Curriculum
Module 01 of How To Read A Bad Critique Without Quitting.
A bad critique is rarely entirely wrong or entirely right. The fix is sorting — line by line — what's signal (useful, actionable, true) and what's noise (taste-based, off-genre, projection). Most writers act on the noise and ignore the signal. We're going to reverse that.
DARE →
Take your last critique. Sort each note: signal or noise. Notice the ratio is usually 30/70.
⚙ ANSWER PLACEHOLDER — write this one in Book Maven voice.
⚙ ANSWER PLACEHOLDER — write this one in Book Maven voice.
⚙ ANSWER PLACEHOLDER — write this one in Book Maven voice.
⚙ ANSWER PLACEHOLDER — write this one in Book Maven voice.
⚙ ANSWER PLACEHOLDER — write this one in Book Maven voice.
✦ MANTRA
Sort before I act. Signal goes to revision. Noise goes to the trash. Both deserve to be sorted.
Critique is a mixed bag. Sort the bag. The signal is gold. The noise is recycling. Both pile up if you don't sort.
— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven