4 Realistic Ways to Celebrate a Bad Critique

By Saray Rodriguez

“No one will ever read this!”

The words rang in my ears. Only this time, the venom did not come from my own mind but rather from a teacher. Our argument stopped abruptly. I stood paralyzed, and I paused my arguing. The article I had worked on for the past two weeks was completely and utterly shut down.

Sharing your work is scary. Getting feedback on it can be brutal. Writers are emotional (probably more than the average human). We work on things we care about. We bleed in ink. I held my article in an important place in my heart, so those words devastated me.

In a lifetime, rejection is inevitable, but somehow, when your writing is rejected, the devastation is amplified. It took me a long time to recover from those words. They cut deep, but I knew I wanted to improve as a writer. So I penned this four-step manifesto on realistic ways to celebrate your critique so that you bounce back with grace.
 
1. Take a Second.

​It’s going to hurt. You may need a moment to collect yourself, especially if the person giving the feedback is your teacher, editor, or has some other important role in your life. You may feel anger, frustration, or offense. Take a second to process the emotions, for they are valid: it was your craftwork they judged. But do so carefully and internally, don’t burn down bridges. They are not judging you.

2. Get an Understanding of the Rejection

As hurtful as the delivery might have been, valid points are trying to be made. As the writer, you can choose to ignore it. I felt very inclined to ignore my teacher’s comments on my article, as I felt a sense of unfairness when she singled me out from my peers and did not critique them nearly as harshly. However, I knew there was no better “revenge” or “comeback” than to write writing a stellar article.

I begrudgingly tried to understand where her comments were coming from. I understood that my teacher’s declaration that “no one would read the article” was made out of anger, so I worked hard to reconstruct my confidence in my craft.

Although I disagreed that the topic was “not relevant to the audience,” I realized she had a point in that I needed more sources. 

3. Recognize the Source of Your who your Critique.

Sometimes, when we want to perfect our work, we tend to ask multiple people for their opinion. This can be a problem because opinions are subjective. They can be great on occasion when we need to collect our thoughts but keep in mind that based on the topic, some experienced voices may hold more weight than others. Even so, at the end of the day, we can all learn something from everyone. 

4. Take Your Time.

Recognize you may not bounce back immediately, and that is okay. For weeks after my argument with my teacher, I hated going back to class and felt a lot of anxiety prior to that class period. Your relationship with your critic may have been impacted by what they said, and amends may not be swift.

Remember, though, that if someone took the time to critique your work and give you feedback, it is because they also want to see you grow. So take their suggestions and grow. Flourish and keep writing in spite of them.

Saray is a podcast editor for #TeenWritersProject who loves reading, writing, design, traveling, movies, and theater. She is a high school senior.