WRITE-BYTE SERIES

WRITE-BYTE SERIES
June 16, 2023 - #40 – 
TOPIC: Receiving Feedback on Your Writing
You can go to my website to read this blog at: www.lindasgunther.com

OR, for your convenience, find the whole blog post below.

RECEIVING FEEDBACK ON YOUR WRITING

If your house had a non-functioning furnace and you had no heat in the middle of winter, would you call a gardener to give you an assessment of the problem? No! Probably not a safe gamble.

I believe the same principle applies to requesting feedback on your writing. You want to target people who would add value, be honest, authentic, and specific in terms of what works and what could use more explanation, description or maybe emotional tension.

Your writing colleagues and those who are likely in your target audience would be ideal contenders for providing you with trustworthy feedback. So, if you’re a romantic suspense author, finding readers who enjoy that specific genre is important. And if you write memoir, feedback from people who love reading memoir and/or autobiographies is ideal.

There is no doubt that feedback is an important component of learning. Helpful feedback can also improve the writer’s confidence, and encourage her/him to try out new approaches, get out of the comfort zone and GROW! Inputs from writing coaches and constructive feedback from writing colleagues has indeed made me a better writer.

Sometimes when getting feedback in a critique group, colleagues may shower you with compliments about the piece you just read. It’s such a good feeling because they point out things you should keep doing. BUT as developing writers (and we are all developing) we want different shades of feedback that can catapult us beyond where we are today.  Of course, we all want to know what is working in our writing! But we also want to know if any words or phrases maybe took the listener out of the story or details that were actually distracting or possibly muddied. We want our colleagues to point this stuff out.

When a coach suggests that maybe you, the writer, might want to ask for more specific feedback, take it seriously. Before the critique session, think about the piece you’ll be reading and what one or two questions would be helpful to ask listeners so that you get the niche area of feedback you want.

If you just want general critique, then ask “What’s working well?” Or “What could help this piece be more compelling to readers?”

Asking more specific questions might evoke more “actionable” feedback that can be pivotal. Here are some examples of QUESTIONS to ask:

1.Does the dialogue I’ve written sound realistic? Natural? Where specifically is it working? Not working?
2.How’s the clarity of the writing in this piece? Are you able to understand the sequence of events? Transitions from one scene to another? What would help bring more clarity? Any places you had confusion?
3.How’s the pacing in this passage? Does it drag anywhere? Where?
4.Is the setting well described? If yes, what words specifically help make the setting vivid? What else would help the setting alive even more for readers?
5.What words, phrases, sentences resonated most for you in this piece? Why?
6.Are there places where the writing is repetitive, not necessary? Where?

When receiving feedback on your writing, I think it’s a good idea to resist the urge to explain or defend your work. Sit quietly and listen. Perhaps, take notes on what you hear. That will make it easier for you to resist responding. Of course, asking a follow-up question to get even deeper feedback is fine. I know when I get feedback on my writing, I have to be careful not to go off on EXPLAINING what I really meant in my writing.

What about bad feedback? Is there such a thing? If someone says: “Yes, I just loved what you wrote. It was great!” Hmm, that may make you feel warm and fuzzy, but it won’t necessarily provide you much concrete help. Alternatively, if another colleague tells you how they would have written your piece and then goes on to read how they’ve rewritten what you wrote, then take a pause. Think about whether you want someone to re-write a piece for you. Probably not. However, a writing coach may take a sentence you’ve written and re-structure it, suggesting that you consider a different (maybe more interesting) way of saying what you intended.

Notice patterns when you’re getting feedback. If five people say you might want to add more detail on the setting of your story, including some reference to the character’s experience and reactions related to the five senses (smell, touch, sight,etc.), then WOW! You just had some golden flakes sprinkled on your writing. USE THAT BOOTY to take your piece of writing to the next level.

At the end of the day, the writer decides what feedback to act on and what feedback to pass on (not use). Constructive feedback helps you improve your craft BUT it shouldn’t dictate what you write or exactly how you write it. You are the commander and chief. And, some feedback may change or modify your “voice” as a writer. Your voice is your unique way of telling a story, your distinctive style, your signature. Don’t lose it because of feedback.

Not every writer is able to engage weekly or even monthly with a formal critique group and often the financial cost may be out of reach.  Alternatively, or in addition to participating in a critique group, you can perhaps identify a few beta readers to review your first few chapters or even one or two trusted people who would agree to read the completed first draft manuscript of your novel, short story or memoir, and then give you specific feedback. TREASURE THE GIFT OF FEEDBACK but make your own decisions on what to use or not use. And don’t forget to leverage your GUT INSTINCTS!

Stay tuned for next week. Look for this BLOG every FRIDAY which will l be posted at 9 a.m.

Next week’s WRITE-BYTES post will be titled DEEP DIVE ON WRITING INTERNAL CONFLICT

Linda S. Gunther has written six romantic suspense novels: Ten Steps From The Hotel Inglaterra, Endangered Witness, Lost In The Wake, Finding Sandy Stonemeyer, Dream Beach, and most recently published, Death Is A Great Disguiser. Ms. Gunther’s short stories and essays have been published in several literary journals.