Hello, A. E. here. On this blog I’ve talked about how constructive criticism is better than praise. Today’s On Writing post is about criticism as a part of writing life. If you’re a writer, you need to get criticism.

First though, what is a critic?

A critic doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You’re not judging “good or bad,” but talking about value or technique. If your technique isn’t good, then criticism will fix that.

So what is criticism?

Here, criticism is defined this way:

The noun criticism is most often used to describe negative commentary about something or someone, but it’s just as correct to use criticism to mean “an examination or judgment.” Critics who review books and movies consider their reviews to be criticism, whether they’re positive or negative. So the criticism you receive doesn’t have to be all about your faults; it can actually be a pleasant experience.

vocabulary.com

That last part is very true. Getting criticism can be pleasant, because constructive criticism is helpful feedback that strengthens your writing.  Constructive criticism helps you see your writing in a new light, because someone else is shining a different flashlight or gaze onto it. This kind of feedback is HELPFUL.

If you’re in a writer’s group or sharing critique with a friend, then you should be able to receive critiques will help you become a better writer.

Criticism and critique does not mean a free for all for pointing out “mistakes” or saying “this is horrible.” There’s pleasant and respectful ways to both give and receive feedback.

I’ll talk about critiques another time. Because there’s a right way to give a writer critique of their work, and the wrong way to give critique. That’s also the same on how to receive critique as well.

When it comes to criticism, as a writer who intends for their writing to be publicly well-received, you need to get criticism of you work. I understand being afraid to let other people read it, but if you don’t want people to read it, then forget about publishing.

Your work needs to be read before you publish, not after.

Constructive criticism will teach you what you need to work on, what’s good and what can be even better with a few changes. So let’s talk about critique another time.

As always, while I write my cat Aomine keeps me company by my side.