How can you balance constructive criticism with support in writing feedback and collaboration?

Understanding the purpose of feedback is crucial. While positive feedback is uplifting, even negative feedback can be valuable if it's constructive. It provides insights that help us refine and improve our writing, ultimately making us better writers.

Criticism hurts. The first time I got professional feedback I had to pour myself a drink. The words I heard hurt my soul. But that was a start of my professional writing. I didn't like that I had to keep revising my work. I was lucky though. The editor could have reject me completely. Instead, he chose to give me feedback till I got it right. So be ready to cry a tear or two. Still good feedback will bring out the best in you. Don't take it personal. And keep writing!

When giving feedback, it's important to know the purpose of the feedback. This is so that you would know what type of feedback to give. When giving feedback to the writer, you should remember to not be personal. Even if you are not very fond of the writer, you have to stay neutral and professional by only giving feedback regarding their work. You also need to know who the target audience are. This is so that your feedback can be consistent with the needs and likes of the audience.

Wenn Sie Feedback erhalten möchten, sagen Sie dem Feedbackgebenden genau, wo Sie gerade mit Ihrem Text stehen: Ist es ein Erst-Entwurf? Ist die Version kurz vor der Abgabe? Sagen Sie auch genau, worauf Sie Feedback bekommen möchten: auf die Struktur, den Inhalt, die Formulierungen. Warum ist es wichtig, dem Feedbackgebende diese Informationen zu geben? Bei einem Erst-Entwurf ist es wichtiger erst einmal das große Ganze in den Blick zu nehmen, bei einem End-Entwurf werden auch Kleinigkeiten beachtet. Umgekehrt: Wenn Sie Feedback geben, fragen Sie den:die Autor:in genau, worauf Sie Ihr Augenmerk legen sollen. So können Sie das Feedback geben, was die Person in diesem Augenblick benötigt.

When giving feedback, the tone matters. This is because if you use a harsh tone, you would most probably end up offending the writer. You should tell the writer their problems in a nice manner. For example : "I think you could write it in another way. This would sound more interesting." You could also include words of encouragement in your feedback. For example : "Your way of expressing is really interesting, but I think it doesn't suit this situation."

Wenn Sie Feedback geben: Seien Sie wohlwollend. Versuchen Sie absolute Wertungen zu vermeiden. Sätze wie "Das ist falsch" oder "Das kannst du so nicht schreiben" können die andere Person in die Defensive treiben. Arbeiten Sie eher mit Fragen, zum Beispiel: "Ich verstehe das so und so. Meinst du das so?" und warten Sie ab, was die andere Person sagt. Häufig erkennt der oder die Schreibende dann von selbst, ob eine Passage missverständlich formuliert wurde oder ob die Inhalte generell nicht stimmen.

When giving feedback, always remember the etiquette. Even in anything, you have to always remember to be polite. You should show your respect to the writer. This is because the contents is their hard work as they are the original writers who came up with the ideas in the first place. You also should honestly tell them the real problems. This is so that they would be able to know what to rectify. But, you must be polite and courteous when doing this.

Wenn Sie Feedback erhalten möchten, geben Sie dem Feedbackgebenden genügend Zeit, um Ihren Text mindestens zwei Mal in Ruhe zu lesen und zu durchdenken. Vermeiden Sie es, die andere Person zwischen Tür und Angel zu überfallen. Machen Sie einen Termin für das Feedback aus. Machen Sie zudem einen Termin aus bis wann Sie den Text zuvor liefern - und halten Sie sich an diesen Termin. Schließlich wollen Sie gutes, durchdachtes Feedback - und dafür benötigt der Feedbackgebende eben die Zeit, um sich vorzubereiten.

Be careful as to who you take feedback from. When I started to take writing seriously, I realized that few people know what they are talking about. There are many techniques that go into writing a good piece. You're always learning. But people don't make an effort to learn these techniques. So their feedback can't do much for you. The best kind of feedback is when someone says, "I like it!" Usually they're trying to be nice. And even if they do like it, that's not the point of writing. We don't write so people like it. So choose wisely. But do get feedback. If can, pay an editor to look over your work. It can make a big difference to your career. And keep writing!