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How to Give Criticism(On Writing.)

It’s all about having the right mindset

Tommy Ueland
3 min readJul 19, 2020
Photo by 傅甬 华 on Unsplash

The power of words

When I know I am going to get criticized I start to react physically. My heart rate quickens, my palms get sweaty and my breath gets shallow.

The same is true when I am about to give feedback on someone else's writing.

And I assume most people are like me when it comes to receiving and giving feedback. Because to give criticism in a good way, it’s important that you understand how it’s like being at the receiving end.

I have been criticized for my writing by professionals several times. And it sucks. It’s my baby, my pride, and my years-in-the-making-project they tear apart in a heartbeat. Why can’t they just love it as much as I do? Don’t they understand what I am trying to do?

Every time the result was the same - It improved my writing.

Don’t dance (too much) around the bush

I (personally)hate the sh*t sandwich.

Sh*t sandwich is when you say something nice, then the crap, and finishes up with something nice. It can be a good technique some times, but be careful about using it.

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Tommy Ueland
Tommy Ueland

Written by Tommy Ueland

Father, writer, aspiring blogger, connoisseur of everyday joy and professional procrastinator.

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