Listening to Your Outer Critics
Part of being a writer is striving to improve your writing. However, asking for criticism is not the same as being able to listen to criticism.
Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and the new book Happier at Home, had some useful things about taking criticism on her blog, My Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life.
Her advice in this case particularly applies to me:
"Delay my reaction. Count to ten, take a deep breath, sleep on it, wait until the next day to send that email…any kind of delay is good."
If I forward the email to my husband, walk away from it, think about it, give it some time to sink it, I can get furiously angry and then get over it before I have to calmly thank my critic for their help.
The whole list of tips is here: http://happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2012/08/7-tips-for-handling-criticism/
Curiosity is the single most important attribute with which humans are born. Curiosity is a powerful tool, like a scalpel or a searchlight. It is a way to affect change -- even to initiate global change -- on a personal level.”
—Loren's introduction to Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues
About Loren
For 10 years, I edited the nonfiction magazine Morbid Curiosity. Scribner published Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues in 2009. Now I'm blogging about graveyards as travel destinations at Cemetery Travel (http://cemeterytravel.com). A collection of my cemetery...
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Got told off..
Hi Loren,
I recently got old off by one of my avid readers for falling short of her expectations whilst blogging on another site. Funny thing is I apologised sincerely for not meeting her needs and told her I hoped to do better next time. Well as these things go I was lucky to be inspired a week later with a piece she liked and boy did I get praised for my effort. One thing I got from this was by humbly accepting the bad I eventually got paid in excess when the good came.
Thanks for sharing.
Warm regards
Leslie
Such a good point!
That's such a good point. Being able to calmly -- and humbly -- listen to someone really can make all the difference. They feel as if they're being heard. They feel appreciated for their time and their thoughts. And it's a bonus if they inspire you, in return.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Loren