The circus rider who stands on top of the horse as the horse gallops around the arena stays focused. He doesn’t allow those around him to distract him. If he did he might fall.
This holds true in our writing. If we allow those around us to influence us to either change our writing to what others say it should be or those around us don’t support our writing then we won’t write or we change our voice which becomes lost in who we really are as a writer.
We have to remember to always be true to ourselves. It’s good to get feedback but if that feedback is always negative then don’t go that way anymore. Come up with another way to get feedback. Constructive criticism, or no criticism at all, is always better than negative criticism. The negative only causes us to go into defense mode of our writing rather than receive constructive criticism that will really help it instead.
I love it when I receive a critique back and it is marked up all over the place. (Yes, I know. I’m odd.) This means, first of all, that the person took their own personal time to really dig into my work and find areas of improvement. They cared enough to help me improve my writing. They also took the time to point out some of the positives in my writing as well.
For me, I can’t worry about what others think about my writing or else I might not write at all. I just have to find those who are willing to help me improve it.
Here is a quote by Julia Alvarez I think that sums it all up for me. “It’s not about what people might say or about how dangerous it might get. But it’s about staying focused on what you do, and doing what you love.”
