Receiving and Interpreting
Writing Notes
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Being a writer is no easy task, especially when you receive writing notes, or feedback, about your work. From crafting stories to finding the perfect words, a lot goes into creating a successful piece of writing. To make sure that your work is top-notch, it’s essential to get feedback from critique groups, beta readers, or freelance editors.
But how do creative writers interpret and deal with the writing notes they receive? Here are some best practices for receiving constructive criticism and responding to it in a way that takes maximum advantage of feedback.
Consider Your Options Carefully When You Get Writing Notes
Once you have taken in all of the writing notes that have been given to you, it’s time to decide which ones are worth acting on. Before making any changes or taking any steps forward, think about the implications of each suggestion carefully. Ask yourself questions like, “Is this advice going to serve my story in the long run?” or “Does this change fit within my vision for my piece?”
Consider whether you are discarding good advice for emotional reasons, or whether the advice is not helpful. It can be tough to tell sometimes, as writing notes tend to inspire strong emotions.
You don’t have to act on every single note that someone gives you—in fact, it might be better not to. Writers know their own stories better than anyone else, so trust your intuition and make decisions based on what feels right for your story and its characters. But make sure you’re giving each set of writing notes a fair hearing, rather than rejecting ideas out of hand because they represent more potential work or seem to create problems that you must then solve.
Listen to Writing Notes With an Open Mind
The first thing you should do when you receive writing notes is to listen to the feedback with an open mind. It can be hard to take criticism sometimes, especially if you haven’t prepared ahead of time to glean the wisdom from the notes, and leave the rest.
But try to remember that the person giving you writing notes likely has your best interests at heart and wants to help you improve your work. Put aside any feelings of defensiveness and instead focus on what they’re saying and consider their suggestions objectively, if at all possible. This will help you better understand why they made certain comments or gave certain advice and decide if it’s something worth taking into consideration or not.
(Not all writing notes are created equal however, so make sure you’re getting them from a reputable source like a beta reader or freelance editor that specializes in your subject area. Critique groups can be great, but it might take a few tries to get the right one.)
Be Respectful About Writing Notes
When deciding which pieces of advice you would like to act on and which ones you would prefer not to use for now (or ever), it’s important to communicate these decisions respectfully to anyone who has been kind enough to give you writing notes.
Letting go of writing notes doesn't mean disregarding them altogether. Instead, explain why you choose not to follow certain pieces of advice in order both parties can learn from each other's experiences. Remember that even if two people don't agree on something at first, there may still be room for compromise further down the line.
Writing notes are essential tools for improving creative work—but how we respond to those notes matters just as much as how we receive them. By listening with an open mind, considering our options carefully before making changes, and communicating our decisions respectfully should go a long way towards helping us make the most out of our writing process.
So take these tips into consideration next time someone offers up some constructive feedback—you might be surprised at just how much progress you can make by following writing notes.
Click here to purchase Writing Irresistible Kidlit, my book on fiction craft for MG and YA novels, out from Writer's Digest Books. This will show you my writing craft philosophy and give you lots of valuable advice, including tips for the novel revision process and self-editing. There are over 35 example novels cited and discussed throughout. It’s a valuable resource for any writer’s toolkit.
Click here to purchase Successful Query Letters, my book on query letters, including over forty examples with comprehensive notes on each one. There’s a ton of submission advice, best practices, and insider information in these pages, and you’ll really enjoy seeing what other writers are doing in the slush.