I like your idea about putting all the positive comments together.
It might be useful to print those comments and post them in a place where you see them frequently, so that you'll nerve and verve to proceed when all seems glum.
I haven't gotten a critique on my work (yet), but I'm saving this because I know it will be helpful when the day comes. That being said, this post did give me two anxieties.
1) If I ever decide to get serious on substack, I'm a little concerned about how I can keep up with that. I guess it's not impossible to post 1-2 short stories a month that have been critiqued if I build up a backlog, but I feel like it adds another thing to worry about.
2) I've heard the saying, "artists are blind to their own art", but I'm honestly questioning my abilities as a beta reader/critique partner (neither of which I've ever done before). I mean, if I can't see all the flaws (believe me, I can point out flaws in a lot of my writing) in my own work, then how I can possibly find the flaws in anyone else's? If I'm ever in that position, I'll make it clear to them that I'm just a reader (abet, one who knows a lot about writing and is usually a pretty critical reader) and that they shouldn't take my feedback too seriously because of that.
I think if you're using Substack to post stories for fun, you don't need to worry much. But if you want to grow your skills, you do very much need feedback. It really helps if you can find a group of writers to exchange your work with so that you can keep getting that feedback in a timely way.
And truly, the way a writer improves most is by giving OTHERS feedback. It forces you to think more deeply about what makes a good story. You might not provide a perfect critique at first, but experience will make your critiques more insightful, and in turn, will make your own writing stronger.
I love this post, it feels like a "what type of beta-reader are you" test 😂 i’m close to the "librarian friend" because I love to annotate. But before starting my beta-reading, I asked my friend what she wanted, and I think it’s the best thing you can do as a beta reader to help your writer friend. When she answered "Everything", my only goal was to provide her every single thought, so I annotated almost every line then added a long summary at the end to gather all my thoughts. It was a great experience and also helped me a lot as a writer myself. But more importantly, I’m glad my writer friend decided to trust me with her beta-reading and I’m not going to lie, sometimes the imposter syndrome was kicking hard 😅
I’m haunted by the person who told me she hasn’t been able to get an agent and therefore to really dig deep with my critique of her manuscript but then never responded after I delivered a very thorough critique. Did I dig too deep??
Accepting critique is difficult; but if you ask for it, you need to be sure you're ready for it. People seem to forget critique is only here to help you fix what is wrong and become, in this case, a better writer. When someone criticises your art, they don't target you for who you are. They only point out your weak points so that you can strengthen them 😅 But I'm sorry to hear that they never responded. I don't even want to imagine all the work you put into it to help them!
Regarding the whole situation of receiving critiques as a writer, I haven’t gone that far yet with my WIP. I’m still at the fated stage of draft 1 and… it’s already complicated 😅 But in a certain, I yearn for this experience because, even if it’s not the most pleasant experience (having someone criticising your work), it’s the most exciting and rewarding one as you go though all the details you didn’t spot at first to then make your story even better! That’s why I think it’s also important to have people you know following you in this journey, because that’s eventful. But we have to settle boundaries and also trust them to be both benevolent and merciless with us 😊
I never let anyone I personally know read my work. I don’t know if they would be biased or afraid to give me honest comments. I’ve been hiding behind pen names for my fiction for decades, and am just now putting work in world as myself and already am a little wary of anyone I know finding it in the wild.
I like your idea about putting all the positive comments together.
It might be useful to print those comments and post them in a place where you see them frequently, so that you'll nerve and verve to proceed when all seems glum.
Very wise!
It's a good idea to collect evidence of your competence.
Like if you're a successful dental surgeon, you want before and after photos of all the smiles you fixed stuck up on your office walls.
I haven't gotten a critique on my work (yet), but I'm saving this because I know it will be helpful when the day comes. That being said, this post did give me two anxieties.
1) If I ever decide to get serious on substack, I'm a little concerned about how I can keep up with that. I guess it's not impossible to post 1-2 short stories a month that have been critiqued if I build up a backlog, but I feel like it adds another thing to worry about.
2) I've heard the saying, "artists are blind to their own art", but I'm honestly questioning my abilities as a beta reader/critique partner (neither of which I've ever done before). I mean, if I can't see all the flaws (believe me, I can point out flaws in a lot of my writing) in my own work, then how I can possibly find the flaws in anyone else's? If I'm ever in that position, I'll make it clear to them that I'm just a reader (abet, one who knows a lot about writing and is usually a pretty critical reader) and that they shouldn't take my feedback too seriously because of that.
I think if you're using Substack to post stories for fun, you don't need to worry much. But if you want to grow your skills, you do very much need feedback. It really helps if you can find a group of writers to exchange your work with so that you can keep getting that feedback in a timely way.
And truly, the way a writer improves most is by giving OTHERS feedback. It forces you to think more deeply about what makes a good story. You might not provide a perfect critique at first, but experience will make your critiques more insightful, and in turn, will make your own writing stronger.
I love this post, it feels like a "what type of beta-reader are you" test 😂 i’m close to the "librarian friend" because I love to annotate. But before starting my beta-reading, I asked my friend what she wanted, and I think it’s the best thing you can do as a beta reader to help your writer friend. When she answered "Everything", my only goal was to provide her every single thought, so I annotated almost every line then added a long summary at the end to gather all my thoughts. It was a great experience and also helped me a lot as a writer myself. But more importantly, I’m glad my writer friend decided to trust me with her beta-reading and I’m not going to lie, sometimes the imposter syndrome was kicking hard 😅
I’m haunted by the person who told me she hasn’t been able to get an agent and therefore to really dig deep with my critique of her manuscript but then never responded after I delivered a very thorough critique. Did I dig too deep??
Accepting critique is difficult; but if you ask for it, you need to be sure you're ready for it. People seem to forget critique is only here to help you fix what is wrong and become, in this case, a better writer. When someone criticises your art, they don't target you for who you are. They only point out your weak points so that you can strengthen them 😅 But I'm sorry to hear that they never responded. I don't even want to imagine all the work you put into it to help them!
Regarding the whole situation of receiving critiques as a writer, I haven’t gone that far yet with my WIP. I’m still at the fated stage of draft 1 and… it’s already complicated 😅 But in a certain, I yearn for this experience because, even if it’s not the most pleasant experience (having someone criticising your work), it’s the most exciting and rewarding one as you go though all the details you didn’t spot at first to then make your story even better! That’s why I think it’s also important to have people you know following you in this journey, because that’s eventful. But we have to settle boundaries and also trust them to be both benevolent and merciless with us 😊
There’s nothing better than that rush of “Now I know what’s wrong and how to fix it!” So glad for any critiquer who can give me that.
I never let anyone I personally know read my work. I don’t know if they would be biased or afraid to give me honest comments. I’ve been hiding behind pen names for my fiction for decades, and am just now putting work in world as myself and already am a little wary of anyone I know finding it in the wild.
You tend to find out who can find you accurate feedback and who can’t.
I hope If your friends find your work, they’ll enjoy it!
So after receiving all those glowing comments you were in despair. Yes I'm a writer and I understand completely!
I can’t bring myself to post the critical comments.