Bad title, huh? I thought it had a nice little poetic thing going, but Linda groaned and rolled her eyes and JJ just shook her head and walked away with her arms in the air. Hmmpf. I don’t see either one of them posting today.
Hey, it’s Rey. The Boss has a whack of things to do over the long weekend—yeah, there’s one across the waves and north of the 49th Parallel, which according to Ms. Smarty Pants (Lindy-Loo) is the latitude line that shapes the boundary between Canada and the United States . . . somewhere between Manitoba and B.C., if I got that correctly (and do I really care?).
Anyway, I’m happy to post on behalf of my two fellow [lazy] colleagues. Maybe I’m not posting something super fresh, but it’s worth touching upon, and that makes it as fresh and fragrant as—you got it—a flower. 😊
The Boss, like most of us, gets bummed out when no one “likes” her post or criticizes her writing / editing. I get that. I’ve gotten a lot of criticism in my life, and it’s not easy to deal with, much less accept. So, how do we turn a negative experience into something positive?
Probably the first thing is not to snap at the person who’s delivered the less-than-pleasant “news”. It’s hard not to want to become defensive, for sure. But my experience has been that if you can remain cool—take a deep breath or three—then you might just get a useful “take away” in return. Ask the person to elaborate; they may actually have some useful information/advice. But if they’re not offering anything of value, leave it, walk away. Tempting as it might be, don’t criticize in return; that doesn’t resolve much except aggravate the situation; it just makes those sour grapes all the more tart (and hard to swallow).
Look at criticism as feedback. Criticism is such a negative word, so think of it as feedback—opinions and suggestions. Those sound so much more upbeat, don’t they?
And feel free to offer your side. Respond to the “feedback”—not with snarls and an oh-really?! attitude. Explain your intention, where you’re coming from. Maybe Mr./Ms. Feedback misunderstood your intent. And, if he/she didn’t—and doesn’t—get it, move on.
We can’t be loved all the time, by everyone. That’d be wonderful, but that’s not the real world. Learning to deal with negative comments about our writing/blogging—our hair, our habits, whatever—is the best course of action. Who’s the better person? The criticizer? Or the criticizee?
Yeah, I know, Linda’s already snickering about my word usage. And speaking of criticizers, like my BFF, that’s the beauty of solid relationships; you know where you stand and you how to react. That’s not always the case with people you don’t know well or at all. But, regardless of who you’re dealing with, know that responding is best done with a smile (even if forced) and, maybe, sometimes with a grain of salt.
The Writer's Grab-Bag 