How to Get Feedback on Your Writing: a Practical Guide

Discover an empowering process for requesting writing feedback, receiving it with grace, and implementing it to unlock your full writing potential. 

By Julie Tyler Ruiz

CONTENTS:

• How to ask for feedback
• How to receive feedback with grace
• How to implement feedback with confidence 

Requesting writing feedback is unique opportunity to gather diverse responses to your work-in-progress, find out what inspires people, and discover opportunities to develop your work further. A good critique partner, editor, or book coach can help you peer into your blind spots and uncover the hidden potential in your writing.

There's no thrill quite like finding out what someone has to say about your writing. To navigate this moment with ease, you have to be vulnerable and humble, adopt a growth mindset, and remain open to both praise and constructive suggestions.

Hear from a member of my writing community, the Author Exchange: "Receiving feedback about my writing has helped me level up as an author. It has boosted my confidence by highlighting my strengths and driven me to grow by revealing areas for improvement." —Ellen Ellzey, writer, instructor, adventurer 

In this guide, I'll walk you through a process for requesting feedback, receiving it with grace, and applying it effectively. By the end, you'll be on your way to your best writing yet. 

How to ask for feedback

1. Connect with qualified sources of feedback.

Examine your writing network to identify people who can offer encouraging and actionable feedback.

If you're looking for a peer review, consider recruiting a beta reader or critique partner. A qualified peer-level reviewer should be a skilled, experienced writer, as well as someone who can comfortably discuss writing craft. Perhaps they've taken writing workshops and courses, published their own work, or participated in group critique sessions. 

If you're looking for a professional review, consider investing in a developmental editor or book coach who can evaluate your manuscript and help you bring it closer to industry standards. 

Need to build or expand your network? Consider joining a critique group or writing class, attending writing conferences, reaching out to writers or influencers on social media, or investing in a writing coach.

2. Provide context for the writing sample under review.

Once you've connected with a professional or peer reviewer, provide context for the writing sample you want critiqued. Summarize the writing project as a whole: what it's about, your intended readers, and your goals for the project. Then describe the sample. What is it about specifically? Where does it fit within the whole project---beginning, middle, or end? 

In addition, let your reviewer know where you are in the writing process—still exploring ideas and possibilities, building the first draft, or officially revising a full draft.

Lastly, tell them what kind of feedback you're looking for—general impressions, specific questions and concerns you want addressed, a formal critique letter, or markup and line-edits. Here are some examples of ways you can frame your request for feedback: 

• "Right now, I'm looking for big picture feedback. How do you feel when you read my work? What would you say are your big takeaways from it?"
• "I'm not ready for line-edits yet, because I'm still drafting new material, and I haven't yet nailed down the plot. Could you help me identify places where I can develop the plot further and offer some ideas for how I might do that?"
• "What do you think of the voice? Does it fit the project? Can you show me places where you think it really sings?"

3. Agree to a timeframe for the critique and give your reviewer space. 

Come to a mutual understanding of the timeframe for the critique. During a live writing class or critique session, you'll likely receive verbal feedback on the spot. For a review of a writing sample up to fifty pages, you might agree to a turnaround time of a few days. To review and markup an entire 300-page manuscript, your support person might need a week or more.

Resist the urge to explain or defend your choices while your reviewer is crafting their critique. Doing so can be a challenge, especially if you foresee receiving comments about any trouble spots in your writing or suggestions on what to change. However, it's essential to keep mum, so that your reviewer can form their own impressions and offer unbiased responses.  

How to receive feedback with grace

1. Express your gratitude.

The moment you receive feedback, whether in verbal or written form, be sure to thank your reviewer for the attention they gave your work and effort they put into the critique process. Tell them you'll carefully consider their input and let them know when they can expect an update on your revisions.

2. Stash the feedback away and get some space. 

After thanking your reviewer, find a place to stash the critique, so you can get some distance from it and get your mind on something else for the rest of the day. If you took notes or an audio recording of verbal feedback, simply leave it in another room. If you received feedback in your inbox, just logout of your account or device.  

By getting distance, you'll avoid knee-jerk reactions that cloud your judgment and block you from the benefits of the critique. Both praise and constructive criticism can trigger emotional responses, so give yourself time to get into an objective, rational state of mind. Then, you can fully appreciate the critique's role in helping you shape your work.  

3. Resurrect the critique and give it your full attention. 

With the critique back in front of you, review it with an open mind. Remember that feedback is valuable—it's a testament to the support you have and an opportunity to learn new things about yourself and your writing. 

What are the key themes of the critique? How do you envision your project evolving as a result of this critique? Which comments and suggestions most resonate with you and why?  

Review "4 Writing Feedback Examples to Help You Give (and Get) Better Critiques" to get a feel for what impactful feedback looks like.

3. Craft a thoughtful response.

Responding thoughtfully to feedback is essential for establishing trust with your reviewer, fostering a sense of reciprocity in this relationship, and sparking meaningful conversations about writing. In addition, your thoughtful response helps your reviewer become more aware of their feedback approach and deepens their understanding of your work. 

When you agree with the feedback, acknowledge it clearly and explain why you found the comments and suggestions valuable.

For example: "I agree that I should pick up the pace in this chapter, so I will shorten some of the dialogue and setting descriptions, so that the reader can focus more on the action."

When you partially agree, explain your perspective on which aspects of the feedback work for your purposes and which do not, while still being gracious and respectful.

For example: "I see what you mean about the resolution seeming unrealistic and needs some refining. I want to keep the actual ending in terms of what happens to the characters, but I can work on providing more context or details, so that it's more believable."

When you disagree, explain your reasoning and take the opportunity to describe your creative vision more clearly. That way, your reviewer has a chance to adjust their critique accordingly.

For example: "I can see why some readers might take issue with my central argument. That said, I know my target audience pretty well and I've crafted my message specifically with them in mind. I know they'll appreciate my direct approach. I'll certainly work to phrase everything as tactfully as possible."   

How to apply feedback with confidence

1. Reflect on your writing goals and creative vision.

While feedback is valuable, every change you make to your writing project should align with your goals and vision. Take a moment to reflect on these. What are you setting out to accomplish as a writer and why? What kind of writer do you want to be? What do you want this particular writing project to look like when you finish it? 

2. Prioritize your revisions. 

With your goals and vision top of mind, identify the individual changes you'll make to your project, based on feedback, and list them in order of importance. Prioritize revisions that will make the biggest impact, such as strengthening the plot or developing the protagonist. Then, you can tackle smaller changes like expanding a scene or refining the voice.  

Tip: Be open to experimenting with unfamiliar approaches and techniques. A good critique will likely challenge you to venture outside of your comfort zone, ultimately leading you to expand your skill set and bring out the best in your writing. 

3. Review and evaluate your revisions. 

Once you've implemented the feedback, take a step back from the revision process to evaluate your project. How do the revisions affect the project as a whole? What did you learn from the process? What was the most rewarding aspect of getting feedback? How do you plan to seek feedback going forward?

4. Follow up with your reviewer. 

Follow through with your promise to update your reviewer on how the revisions went. Doing so brings the critique experience full circle and lets your reviewer in on the impact of their comments and suggestions. When appropriate, share your revisions so that the reviewer can see firsthand how you implemented their advice. 

Next steps

After a round of good feedback, continue revising your work-in-progress and seek out additional opportunities to get input on your work. Build a strong network of supporters in the writing world. Practice giving good feedback yourself so that you can build meaningful relationships around a shared passion for writing and raise your own awareness of craft.

Check  out "How to Give Writing Feedback Authors Crave: the Ultimate Guide" to perfect your critique style.