How do you work through the trauma of hurtful words about you and your art and continue writing with confidence? Instead of “glat”, I’m sure you meant to write “glad”. Before you give or receive writing feedback, keep these four things in mind: 1. And this is why I love it when you share your comments in the lesson. Ask: Will observing this “rule”/preference really make a difference in my reader’s life? When you receive hurtful writing feedback, or a laundry list of to-do’s that seems Optional, you need to know what to do with it. This website uses cookies. Large swaths of the population detest certain kinds of content, mainly cursing, sex, and violence/gore. When you write within a clearly defined genre, it’s much easier to know what you might be doing wrong. Sometimes it’s obvious how and when you should address the issues the feedback brings up. My manager told me to avoid “you” statements as much as possible, start by mentioning what they do well, and then bring up how they could be “even better” by improving this or that. What do I risk by making the change or leaving it alone? Thank the partner for their enthusiasm, but then ask them to make suggestions rather than rewrites. If you have a more advanced learner, you could try being more specific so that they are also able to progress. That’s a great question! It can nurture stronger, more focused and more determined English language learners. When I finally admitted I didn’t have a clue how to write a novel or query, it led me to research. Ask: Does the suggestion make sense within the genre and the story I’m telling? For example, you’re not supposed to begin sentences with conjunctions, like “And” or “Because.” Is this a rule? Use common sentence starters to make suggestions in English so you can confidently share your ideas and offer alternatives. Your partner probably doesn’t realize that the advice they’re giving you is off-target. #189: Make Suggestions in English — 12 Effective Sentence StartersWrite Great Emails in EnglishHow to Disagree Politely in English. Was the feedback too personal, perhaps fixating on your Style and nothing else? Actually, I was an insecure 21-year-old kid who didn’t know how to tell a story. Instead, take the time to provide learners with information on exactly what they did well, and what may still need improvement. Readers generally like to try new stories as long as they arrive in the context of a trusted genre. Tell me your story in the comments. In a study by Frontiers in Human Neuroscience that looked at delayed versus immediate feedback, the researchers found that participants who received immediate feedback showed a significantly larger increase in performance than those who had received delayed feedback. Put another way, helpful feedback on your story will help you make sure you’re writing within an established and understood genre (what the reader expects from the story’s genre), and telling a story that is clear, engaging, and enjoyable (the reader’s experience). Keep up the good work. It’s also important to point out to the learner how they are doing things differently, in order to give them a sense of progression. As long as you focus on these two things, you’ll find it much easier to know if the advice you’re getting is something you should be paying attention to. No, it is not. Before you give or receive any more writing feedback, take some time to reflect on a moment in your life when you experienced the trauma of poorly delivered feedback. Want to know if the feedback you’re getting is essential? To write feedback, start by giving positive feedback to soften the upcoming criticism. Then, phrase your negative feedback as advice. Do you have a useful expression or method to use? Know your genre and audience. The job of an English teacher is a busy one, but feedback is much more effective when it’s given within a short timescale, rather than weeks or months down the line. Don’t forget to check out my challenge questions for you after you watch the video. I’ve fixed that mistake. Readers rarely pick up a genre-less book by an unknown author and say, “This is worth six hours of my time!”.