Permission To Ignore Readers Response.
I just finished reading Jennie Nash's blog post on her site Jennienash.com.
Here is a small section. Note she has 2 pervious points, this one is number 3.
Here:
3 Not claiming your right to ignore feedback that doesn't serve you. The hardest thing to do when it comes to reader feedback is to ignore it, but in certain situations, it is imperative to do so. What you are looking for is feedback that resonates with something you believe to be true about the work – a place you knew was weak, a place where you tried to get away with something. The goal is to bring the work on the page as close as you can to the vision in your head. You are not trying to match someone ELSE’S vision, and you are absolutely, definitely, 100% not trying to meet the “vision” of a committee of readers. So if a critique comes out of left field, or no one else has said anything at all similar, or it just feels wrong (as in you think the feedback is bizarre or that the person giving it is being vindictive or clueless, or you can’t figure out where on earth they came up with the thing they are saying) you must ignore it. And I mean totally dismiss it. This advice assumes that you are open to actual, honest and possibly negative feedback about the work; that you are prepared to have to do a lot of hard work once you get the feedback; and that you are seeking feedback because you want to be a better writer. This is not permission to just say, “All my readers don’t get me so I shall write whatever the heck I want to write and ignore all of them.” It’s permission to assess one particularly bizarre bit of feedback and, if warranted, to ignore it. How do you confidently make such as assessment? It just happened to a client of mine, whom I shall call John. Some of the details of this story have been changed to protect people’s identities, but the story is real. John prepared a finished novel manuscript to go out to a small group of 5 readers, whom he selected for specific reasons, among those being an affinity for the topic of the story, membership in his target audience, and first-hand knowledge of the world of financial institutions and Wall Street. Feedback from the readers trickled in with some great, actionable advice to shore up a subplot and clarify a character’s intentions. One reader asked if a friend could also read the book and give feedback, because she liked it so much and she thought this friend would have great feedback to add to the mix. All readers were enthusiastic and full of praise even as they gave their honest assessment for ways to make the work better. One of his readers was a colleague in the Wall Street world, and when John got back this guy’s feedback, he wrote me this email: "Okay, so that’s the last time I ask this “friend” to read anything, ever. He ignored everything I asked him to do and wrote 22 pages of everything he found wrong with my book—which was pretty much everything from the premise to the style to the characters to that Nasdaq scene, which he didn’t buy at all. Said it wouldn’t be possible. As you know, I had a trader friend of mine also read it—he suggested a few minor changes, but felt, for the sake of my story it was accurate (simplified, yes, but plausible). I guess I will go through this reader’s notes to see if there are things he picked up on that I agree could be changed/fixed (the whole Nasdaq scene? The whole story rests on that scene!), but it was all pretty harsh and I have to say that I’m not looking forward to it." I immediately wrote back and said, “DON’T DO IT.” I urged John to ignore this friend’s feedback – to literally not open those 22 pages again. Because while it was kind for this friend to agree to be a beta reader, he didn’t play by the rules.
He didn’t fill out the simple one-page Q&A John asked for
He took the opportunity to rip the work apart in every way
He did not offer any helpful or encouraging feedback in his 22-page missive
He clearly did not understand the creative process or what John needed at this time
He was mean-spirited in a way that suggested that he did not have John’s best interests in mind – In fact, I suggested that perhaps he was jealous, and John later concurred that several things led him to believe this was true.
When I gave John permission to ignore the feedback, he was SO relieved. He asked, “Really? Can I?” And I said, “YES!!!!!”
Back to me:
Terrific huh?
My best,
Brie