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My fantasy novel's opening chapter got shredded by my writing group, and honestly, it felt amazing
I brought the first 2,000 words of my epic to my local group on Tuesday, expecting gentle praise. Instead, Jane pointed out my main character had no clear goal, Mark said the magic system intro was an info-dump, and they all agreed the tavern scene was a cliche. For about five minutes, I wanted to crawl under the table. But then something clicked. Their notes weren't mean, they were specific. They actually cared enough to be brutally honest. That direct feedback gave me a real roadmap for my rewrite, something vague compliments never could. Now I'm staring at a messy document full of their red comments, and I'm weirdly energized. Has anyone else had a critique that initially stung but ended up being the best thing for your draft?
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logan7057mo ago
Hard disagree. That kind of brutal feedback just kills your drive to write. Getting your work torn apart in front of everyone is humiliating, not helpful. Specific notes can still be crushing and make you want to quit. Gentle praise at least builds the confidence you need to keep going and figure out the problems yourself later. A roadmap from others just means you're writing their story, not yours. That document covered in red marks would just make me close the laptop forever.
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brookeross6mo ago
That's just how people give feedback on everything now.
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andrew6397mo ago
There's a middle ground that gets missed here. Some of the best feedback I've gotten pointed out a single, clear problem and let me find my own fix. That brutal group shredding sounds awful, but vague praise doesn't give you anything to work with either. The trick is finding a reader who asks good questions instead of just giving orders. That way you solve the story's issues without feeling like you're taking dictation.
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