writing related things i never thought i would have to say but oh boy i did: unpopular opinions edition
hope and patience are the only two things an editor needs more than coffee.
don’t write mean comments or leave unsolicited criticism. even if it’s bad writing, it does not warrant bad feedback.
your talent in one thing doesn’t necessarily translate to another field in the slightest, no matter how close you might think they’re related.
there is a line between “i write for fun and am content to move at my own pace and really, truly, make this my own thing solely for my own enjoyment,” and it really does very often bleed over into “this is a hobby, i am not being paid to do this, yet am still competitive about it and sometimes that enjoyment from the hobby conflicts with the realization that i still want to be good at this but am simply not invested enough to actually do so, and thus improve.”
some writers do not want to improve. that’s fine, but at the very least, accept that you have your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as the fact that you do not want to improve.
style should not conflict with legibility.
do not ask for feedback under the impression that you will only receive compliments.
please do not antagonize your beta/editor.
if you take criticism personally a lot, or if you don’t like how it imposes on your view of yourself, you may also want to keep what you do to yourself.
regarding criticism, it’s just as important to read between the lines as it is to choose what to listen to.
a compliment to an oc means double to the creator.
constructive brutality (also known as: what people hope will result from saying “tear my writing to shreds”) is not a thing. brutality in and of itself rarely makes people think. people tend to simply get defensive because many times it’s comparable to an insult, and the best way to deal with an insult is to shrug it off or not think about. or in some cases, actively fight it.
have the self awareness to understand what you would want and what you actually want. improvement is always a tantalizing prospect for an author, until they realize that it involves bringing out flaws in their writing. that part is never easy, which is fine; rarely do writers ever gladly look criticism in the eye. it’s difficult to accept, but at the very least, if you’re unable or unwilling to accept concrit, do not seek out a beta/editor in hopes that they won’t give you that. because a good one at least, very much will.
many people don’t realize how much they’re making themselves vulnerable by publishing their writing online. best to ask yourself first “is this truly for me now? did i post this online for other people to enjoy in the same way i do? am i willing to accept the potential criticism that may accompany?”
it’s incredibly easy to project into an original character. tread lightly with criticism in regards to them, especially one that has some sort of a traumatic past or visible issues.
“shameless self promotion” is not talking about your work if it comes up in a related conversation. shameless self promotion, however, is forcing your writing into a completely unrelated conversation with zero warning. don’t do this.
