Author’s Note: I wrote this piece prior to receiving the best feedback possible – that my debut manuscript, SOMETHING BETTER, will be published by Blue Ink Press. Talk about positive feedback! I’m excited (and terrified, but mostly excited) to share the next phase of my author journey with you. Watch this space – big things are on the way!

Testing, testing…

Feedback is a difficult topic for writers. You need it. You crave it. You fear it.

Wouldn’t it be nice to surround yourself with only people who think you’re a literary genius? Yes, lovely. But, not so realistic. Requesting feedback is tricky. How do you find the people who ‘get’ you? You want a variety of eyes on your work -everyone brings new perspective- but what happens when you receive bad feedback? Not “bad” as in “negative,” but “bad” as in “wrong for your work?”

When I wrote my first manuscript, I worked directly with a writing coach (the brilliant Charlotte Rains Dixon), submitting pages in 30-page chunks, followed by in-depth discussion. I worked with her through two revision cycles in this way.

Then I joined WFWA’s mentorship program, and my mentor (the sublimely talented Rebecca Hodge) was the next set of eyes to review and provide feedback on my work.

I also submitted my manuscript to an awards competition and received feedback from the judges, as well as from several literary agents and an editor during the query process.

With my second manuscript, I focused on getting and incorporating feedback in real time, hoping to cut back on my number of revisions.

I again worked with Charlotte through my first draft and a second developmental edit.

I also joined a critique group in which we regularly traded pages and critiques. The whole process had a living, breathing feel to it, and I learned just as much from giving feedback as I did receiving it.

In addition, I regularly participated in writing challenges on Instagram. They are a wonderful resource, not only for meeting writers and readers, but for exploring perspective.

In one such challenge, a question came up regarding how to deal with feedback. I was surprised at how many authors shared negative feedback experiences, stories of ill-intentioned comments, meant to misguide or harm. I never realized how extremely lucky I was. I kept my feedback group small, and when I did post publicly, I did so through this blog or on social media, thus posting in my personal echo chamber of support.

Clearly, bad feedback couldn’t happen to me.

Then, a few months ago, I received bad feedback during a workshop. It came from a well-intentioned source, someone whose work and professional opinion I regard highly. It was well-documented and thoughtful, complete with examples, suggestions, citations of areas of writing that could be punched up. It looked legit. And because I respected the source, I took the advice and made the changes. I submitted the revised first chapter of my book to my critique group (who had been reading my work for nearly a year at this point). I was excited; I thought I was on the right track.

Their response: “What the (bleep) is this?”*

*I’m paraphrasing. They were much, much nicer than that. My critique partners are legit amazing.

To continue the train metaphor, it completely derailed me.

I got lost. My work got worse. I lost the voice of my protagonist and the charm of my storyline. In trying to make my book commercially viable, I lost what was unique.

Again, the source of the feedback was trying to help. Their feedback wasn’t malicious or a personal attack, but it was feedback that was just, well, wrong for me. And it took me five months to recover; to sort through the good and the bad and find my way back to my original vision.

The truth is that feedback is a necessary part of writing. The best I can do is to find people whose intentions I trust to provide constructive commentary. Bad feedback will happen. But now I know to examine the feedback, and trust myself to know the difference between the helpful and the not-for-me.

Xoxo, y’all!