How to Tell the Difference Between Constructive and Destructive Feedback

You wrote a novel! Now what? NaNoWriMo’s “Now What?” Months are here—this January and February, we’ll be helping you guide your novel through the revision and publishing process. Today, author M Todd Gallowglas, describes how to build constructive feedback relationships:

When you tell people you’ve just finished writing a novel, many of them, writers and non-writers alike, are going to be full of well-meaning suggestions and advice. Some of the advice will be good, some of it… not so much. One of the things you’ll hear most often is to have other people read your book and give you feedback. 

Great idea!

Well, it’s a great idea until people start actually giving you feedback on your work. After that, you have to sift through all the stuff that works for you and what doesn’t, what’s going to help your book and what’s going to hurt it. Yes, you read that right, feedback comes in two types: constructive and destructive. Destructive feedback, while often well-intended, can not only hurt your book, but also hurt you as a writer. I have some tricks on how you can tell the difference between constructive and destructive feedback.