Taking Criticism | The Passive Voice | Writers, Writing, Self ...

From Dave Farland:

People will judge your movies and stories regardless of how insecure you may feel about it. Sometimes their judgments will be fair and accurate, but just as often they?ll be biased, foolish, unfounded or downright deranged.

So you need to know as you come into this business that you?re going to get criticism. You?ll get it from professional critics, from editors, from agents, from housewives, from retirees, from inmates in prison, and soldiers in the field. You?ll get it from ten-year-old kids and great grandmothers. You?ll get it from people in Russia, Latin America, Australia, and Greece. You?ll get it from your spouse, children, and your own parents. On some occasions, you might get it from all of these people in a single day!

So don?t fool yourself with the notion that you can be a writer or a filmmaker and not get criticism.

. . . .

In fact, there is only one rational reaction to it: listen to each criticism, evaluate its validity, and resolve to improve your work as a result of those criticisms that are valid.

. . . .

You can try to change their minds, but arguing with such people wastes your time, saps your creative energy, and generally doesn?t gain you any converts. You won?t change their minds by defeating them in an argument, but very often I?ve found that I gained someone?s trust simply by showing them a little kindness. On more than one occasion I?ve had someone complain about a work that they had misread, and simply by treating that person with compassion and respect I?ve found that readers who had sworn that they would never read anything I?d written again have become die-hard fans.

Link to the rest at David Farland?and thanks to Eric for the tip.

Dave also shared a summary of the results of the Book Bomb for his injured son in which many visitors to The Passive Voice participated:

Nightingale Best Seller Rankings

Amazon

#84 Paid in Kindle Store

#1 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary

#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Contemporary

#2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy > Paranormal

Barnes and Noble

Sales Rank: 122

Million Dollar Outlines Best Seller Rankings

Amazon

#121 Paid in Kindle Store

#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Editing
#1 in Books > Education & Reference > Writing, Research & Publishing Guides > Writing > Editing
#6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction

Barnes and Noble

Sales Rank: 248

David Farland, Reviews

Source: http://www.thepassivevoice.com/04/2013/taking-criticism/

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