Criticism: Beautifully Different

I said that I’ll come back with more on criticism, didn’t I? Here I am with the second post on criticism. My journey to accepting people's' opinions and learn to improve myself, continues now…

Joining a critique group and receiving the first critiques on my work, was really interesting, as I described you the other day. 



As the days passed by and I got more critiques I noticed something. Not something new, but something I knew it was true. 
Seeing it, though, is quite different than knowing it. I saw how different people are.

They all had the same manuscript before them and each of them was focusing on different parts. Some liked a description and others thought it was over-described. There were those who liked a dialogue and those who said to expand it, or make it more natural. The beautiful thing is that each of their comments had some truth in it and even if the change I did was small, I did make an adjustment and I saw that the result was better. Despite the differences though, there were some parts that all of them agreed. Those parts I think are harder to fix. Everyone is making different suggestions, I have my own thoughts about it and it’s like a small war is going on in my head. But it’s good, because I am learning what people like, what they believe about my work and I am getting better.

I have re-write some of the chapters but I prefer to upload more on the story and then I will start submitting the revised ones. Even if I am still a newbie in Critique Circle, I have spotted some of my weaknesses and I change the old chapters before I upload them on Critique Circle. Now when I read my manuscript it’s like I am hearing a critic’s voice in my head guiding my way. I am really glad that I joined that group.

I guess it will be harder to read a critique on a revised chapter, but I’ll have to do it eventually. I wonder when the critiques must stop. When I should remove a chapter? When and how I’ll know that I don’t need other critiques for that one? I have a long way ahead of me. I know that. I’ll just have to be patient and try to learn more about writing.

What about you? Would you join a group? How do you feel about reading critiques for your work? Feel free to share your thoughts.