How much feedback should writers get?
Feedback for Writers
I’ve been an Indiana Jones fan since Raiders of the Lost Ark. So I went to see The Dial of Destiny. When the opening credits showed four screenwriters, I knew the movie was going to be a mess even before . . . well.
When you see more than two people with screenwriting credits, it’s always a bad sign. It means no one trusted anyone and everyone stomped all over whatever vision anyone else had and then everyone lobbied for their favorite bits to stay in whether they made sense to the final story or not. Usually a director who thinks they’re a writer is involved, and a couple of nervous producers are casting doubt.
What you need when a story is going wrong is an editor, not a bunch more writers.
Anyway, this isn’t a post about screenwriting. It’s a post about letting people stomp all over your vision.
Best Tips for Getting Feedback for Writers
I’m a big fan of using a beta reader or two to give you feedback on your work. Getting another pair of eyes on your ms is essential to helping you see obvious problems you might have overlooked. It’s notoriously difficult to see the flaws in your own work.
But I cannot count the number of people who have come to me after they sent their work out to four or five or ten beta readers and the accumulated feedback is just . . . a tangled knot of contradiction and confusion.
Readers A and B liked the main character but Readers C and D did not; Readers E and F had a problem with the inciting incident (implausible) but Readers A and D did not; Readers C and F found the ending unearned but A and E thought not a word should be changed whereas Reader B wanted the nuclear bomb to go off after all.
Seeking lots of feedback is like having four people write a screenplay. You’re going to wind up with a tangled knot of confusion when your goal is a strong, engaging story.
A good dev editor can help you make sense of this mass of contradictory feedback, but I would recommend not getting it in the first place. Pick one or two beta readers and go on with your life. You know what story you’re trying to tell. Let a small number of people help you see places where the cracks show. That’s it.
A good developmental editor is skilled at developing feedback for writers.
As a dev editor, I’m happy if you pick me instead or in addition to the one or two beta readers, but in any event do not fall victim to the idea that if one is good, five must be better. It’s not.
Related Reads
Your Year-End Review
This time of year, things slow down at Club Ed and I have time to reflect on the past year. I always learn a new lesson or two. This year, the lesson was “simplify.” It may not look like it when you see all of the classes available on Club Ed, but we’ve streamlined a…
Simplifying Your Editorial Business
In June, a plugin conflict caused the Club Ed website to crash. This was after a server problem took it offline for a weekend and we had to switch hosts. I thought I was going to lose my mind. Having Club Ed offline not only costs money but greatly inconveniences students. The website developer said,…
Doubting Your Work vs Doubting Yourself
Newer editors often struggle with imposter syndrome, which is the feeling that they’re not really good at their work and pretty soon everyone will see right through them and point their fingers and laugh. I’ve struggled with this (imposter syndrome, not pointing fingers and laughing) off-and-on throughout my career, as do most people who want…
The power of negative goals
This is the season when a lot of people, including me, spend a fair amount of time thinking about our goals for the new year. Over the years, I’ve used various frameworks for thinking about what I want to do, what I want my business to do, and what I want my life to look…
Characteristics of Successful Freelancers
My daughter likes the idea of dogs more than she actually likes the reality of them, sort of like me and home ownership. So we both enjoy these things safely at a distance. “What a cute house!” I say as I walk on by. “What a cute dog!” she says as she walks on by….
Don’t Wait to Start
Once upon a time, I was a magazine editor, and every year the January issue would include some form of “New Year, New You!” article. I probably used that exact title more than once. People often use the beginning of something to start a new habit, such as learning a new skill. The start of…
Join the Club!
New to story editing? Begin at the beginning.