How Do You Handle Criticism as An Academic or Creative Writer?

We have all been there and navigated our way out, but let’s see if we can do it better.

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Reading, researching, and writing over a couple of weeks to produce a perfectly written masterpiece only to know that you’ve done a terrible job is, to say the least, heartbreaking, disappointing, and embarrassing. Before we go deeper into the part where we learn to handle a situation like this, we must start with this:

Does it make sense that it hurts to receive critical (sometimes harsh) reviews on our work?

Yes, it absolutely does. It is the only natural reaction. Why? Spending time with something that is your own inculcates attachment (that’s basic human nature), and facing rejection (at any level) on behalf of the object of your attachment is bound to make you feel wrenched. So, the starting point of this journey is to accept that you feel hurt.

The next step would be to look at the broader picture. It's only through this excruciating process of writing, editing, and re-writing that you will grow as a writer. It's the whole package!

I read it somewhere, ‘No piece of writing is perfect’. This means that no matter what you write and how much effort you put into creating a masterpiece, there…