When Revision Feedback Makes You Think “But I Did Do That!”

Imagine this: You’ve written an entire novel and found critique partners. Then you get the feedback, and some of the notes confuse the hell out of you because they’re asking you to do things you’ve already done. For example, someone highlights a paragraph of world building and asks you to clarify the different types of magic in your system. When you scan the page, the definitions are literally three paragraphs earlier. You may be tempted to ignore this comment—telling yourself they weren’t reading carefully—but I would caution you not to. Their comment, though not entirely accurate, is still telling you something:

Your writing was unclear. 

Maybe the information is in the wrong place. It could come too early, too late, be separated by too much dialogue or space. 

That said, this is why having numerous beta readers is so important. I recommend 3-4. If 2 are pointing out similar things, then you probably have an issue. The other 2 should give you some insight. For instance, in the case that 2 people highlight the same paragraph, but the other 2 don’t, have a conversation. Ask them how they interpreted the information. I love talking with my critique partners because our conversations often show me how differently a scene can be interpreted, even though they’re all reading the exact same words. For example, a character frowning at another’s character’s dialogue could be taken many ways: Is the character mad? Frustrated? Concerned? It has the potential to be unclear. 

At the end of the day, other people have taken a lot of time out of their day to read your work and share their thoughts with the intentions to help you. That is a HUGE gift, one that should be accepted graciously and thoughtfully. I encourage you to approach any feedback you receive with an open mind and the commitment to make changes. That doesn’t mean you have to take every little note as fact. But it does mean that you should consider their comments with the same amount of care as they took to make them. That often means trying to see your work through their eyes. 

My favorite revision tip is from Neil Gaiman: 

“Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.”

I think of his advice often when I’m considering my critique partner’s notes, and it’s helped me tremendously, 

~SAT