Top Ten Things to do when Receiving Critique

In this episode we discuss the top ten things to do when receiving critique. 

1. Be kind/respectful to the the critiquer. Say 'thank you' if you have nothing else to say and avoid arguing. 
2. Keep an open mind. You may find a comment is helpful as you revise. 
3. Understand you’re the author and you can take or ignore any of the comments.
4. Nobody is perfect - EVERY writer and every style of writing can use improvement. 
5. Take the critiquer's background/writing style/genre into account. If you're primarily writing romance to twenty-something women and a man in their fifties who writes thrillers doesn't think your story is realistic, understand his background may be preventing him from empathizing with the story.
6. Identify the problem your critiquer is noticing, don’t fixate on the solution they might be offering.
7. Pay attention to similar comments coming from multiple people, even if you disagree. 
8. Ask about the aspects of your work you are having a difficult time with or are not sure that it is working. 
9. Ask clarifying questions. If you don't understand a comment, ask 'can you explain more?'
10. Take a break, put it away and then read comments. Look at your mood elevator before reading comments.