What do you do if your writing project is facing conflicting feedback?

1 Assess Feedback

Before you dive into making changes, take a step back and assess the feedback you've received. Gather all the comments and lay them out. Look for common themes or repeated issues, as these are likely areas that genuinely need improvement. Remember, not all feedback is created equal; some critique will be more about personal preference than objective quality. Your job is to sift through the opinions and identify which pieces of feedback are constructive and align with your goals for the project.

2 Clarify Goals

Understanding the core objectives of your writing project is crucial when dealing with conflicting feedback. What are you trying to achieve with your piece? Who is your target audience? By clarifying your goals, you'll have a benchmark against which to measure the feedback. If a piece of advice doesn't serve your project's purpose or appeal to your intended audience, it might not be worth incorporating.

3 Prioritize Changes

Once you've identified which feedback is useful, prioritize the changes that will have the most significant impact on improving your writing. Consider the effort involved and the potential benefit to your project. Start with the most critical issues that align with your goals and work down the list. This approach ensures that your revisions are strategic and manageable, rather than trying to tackle everything at once and potentially becoming overwhelmed.

4 Open Dialogue

If feedback is unclear or seems contradictory, don't hesitate to seek clarification. Engage in a dialogue with your reviewers to understand their perspectives better. Ask questions about their comments and discuss possible solutions. This conversation can provide valuable insights and lead to a more nuanced understanding of how different readers perceive your work.

5 Test Changes

Implementing changes based on feedback is a process of trial and error. After making revisions, consider sharing your updated draft with a subset of your original reviewers or a new group entirely. Their reactions can help you gauge whether the changes have been effective or if further adjustments are needed. This iterative process can significantly enhance the quality of your writing.

6 Reflect & Grow

Finally, use conflicting feedback as a learning opportunity. Reflect on the critique and your responses to it. What can you learn from this experience that will make you a better writer? Each piece of feedback, whether positive or negative, holds a lesson. Embrace the process of receiving and working with feedback as part of your growth as a writer, and you'll find that conflicting opinions can be a powerful tool for improvement.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?