Criticism

Hey everyone! Sorry its been so long since Iv'e updated the old blog, publishing a book really got in my way for a long time now, but things seem to have quieted down, at least for now. From now on, I'm updating this at least ONCE weekly, so now that I said it, I wouldn't want to be a liar so that is what I will try to do. Anyway, enough stalling, let's move on to the topic of discussion: Criticism.

I've been writing a very long time now, almost my entire life, and I value Criticism greatly in both personal and professional areas. Not only do I value it, but I find it to be one of the best things that a person can offer me! But, often times it can be very unhelpful for my work, it's important that I receive the "right" kind of feedback. That's mainly what I want to talk about today, is the right kind of feedback.

So you made this thing, right? Follow me here. And you ask a friend of yours to look at it, check it out, and let you know what they think. What are you looking for in that interaction? Do you want them to say "I love it!" or would you rather them give you a harsh review, you know, a tough-love approach? To me, I value the tough-love method above all others. If you love it, great! But I love it too (for the most part) and that information doesn't really help to better my piece. If you hate it, tell me why! The plot was bad. There's too many grammatical mistakes. I hate the characters. I've read something like it before. Whatever. Having that outside insight allows me to step into a new perspective and read my work in a different way. But my friends, if you're helping a friend or family member out in this situation, and you decide to give them the tough-love approach, please, please, PLEASE never just leave it at the things you didn't like.

"I thought the plot was transparent and the characters just didn't fit well into their own arcs." That's fine, but what did you like about it? I'm not asking you to lie to your friend, but there is ALWAYS something positive to take from a piece of work. Even if it's something as small as commenting on how well it's written structurally, that's still something that the creator can build off of. Only commenting on the negative things about a work is one step away from destructive criticism, which is the worst kind of feedback anyone anywhere can receive.

"I thought it was dumb." Great. That's very helpful. That is an example of destructive criticism, and it's completely useless to the creator. They can't improve "it's dumb" they don't even know where to start. But, don't just think that is the only type of destructive criticism. Saying "I loved it!" or "It's great!" can also be very misleading to the creator. What's great? WHAT did you love? Being specific makes all the difference when giving anyone feedback.

I take it as it comes. Iv'e received many negative reviews for my work, and I've gotten many positive reviews as well. Do the bad ones bother me? Yes, yes they do, which is why I try not to look at reviews altogether. Simply because it's just not worth it. I could get 50 amazing reviews for "Lost Shadows" but as soon as I read that one negative one, I take it personally. Even if it's constructively positive, you know, citing information that's relevant and helpful for me, I still take it as a personal attack. I love the interaction, I love the passion both positive and negative, but it's so hard to move past even the smallest negative idea about something you put blood sweat and tears into.

To summarize, be specific when you're helping a friend. Don't just say if you liked it or didn't, give them a reason why, and always end it with something positive, because it's good for both of you, the reader and the creator. And remember, if you decided to leave a nasty comment on a Youtube video, or a bad review on Amazon towards a book, just remember that it was hard enough for those creators to put their work out there in the first place. Say what you want, there's nothing wrong with being negative but DO NOT be exclusively negative, or positive for that matter. Find the middle and support the work, even if it's not perfect.

I'd love to hear your guy's thoughts on this issue, what do you think? Can criticism be too negative sometimes, can it be too positive? Comment below, and leave me your thoughts!

Like I said, from now on, I plan to update this blog at least once a week, hopefully twice, so stay tuned for more rants, reviews, and updates!