Feedback should NEVER feel like this

You did it. You sent pages off to your writing group or critique partner or beta reader… and they finally responded.

You’re both terrified and excited to see what they thought. Your heart is pounding as you open their feedback. Your eyes start scanning, taking it in. Your nervousness starts to sour. This isn’t what you thought it was going to be. Their comments are a lot harsher than you expected, and they’re not even focused on the feedback you asked for.

The more you read their feedback, the more it’s tearing you down. The more it makes you hate your writing. The more it makes you question yourself, wonder whether or not you’re good enough.

It hurts. Way more than you thought it was going to. You feel like crawling into a hole to hide, or giving up writing entirely.

Is feedback supposed to feel this way? Is it supposed to make you feel like shit? Make you question whether you’re cut out to be a writer? Tear you down?

No, it isn’t.

It should never make you feel less than. It should never make you question your worth or whether or not you’re cut out to be a writer. It should never leave you hurt so badly you can’t make it back to the page for weeks (or even months!). Feedback should never made you feel like you don’t belong in this space. Or make you feel like you’re unsafe, unworthy, or unloved.

Yet so often, feedback results in those feelings. Why? How can do we do it differently so it doesn’t feel like that?

We’re tired of the “bad” sides of feedback. So we’re tackling this topic today.

Feedback should leave you feeling empowered to create the best version of your story.

It should be uplifting, encouraging, and invigorating.

On today’s episode of the Story Magic ✨ podcast, we’re diving into the topic of feedback.

This is real talk. Not all of us have amazing experiences with giving and receiving feedback. In fact, some of us have some pretty nasty horror stories—stories that have almost made us quit writing entirely or swear off feedback forever.

On the podcast, we face those stories head on and set the narrative straight. We talk about real life people with real life experiences that have left them questioning their own confidence. We break down how and why those experiences were wrong, and how these people can move on with confidence that feedback can and should be different.

Through exploring what feedback actually is and what feedback should actually be like, we teach you how to ensure your feedback relationships are effective and meaningful and truly helpful, both to you and your story. We’ll show you how to nurture those relationships, and stay on the same page both in mindset and in terminology. We create a shared narrative so we can be on the same page with shared expectations.

After this podcast, you’ll know how to begin to heal if you have been hurt before, you’ll understand what feels right (and wrong) and what to do about it, plus you’ll finish the episode with actionable next steps on where to find feedback that truly lifts you up.

This episode is for all the writers out there who have had less-than-stellar feedback experiences.

This is for the writers who are scared of sharing their work because they’re afraid of being hurt. It’s for the writers who have questioned whether they’re good enough because of feedback they’ve received in the past.

This is for the writers who know the power of feedback. It’s for the writers who are excited about the prospect of sharing their work, and want to make sure they’re giving and getting the best feedback possible.

This episode is for you.

Take your power back over feedback. Finally feel excited about sharing your stories with other writers, and know their feedback will help you tell the story branded on your heart.

Listen to Feedback should never make you feel like this now!

And then share this episode with your friends, critique partners, or writing groups so you can all get on the same page! Like we dive into on the podcast, freaking magic happens when feedback is done well. Our stories come alive, we become better writers, and the entire process becomes all the more fun. It’s an essential part of the writing journey.