my-words-are-light:

mizjoely:

mumblingsage:

Part of receiving feedback that I think should be emphasized more is that: when an editor or beta points out a problem, their suggestion for fixing it isn’t always correct (or it might be correct for their style, but doesn’t match what you’re doing).

However, something still caught them up, so the author might want to take another look at that section of the story. The choice isn’t a binary one between “Change the story the way they say or don’t change anything.” You can change it in a different way. The reader may have misunderstood something about your story, and that makes their advice on a certain topic unhelpful, but it could still be a sign for you to clarify that part earlier. You might disagree with their rationale for the change, but still agree something should be rewritten. You might accept half of their suggestion for rewording a sentence but use your own ideas for the second half. You might reject any changes to one sentence, but revise another, related part of the story.

Editing isn’t something done *to* you. It’s something *you* do, with another person’s help. I think the best results come when authors realize the amount of control they have and are willing and able to take advantage of it.

This is absolutely WONDERFUL advice/clarification on betaing/editing/critiquing.

As someone who likes looking over the works of his friends, essentially this. I barely know what I’m talking about; expecting you to know is idiotic on my part. I have a lot of difficulty expressing myself—hence why I like to illustrate my points with examples of rewrites—but I have a lot of faith in my ability to pick out problems, if not my ability to explain them.

I’m trying to work with you, not do your job for you. No one knows your story better than you; all I can hope to do is provide extra eyes for more coverage.