Critique Group

I just got my first email today from the leader of my critique group. I joined American Christian Fiction Writers and was hooked up into Critique Group 88! For now we're just introducing ourselves and getting to know one another. Soon, though, I imagine we will be swapping WIPs (work in progress for those who don't know) and getting down to some editing.

Which prompted this post.

I've been using my mother as a sounding board-slash-editor for my WIPs and completed manuscripts. She has given me feedback that I then take to try to rework my story so that it a) reads easier, b) is more feasible, c) has better dialogue or d) makes more sense. I've found that these editing comments have been very helpful, no doubt, but also wounding!

You spend enough time with something, it becomes a part of you. These characters are my friends! What do you mean, they wouldn't say/do something like that? I'm learning that one thing I'm going to have to get better at is taking criticism. Editors in the publishing world aren't really going to spare my feelings, so why should my mother or my critique partners?

So my resolution from this epiphany is that I'm going to work on developing tougher skin. I believe it to be perhaps the biggest necessity when trying to get published. (Lord help me...I haven't even gotten to the rejection letter part of this journey...)