irreconcilable differences

It's always good to get feedback on the stuff we write. That's what a good critique group is for. It's what we want from our beta readers, agents, and editors because it helps us grow as writers. Most of all, it keeps us humble.

I submitted a piece to a contest recently, and even though I didn't win anything, I learned a lot from the experience. The judges provided in-depth feedback according to a point by point scoring system: hook, scene, character, plot, voice, technique, etc.--5 for excellent, 1 for not so much...

You can imagine my elation when I read through the first critique and received glowing remarks. "Great hook--5." "I was drawn right in--5." "Interesting premise--5." "Love your protagonist--5." "Can't wait to read more."

I could hardly contain my enthusiasm!



http://www.picgifs.com/clip-art/bingo/

Then...I went on to the second critique. "There is no hook here at all--1." "I have no sense of where you are going with this--2." "Your protagonist is unlikeable--1." And on and on it went.

I'm thinking, "Did they read the same piece? There must be some mistake!"

In an instant, I felt like a

Total Failure!!!



How does this happen??

What am I supposed to learn from this? I have decided that:

1. You can't please everyone.
2. The so-called "rules" of writing only get you so far.
3. Just as a writer can have a bad day, so can a reader.
4. You have to keep sending things out. Somewhere...someday...you'll run into someone who thinks just like you do. Hopefully, it will be a judge or an agent!

Have you ever been confused by a critique? Discouraged by it? How do you reconcile differences in opinion when your work is judged?

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"Do the best you can

until you know better.

Then, when you know better,

do better."

~Maya Angelou~

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jan