Handling Edits and Critiques

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Every two-three months, I get a series of critiques and feedback from beta readers, ARC readers, and my freelance editors. I always open those emails in a hurry and glance over them immediately to see how much needs to be fixed. Yes, I'm one of those people who, when asked, will say “I want the bad news before the good news.”

The good news is, if you're getting edits and critiques, the finish line is in sight for your novel. The bad news is that you might have some tricky work ahead of you on your project.

Here are 10 tips for handing feedback:

Try to look at it objectively, through a lens. This gets easier with practice. See if you can look at the manuscript objectively, as if you were reading someone else's work. I know this is a tough one, but you'll be amazed how quickly you can make this work (probably after book one).

Read it all the way through, as quickly as you can.  It's like pulling off the bandage. Best just to get it over with. Besides, it might not be as bad as you suspect. Once you've read it through, it's not in your inbox anymore and you won't be dreading reading it.

Consider printing the feedback out.  Unless the feedback is inline, try printing out the email or document you've received. For some reason, handling it on paper seems easier to me. I can make notes in the margins, brainstorm approaches for fixes on the back, and cross off each item as I complete it.

Remember that the edits or critique comments are intended to make your manuscript better. This is tied into having some distance from your work. Although it can be hard, try not to take any of the suggestions personally. Your book will be the better for it.

Also, remember you're the one with the final say. You don't have to do anything with the feedback at all. You're the one in charge of your project.

Go through the feedback and decide what rings true. This goes hand-in-hand with the tip above. Some of the feedback will ring true to you. It may not be particularly fun to fix, but you know that the book will improve with a bit of work.

If there's a big issue (a protagonist isn't developed enough, there's a big plot hole, etc.), brainstorm various approaches. List all the ways you can think of to fix the problem and then choose the best one.  Or, ping your editor or critique partner to see if they have suggestions of their own, or what they think of your ideas for fixing it.

Take a break if you need one.  Just acknowledge receipt of the edits/critique, thank them, and jot down on your calendar when you plan on addressing the feedback. Sometimes it's just not a great time to work on feedback. If you've had a rough day/week, consider assigning it to a different day on your calendar for completion.

Decide what will make you feel less-overwhelmed: either knock out all the easy stuff first or get the worst edits out of the way first. I've done both and found both ways very satisfying. Whatever works best for you.

Celebrate when it's over. This is something I'm working harder on. If you've gone through some challenging edits, make sure to acknowledge when you've done a good job knocking them out. This celebration can be as private or public as you want and as inexpensive or pricey as you feel.

How do you handle feedback when it comes in?

10 Tips for Handling Feedback:
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Image by Anne Karakash from Pixabay

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