Effective writing: getting the right feedback

Writing – both professional and creative – can be tough, even frustrating at times, especially when faced with writer’s block and endless revisions. However, learning how to share your writing early for feedback can save you time and energy. Writing for Inc.com, Tanya Hall provides some useful tips on the feedback process:

• Share your writing for feedback early in the process, in order to address significant issues early on.
• Beware of the temptation to listen to everyone’s feedback equally. “Recognize that feedback can come in many forms, and if you take all suggestions to heart, your own voice and message may get lost,” says Hall.
• At the beginning of a writing project, develop a list of people whose opinions you trust and who know your content well. This can include colleagues, peers, mentors and experienced editors. This should save you time and effort during the revision process.
• Sharing your feedback with your biggest supporters (e.g. your family members) may not be the most effective way to receive objective, critical feedback. However, it can give you the encouragement you need to push past writer’s block or fear.
• Be grateful for productive feedback and take the time to listen to it, no matter where it comes from, as this type of feedback shows engagement with your work. That said, mentally classify the feedback you receive, to help avoid spending too much time on unnecessary overthinking and self-criticism.
• Work through any feedback that challenged you. Try to schedule time with the people that provided this feedback, to best analyze if and how their comments can be incorporated into your work.
• Feedback is an ongoing, natural part of being a creator. Even after you’ve published your work, you may continue to receive it.

Featured photo credit: Eelke, Flickr Creative Commons