I'm not fond of feedback for short nonfiction writing, such as blog posts, for several reasons:
- Too often, the people who offer feedback are not the ideal reader for that piece. These nice people might be part of a writing community, but not people who want the knowledge they will receive from that piece.
- That means their feedback is about their taste, not the value the piece offers.
But how do writers get feedback on their (short) nonfiction writing?
Write and publish. Again and again.
Daily is best. Weekly is okay. Monthly? I don't think I would have found my author voice if I only published monthly, but maybe you can.
The more often you publish, the less you doubt yourself. As your confidence grows, your need for feedback lessens, because you can see where your pieces succeed or fall short of what you want to accomplish.
But if you want feedback on short nonfiction, there's one question you can use:
“What would make this piece even better for you?”
That's it. Make sure you stop talking or writing after that question mark. Don't start prompting the reader to find problems in the piece.
Why the “Even Better” Question Works
Here's why this question works.
- It assumes that this reader is an ideal reader for this piece. If not, then the reader can say, “Oh, it's not really in my expertise.”
Even better, the reader might say:
- “I didn't quite follow your flow or logic.” (You can check your logic and/or use subheadings to guide the reader through the piece. You might have to shorten your paragraphs with the carriage return.)
- “You lost me at this point.” (When I don't use enough examples, I lose potential readers.)
- “I thought you meant something up in paragraph 3, but then you set me straight in paragraph 6. (That's called “information flow.” When I get excited as I write, the words burst out. It's all I can do to keep up. And, yes, I miss the first place I should explain something key to the reader's understanding.)
- “I wanted a better ending reminding me of what to do.” That's the recap that reminds the reader of the problem you started the piece with.
- “I didn't realize the problem you discussed until the end.” Maybe you did not open the piece with a clear explanation of the problem you wanted to explore or solve.
But an open-ended question about making a piece better for the reader does not create doubt in the reader's mind.
Too many feedback questions about the writing create doubt in both the writer's and reader's minds.
Specific Feedback Questions Can Create Doubt
What do readers want from nonfiction writing? They want a confident writer who can either explore a particular issue or answer the readers' questions about a problem.
When you read my writing here, on my other site, or in my books, you can read my confidence. (When one of my publishers first met me, he said, “You write a lot taller than you are.”)
That's my confidence coming through my author voice.
When writers ask for feedback on flow, logic, getting stuck, or anything specific, they create doubt in the minds of their potential readers. (Let me reiterate—this is short nonfiction advice, not book advice. Book feedback is a different problem.)
The potential reader starts to look for problems. All because the writer created that doubt.
Worse, the writer feels that doubt.
Doubt will stop your writing dead. And doubt makes it very difficult to create confidence in your writing.
So you ask for feedback, again and again. In the meantime, your unfinished writing piles up. Soon, you have a mountain of doubt, a mountain of unfinished writing, and the dread that you will never write or finish anything again. (This is exactly the same problem as the reinforcing feedback loop in Flow Metrics and Why They Matter to Teams and Managers.)
It's time to reframe how you feel about your writing and feedback.
Reframe How You Feel About Your Writing
I only started to write regularly when I became a consultant in 1994. Let me remind you of that time:
- When I was a manager inside organizations, several senior managers still asked their admins to print their emails. Yes, that was a thing.
- If I wanted my managers to read what I thought, I had to write a memo and print it. Yes, still in 1994.
- While technical people used email, many of my managers did not. Neither did the clients of the companies I worked for. I had to write a memo, print it, and mail it.
We communicated with paper.
Because we communicated with paper, we did not have the same practice with writing as we all have now.
Think of the work you did today. You already answered several Slack/Teams/Discord messages with multiple-paragraph answers. In addition, you answered emails with even more multiple-paragraph answers.
You practiced your logic and information flow several times today. Multiply that by the number of days in a week and add your social media use, and yes, you continue to practice your writing daily and weekly.
Because you practice so often, you are already a great writer. Even better, because you have to answer all these queries, you publish more often than you think you do.
Practice Requires Publishing
The best feedback I know is to publish more often. How is that feedback?
- Sometimes, no one reacts to what I think is a terrific piece. Oh well. There could be many reasons for that, but maybe my writing did not hit the mark.
- Then, there are times when a piece I thought was just so-so hits “big.” All kinds of people react.
- And, sometimes, people tell me I am wrong.
Writers can be wrong and live. I've been wrong several times. So far, no one has come with pitchforks to kill me. It's possible that if my topics were different, my life might be in danger, but short nonfiction pieces about how projects and management could work? No. No one is coming for us.
If you answer all those emails, Slack/Teams/Discords, you already practice pieces of your writing craft.
Sure, we could all be better. Practice, via writing and publishing, is the best way I know to be a better writer.
Practice Writing and Publishing for Feedback
Could you be a better writer? Of course. That's why I practice my openings, logic, information flow, and endings in everything I write. Practice makes me better. (I recommend Free Your Inner Nonfiction Writer to learn how.)
But the best feedback I know is this: Write and publish. And if you really think you need feedback from someone, ask this one question: “What would make this piece even better for you?”
Claim your writing confidence. Banish all that self-doubt. Write and publish more, and you won't need feedback on your short writing.
This is part of the intermittent series of “writing secrets” posts.