Feedback

Feedback is the medicine of writing. 

You might not like it, but it's good for you. Or, at least, it's good for your work in curing its ills. 

But feedback is a feisty beast and hard to handle. 

Giving it out can be dangerous. Many times I've seen feedback sessions spiral into an argument. 

And receiving it can be just as hard.

I've been on the sharp end of some feedback in the last few days. Whether it was about the poster to advertise the launch of my new book - 

POstER BloG.PNG

(Sorry, couldn't resist that plug. Do come along if you can - it'd be lovely if I'm not the only one at the event.)

((And yes, maybe I need some feedback on how to size and scale pictures for my blogs. But as I was saying...)) 

I've also been dealing with some feedback about my young adults' novel, which, frankly, I really didn't want to hear. 

I thought it was all sorted and ready to go and wow/delight publishers, when... 

Apparently a few more tweaks are required. 

I won't say what I thought at that point, but in old fashioned type, it goes something like ***** ***** ***** etc.

However! This is the key to handling feedback, which I always try to remember (when I've stopped fuming and kicking walls.)

Feedback is intended to help.

At every stage of my new thriller, Justice Mirror, the launch of which is mentioned above (so very subtly), whether it was the input of editors, or the cover artists, or the marketing people, or the poster designers...

The feedback is intended to help. 

So whatever field of life it's in, take heart and swallow when you get feedback. It may well do you good.