, not everyone is going to like what you write. Not everyone is going to have kind things to say about it. Of those critics, not all of them are looking to help. But the fact is that many of them are. Instead of labeling them as know-nothings, consider what they have to say. Keep an open mind. Listen to what they're telling you. If you just dismiss what they say as nothing more than idiocy, jealousy, or anything else along those lines, you're doing yourself a disservice as a writer. And if you continue to do so, you will never grow as a writer and no one will take what you say seriously.

Learn more about this author, Chris Palmer.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Critiquing your critics?
We want to hear your view. Write now!