Why Too Much Feedback Can Be Harmful

Excellent advice for any writer is to get feedback on your writing. No matter what stage you’re at, how advanced you are, or how naturally talented, gaining feedback on your writing is a great way to learn and improve and to catch issues with your writing that you’re simply too close to the story to see.

But there hits a point when you may have too much feedback for it to actually be beneficial. At a certain point, continuing to seek feedback on the same story might leave you feeling more confused than help you learn and improve.

This is because writing is subjective, and every reader is going to have a slightly different opinion on your story and/or how to make it stronger. But having too many opinions can feel overwhelming and leave you unsure of whose opinion to take. Instead of helping propel you forward, too much feedback can leave you feeling paralyzed and stuck.

Another thing to watch out for with seeking too much feedback? At a certain point, continuing to seek input on your story rather than either digging in and making the changes or deciding it’s good enough and taking the next step can be a sign of fear. By continuing to seek feedback, we can convince ourselves our story still needs work rather than taking the leap and putting our work out there.

So how do you know when enough feedback is enough? While there’s no one right number of people you should seek feedback from on your story, the more important thing is seeking quality over quantity. Three critique partners who are familiar with your specific genre, have a good understanding of story, and aren’t afraid to give you constructive feedback is better than seeking feedback from ten of your family members who will love what you’ve written no matter what or who may not understand your genre. If feedback you’ve received seems confusing or doesn’t resonate with you, see if you can have a conversation with the reader to better understand their concern and how you might resolve it rather than seeking additional feedback – another perspective may not help the way you hope; it may just add one more opinion for you to contend with and decide what to do with.

At a certain point, you need to trust your own instincts. This is your story, no one else’s. Other readers will have opinions and ideas of how to improve, and while their feedback should be considered (after all, you asked for it), by no means do you have to take it. If something a critique partner says doesn’t resonate or fit with the story you’re trying to tell, that’s okay. Trust your abilities as the author of this story. It’s okay not to agree with every bit of feedback you receive. After all, attempting to make every reader happy will only drive you crazy – it’s simply an impossible task.