The Writing Life #7: Criticism

Writing is a discussion. This is particularly true of non-fiction writing. Each book either starts or joins an on-going conversation about a text or topic. When I started writing Speaking By The Numbers, I realized I was joining a centuries old, worldwide conversation about both the Enneagram and public speaking. That meant one thing: criticism.

Being published means being public. Not only will there always be people who dislike what you say, but will wholeheartedly disagree and be vocal about their disagreement. In one sense, people are people and too many of us see our fundamental role in the world as judgment and criticism, as if it’s a spiritual gift. In another sense, our critics often have valuable insights and can’t highlight places we’ve misstepped. Since criticism is coming either way, the best thing is to get ahead of it by inviting criticism into your writing life.