Criticism sucks. Get used to it.

Patty here…

Last Wednesday I was trading spit with a bunch of writer friends when the topic turned to the subject of reviewing other people’s manuscripts. We agreed that too many writers ask for a critique but they really want to hear that the book is brilliant and the cabal of agents who’ve turned it down are part of a wide conspiracy to suppress the “next big thing.”

Here’s the reality. Criticism sucks. If you don’t know that by now, you’ll grasp the concept when your book is published. Once the book is out, the criticism doesn’t stop. It just gets louder.

I’ve been in a critique group for eleven years and I’m beginning to understand criticism. Criticism can mean merely to evaluate without necessarily finding fault, but the purpose of a writer’s group is to expose flaws before agents, editors, and the reading public can. Criticism is not all good but it’s not all personal either. It’s about the work. The rules of etiquette in my writing group are: (1) Don’t interrupt the critique; (2) Don’t try to explain what you really meant or trash the critique as inaccurate; (3) In fact, don’t say anything except a polite “thank you” at the end. As tough as it is to hear that my writing lacks perfection, I need the feedback. Sometimes I'm too close to the work to see what’s wrong with it.

Except for my writing group, I no longer read manuscripts from the works-in-progress of hopeful writers for four reasons. One, I now have higher priorities and more pressing deadlines. Two, somebody might accuse me of stealing his/her ideas. Three, negative criticism pisses people off. Who needs more enemies? Four, it’s a thankless job.

Case in point: A while back I agreed to read the manuscript of a friend who told me he was ready to send his novel out to agents. The first thing I noticed was an unwelcome batch of typos, misspelled words, and punctuation errors. I started correcting them but realized by page ten that I’d likely run out of ink before I ran out of misused commas.

The book’s message was appealing but there were some issues he needed to address. I devoted hours to an editorial letter before mailing it and the manuscript back to him. Weeks of silence passed. No “thanks for your time.” Nothing. When I finally asked him if he'd received my letter, he said, “Yes, but I didn’t read it. I decided the book was fine as is.” Really? He never found an agent or a publisher.

Criticism sucks. Some people will never "get" your writing, but if they've taken the time to read your bloody manuscript, at least express your appreciation even if you don’t agree with the feedback. And if you set aside your ego, maybe—just maybe—you'll find something useful in the comments.

I'm off on Thursday to teach a couple of workshops at the Surrey International Writers Conference in Surrey, British Columbia. I hope to come back with photographs. Until then, Happy Monday!