How To Take Criticism About Your Writing Objectively

You just finished your written piece, whether typed by your agile fingers or produced in handwritten font.

The work took you hours, days, or perhaps even months to produce. The piece may have been typed on a laptop or by a series of emails on your smartphone that you later pasted together.

You are proud of the final written document and you release it to the Internet, to a publishing company, or perhaps to your English teacher.

The targeted audience reads your work and offers feedback, whether of the written or vocal variety.

There is criticism.

You take a deep breath.

Being objective to criticism is vital to learning from the views of readers.

Whether the goal of your writing is to teach information or arouse certain emotions within readers, you had a particular message to convey to your audience.

After all, you chose to share your work with at least one other person in order for there to be the presence of criticism.

Being objective allows you to learn how to improve your own writing skills. If, for instance, the criticism is that the paragraphs run too long, then the reader is ultimately advising you to fix your article presentation. Likely other readers feel the same way but are too polite to share the same feedback.

They do not want to hurt your feelings.

Take criticism about your writing objectively by understanding that the audience is providing feedback about your work rather than about you personally. While you may have spent hours pouring over your essay, the reader is speaking about the product rather than about the process or about you as a person.

The criticism concerns the writing itself. That statement holds true whether the critique relates to subject matter, grammar, or other related topic.

Do not put words into the mouth of the criticiser.

If, for instance, a person says that you did not clearly explain why Twitter has grown in popularity, do not take that to mean that you are not smart and are not able to write. The section may only be a small portion of the total work. Regardless, the work, rather than you the writer, is being criticized.

We all have off days and we may recognize that our work could use improvement. Listen objectively to the criticism in order to better the quality of the particular written piece.

Your work has not been for nothing. Do not take an all or nothing approach. Criticism is not another way to say your work is "dull". Do not over exaggerate what is being said.

Be flattered that your reader thinks highly enough about you to tell you his or her honest opinion.

Another way to encourage you to embrace the criticism objectively is to take time away from the work following the feedback.

Taking a break from the written piece will return you to the piece with a clear mind and perhaps even a fresh perspective.

You may return to the piece and see the improvements suggested by the reader more clearly. You may even see additional changes to be made.

Objectivity is created distancing yourself from the piece for a period of hours or even days.

Look at the criticism as a positive point.

When you write your next article or essay you will remember the criticism and be mindful to avoid similar mistakes. By actively listening to the advice, you have learned aspects about the art of writing.

You are learning what concepts to avoid in your work and what styles do not fit well with certain audiences. Respond objectively to the criticism in order to improve both your writing style and details of the particular piece being read.