When I attended my first Romance Writers of America (RWA) chapter meeting I listened to recommendations from everyone whether they were published or not. One of the first comments that stuck with me was to develop “Rhino Skin”. What in the world is that, you ask? When listening to a critique of your work it can hurt. After all, you showed them your baby. It was a masterpiece, at least that’s what you thought. All babies are beautiful, right? Well, real babies are, but not necessarily a manuscript.

This is where you need to listen to the truth and not become discouraged. The truth does hurt sometimes and if you want to make your book the best it can be you need to be able to accept recommendations and edits. This is what we call developing a rhino skin.

I’m sharing this information because last Wednesday I read aloud the prologue and first chapter of my latest Work In Progress (WIP) to my critique group. Ouch, it hurt. However, I took their comments at face value and tried to read my story through their eyes. Yes, I admitted, there are some problems. It should not have been a surprise; after all it was a first draft. So I thought to myself, “toughen up buttercup”.

You also have to keep in mind you are not required to accept every single recommendation to change your manuscript. However, if more than one person points out a flaw then there is a good chance you need to make the change.

Don’t let the critiques bring you down. Think of them as opportunities to improve your story and your writing. That’s what critique groups and/or partners are there to do. Keep smiling and move forward.