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Constructive And Destructive Criticism | How To Handle Criticism When Your Work Is Published Online | Tips for Dealing with Negative Feedback
No one is born perfect, and that also includes writers. When you put your work out there for the world to see, you are opening yourself up to criticism.
It’s inevitable that you will receive some negative feedback at some point – it comes with the territory.
How you handle that criticism can make or break your career as a writer.
This is a predicament that many people struggle with, especially if they are not used to receiving criticism.
It can be challenging to deal with negative feedback, but it is essential to remember that it is not always personal.
In this blog post, we will discuss tips for dealing with negative feedback so that you can stay strong, continue to produce great work, and turn it into a learning experience.
Evaluate What You Have Read
Criticism is a natural part of the writing process – it’s how you learn and grow as a writer. So when I receive criticism online, do you know what the first thing I do is? I read it.
The most crucial thing to reflect on when facing criticism is that it is not always personal.
Just because someone dislikes your work does not imply that you are a terrible writer. It could merely be a matter of taste.
As a celebrity who preaches about ignoring haters, I know this message sounds contradictory, but please hear me out.
It’s essential to realize the difference between the criticism you receive from an article you write, and the countless amounts of hate directed at public figures.
Fortunately, the majority of us have little to no criticism to deal with online.
We should always read what someone online has to say when we get picked apart by them. Regardless of the format, you should read the comment, the response, or the private message and evaluate it.
There is a simple reason for this: not all criticism is bad, and some of it may even be beneficial.
Many of my critics had raised good points when I re-read some of the criticism I’ve received for my written articles and quizzes.
While pointing out flaws in my argument, they provided me with perspectives I hadn’t considered. As a result, despite my dislike of criticism, I became a better writer from their comments.
Some of them weren’t constructive, of course. There were some comments posted by them that I strongly disagreed with, or that I found insulting.
Online criticism usually falls into one of two categories: constructive or offensive. Unfortunately, I have yet to meet a critic who is both constructive and offensive.
Nonetheless, there is a huge difference between constructive and destructive criticism.
Constructive criticism is meant to help you improve as a writer, while destructive criticism is meant to tear you down.
It is possible to evaluate the usefulness of our criticism by reading it. It is possible to evaluate the usefulness of our criticism by reading it.
As long as you approach criticism with the mindset that you are right and they are wrong, you’ll never learn anything. But, even if your critics are wrong, they have something worthwhile to say.
Criticizing Yourself Is The Best Kind Of Criticism
Critics can often strengthen your argument by pointing out the weaknesses in your reasoning. Imagine the role of an editor – also known as a professional critic.
Put yourself in the shoes of a writer and an editor. As a writer/poet, your job is to present your work, and as an editor, it’s your job to say, “Sorry, that doesn’t work…you’ve got a run-on sentence over here, and a weak point over there.”
Even if that isn’t an enjoyable process, the end result is worth it: the writer has a better piece, and may even improve their writing skills.
In addition, there’s a good chance that they’ll be more aware of the errors next time.
It works the same way for online critics. Of course, not all criticism is worth considering. You should not stop writing because someone says you’re a terrible writer on your blog post.
The act of telling you that your article is terrible isn’t helpful – it’s just an insult. You should consider criticism, but your feelings should always come first.
Insults about appearance and ability should be ignored by critics. It is not worth your time to reply to someone who comments on your big nose on Instagram.
It will only hurt your self-esteem to focus on this offensive kind of criticism.
As a result, you should read criticism and take it with a grain of salt. You can improve your skills with constructive criticism, but offensive criticism should be avoided.
Don’t Respond Immediately
We instinctively defend ourselves when we read a dissenting opinion. While we want to respond to the critics and tell them how wrong they are, this can do more harm than good.
When you respond immediately, you are responding from anger. We’re not thinking straight, and we’re not responding in the most thoughtful manner possible.
It’s not always my practice to respond to criticism. I will respond within a few hours if I feel I have something to add or clarify. By doing this, I will be able to calm down and think clearly about what I want to say.
While it can be difficult to wait to reply when someone disagrees with us on a personal matter, keep in mind that a thoughtful response is always better than a rushed, emotional one.
Do not feel obligated to respond to every criticism, as I said. You probably shouldn’t respond unless it’s constructive and well-thought-out.
They didn’t bother to respond thoughtfully to you, so why should you?
How To Differentiate Between Constructive And Destructive Criticism?
It can be difficult to tell the difference between the two, but there are a few key things to look for.
Constructive criticism will usually be specific and well-reasoned, while destructive criticism will often be vague and unhelpful.
If you’re not sure whether the criticism you’re receiving is constructive or destructive, you should always be cautious and assume that it is constructive. This way, you can use it to your advantage and learn from it.
Once you’ve determined that the criticism is constructive, there are a few things you can do to make the most of it.
First, thank the person for taking the time to give you feedback. This shows that you are open to hearing what they have to say.
Second, step back and look at your work from an objective perspective. Try to see things from the critic’s point of view and identify any areas that you can improve.
Finally, use the criticism as a learning experience and make sure to apply what you’ve learned in future projects.
Receiving Criticism Means You’re Taking A Stand
Never forget that you are not the only one who is criticized. Any time anyone takes a stand or puts themselves out there, they will be criticized.
Feel empowered instead of whining like a wounded puppy about it – somewhere, you have impacted someone enough to get them to respond to you – even if it’s just to make a comment.
You can transform negative feedback into a positive learning experience by following these steps.
Remember to keep your head up and keep writing – the best way to handle criticism is to prove the critics wrong with your success.
Do you have any other valuable tips for dealing with negative feedback? Please share them in the comments below!
Do check out our other blog posts on [writing] (link to writing category page) for more tips and advice. Happy writing!
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Pat on your shoulder Ranjita for penning such an awesome and important topic. We all love appreciation but criticism is also important to accept… sometimes it actually helps us to deliver better.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
Great points. It’s very important to take criticism in constructive way, (whenever possible). If we do so, it could be a stepping stone otherwise it can shatter the confidence of the person
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
Wow that’s a good post. Be thankful, review what the criticism is about and learn from it. To the point and so useful in today’s world when not only celebrities have to deal with criticism.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
Ranjeeta well crafted, we need to accept criticism and should be able to differentiate between constructive and destructive
When we are out in the open we need to be receptive and cant be in our own cocoon
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
This is a great and important topic. Indeed criticism helps to give us a new perspective and opens our eyes to things we may have overlooked or never considered. Thanks for sharing it.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
Taking feedback in the right way isn’t easy for many and your post is very helpful in sharing the right perspective one should. Its all about learning and growing and a constructive feedback like you said is useful in our growth.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
This is definitely difficult for quite a few people. Taking it in a positive way takes sometime and love the tips which help here
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I agree it is difficult for many people to accept criticism but I believe we can take it positively and learn from it.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
You have explained it so beautifully 😍 one should always take it as a positive feedback and work towards it. If the comments are too toxic then one should ignore it.
Thank you so much for your feedback. I’m glad you liked it.
I appreciate the way you present your article.Thanks for sharing such an amazing and informative content. I totally agreed that we should always take critisism in a positive way. And focus on our progress.