Website Content Writing Tips: How to deal with Criticism?

content writer, web content writer, website content writing, web content writing, online writer, content writing tipsConsider the situation: You have been up all night writing a piece of web content and have been very satisfied with the final output. You post the content online with expectations of appreciation. But after a while you are shocked to discover that you have received heavy criticism for that same web content. You start wondering what flaw the post contained to receive such flaks. As you start reading your post again, you still cannot pin-point the reason behind such negative feedback. Your satisfaction at having written a good piece of content is robbed off by a few harsh sentences of criticism and you start sulking. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

Criticism is the undeniable side-effect of content writing. No web writer is above the grip of criticism. Even the best of the writers have to face negative feedback on their content. But criticism cannot do you any harm by itself, it is the way you take criticism that makes all the difference. Everyone has an opinion of their own. If someone does not like the way you presented an idea and has not been polite in their remarks, it does not indicate that you are a bad writer. It only indicates their point of view. Be courageous and listen to your critics but do not let their negative feedback affect your confidence. The trick lies in not taking criticism personally and feeling hurt in the process. If you are not sure about how to deal with criticism, read on to know about a few ways to tackle the issue.

Listen to criticism

The first step in dealing with criticism is to listen to criticism. Often it is the toughest part of the process. Allow the other person to express his or her opinion without interruption. That person is trying to make you see a point. Try to understand what she has to say.

Open up to criticism

Be receptive of criticism. Do not just shut negative feedback out of your system. Try to be honest in facing the criticism. Once you do that, do not let yourself get carried away by any negative feeling. Just remember that criticism is a part of your job, nothing more and nothing less.

Who is right anyway?

A writer always writes expressing her personal opinion and ideas. Even if the tone is neutral, the basic idea is what the writer believes or understands. Another person going through the same writing may share an entirely opposite view on the written matter. Both may be right in their own ways, but the point of view may be very different. Do not let another person’s opinion hurt you as your opinion has only made the other person react with comments. It is better not to be judgmental about yourself based on someone else’ opinion and views.

Ignore the habitual critics

Habitual critics are people who criticize out of habit. It is their nature to criticize everyone and everything. Such people find it really easy to criticize content writers as the “comments” facility in blogs and articles is a great tool for them. They write anything without trying to understand the writer’s point of view. Learn to recognize comments by such people and just ignore them.

Do not take it personally

Never take criticism personally. Always bear in mind that the critic is expressing an opinion about a piece of content written by you. If content is king, then the writer is the king-maker. The critic is expressing an opinion about the king and not the king-maker. Do not react emotionally to the situation. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that it is not a remark on you, your ability or talent. It is just a remark on the idea expressed or in the manner in which it is expressed.

Appreciate its positive side

One of the best things about any kind of criticism is that people are reading your writing. Every writer wants more and more readers to read his or her post. If there are people talking about your post that means they have read it and find it worthwhile to discuss about it. They are not ignoring what you have written but are publicizing it in one way. Also, sometimes criticism can throw up new ideas. It can point out a few things that you may have missed or overlooked. The critic may have a good point after all. Accept constructive criticism and improve your writing. Appreciate the good thing hidden under the negative comments instead of feeling gloomy and depressed.

Do not give up

Sometimes writers are so affected by criticism that they consider leaving the industry. Nothing can be worse than this. Criticism exists in every field and it is a part of every creative job. If your clients are critical about your work, try to see their point of view and rework accordingly.

Finally, remember that no one can please all the people all the time. Try to remain happy about your work. Go through the feedback it receives. Incorporate the positive things. And then, move on to your next assignment. That is the best way to respond to criticism.

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