Writing Tip Tuesday #5 (Advice from Harper Lee)

Tuesday Writing Tip #5
(This will be a weekly feature. Check back next Tuesday for tip #6)
Missed tip #4? You can find it HERE

A lengthy discussion in a writer's group on Facebook led me to post my response to a new writer who said that she was too afraid to let anyone read her work. She worried about someone telling her that the best parts of her book weren't good enough. This was my response:

"I've published six books with the seventh scheduled for this December. I still have anxiety every time I publish something new. I have likened it to standing naked in the middle of Times Square. There will either be whistles and yells of "You go girl!" or there will be hecklers and rotten tomatoes tossed at me. (Just so you know, there will always be tomatoes, no matter how sexy and fine of a bod you have. You just have to hope that the ratio of whistles are much higher, and that you have grown a thick skin so you can handle the tomatoes with dignity). 

BUT... before standing naked anywhere, I have made sure that I've done everything possible to present the best "me" I possibly can. First, I have beta readers who read for content purposes and whose advice I absolutely trust. Second, I have two professional editors who I love and who have taught me to be a better writer through their edits. 

These are the folks that make sure that when I stand naked in Times Square that my scars are less noticeable, my flabby arms are bit more chiseled, that my pearly-white butt has been spray tanned, and my teeth shine bright like a diamond (Rhianna reference right there). 

Letting anyone read your work is scary, but once you do, the sooner you can take your writing to the next level. For me, advice and critiques of my work, especially before I publish, is beyond priceless."

The only way to develop a thick skin is to let people read and review our work. It is by sharing it with others that we can learn of our faults and improve upon them. Hiding away and being too afraid to share our writing with anyone will only hinder our efforts and will defeat the purpose we're trying to achieve as writers. Of course, criticism produces disappoint. It will sting. That is to be expected. Even the most seasoned of writers still feel disappointment when a passage doesn't receive the acclaims they had hoped for. But the difference between a pro and and amateur is the way they approach the criticism.

Here are a few pointers taken from a blog post by J.E. Fishman on How to Take Criticism Like a Pro. You can read the entire post HERE.   

"You come to know a pro as much by her process as by the work she produces. Some people think pros just work harder than everyone else. While it’s true that they often do, there are any number of other ways in which a professional distinguishes herself. Acceptance of criticism is among the most powerful. If we want people to take us seriously as a writer, we must take criticism like a pro does:

A pro separates the work from himself — He pushes ego out of it. Even if we’re writing something very personal, we are not our work. The work is a form of communication. It is not what we are, but what we say. The pro doesn’t internalize criticism.

A pro seeks opportunities to learn from criticism. She knows that her art is not static, that a failure to grow with the craft will harm the next work. Every work becomes imperfect the moment it seeks expression. To learn as we go is a means of approaching that ever-elusive perfection.

A pro hears what is not said. The amateur too easily dismisses criticism that’s not expressed in the framework of how we think about our own craft. But the pro reads between the lines, asking herself what in the story caused the reader to have that reaction.

A pro accepts challenges. Not every item of criticism calls for a response within the work, but the default should never be a shrug of the shoulders. The pro understands that the path of least resistance, while tempting, rarely leads to great execution.

A pro never argues, never rebuts. The work should be all we ever need to convince anyone of anything. It stands alone. The pro knows that her work will eventually go out into the world defenseless. If a proper understanding of the work requires an off-the-page argument from the author, it’s already failed for that particular reader. There’s no point in discussing it further except perhaps by asking questions to learn.

A pro doesn’t belittle the messenger. Imagine if only architects were allowed to have opinions about the beauty (or utility) of a house. Don’t ever put down critical readers, even in your own mind. Respect your audience, and out of that respect will grow the potential for greatness.

It would be awesome if we could produce a book or paint art or compose music with perfection from the get-go. That would be easy and ideal. But nothing is that easy, and if someone boasts that they can do it perfect the first time, then be skeptical. It's the process of learning and growing that makes being a writer so bloody fantastic (no, I'm not British).

Here is another wonderful blog post as well: How to Develop a Thicker Skin. The advice is golden.

If anything, please don't let the fear of rejection and disappointment keep you from doing what you love. Write and then share it. Start off by sharing your work with someone you trust, but who will also be fair and honest about it.

Criticism is part of the process. We shouldn't try to avoid it, but instead look for ways to embrace it.

It's all about the attitude. If you are willing to write for others, then be willing to listen, be willing to learn, and be willing to rewrite. I promise you, it will only make you a stronger writer if you do.