Why feedback can help with early revisions

Last updated: August 4, 2025

Getting feedback on your writing is the (sometimes scary) process of sharing your writing and asking others for help. You might be asking why this is important? You’re already a pretty great writer, or you wouldn’t be here, so why do you need others to read your writing? Let me share a few reasons:

 1. Readers will push you to change and improve as a writer. That’s a good thing and the most important reason. Good writers don’t do it alone; they rely on others for help.

2. Quality constructive feedback can guide you in making your story better.

3. We know our weaknesses and tend to focus on those. Readers might not even pick up on what we think are weak areas, instead, they will point out parts that work really well, phrasing that spoke to them, structures they find interesting. Feedback can help you shift your frame from focusing on what’s not working to expanding on what is.

4. Often, we are too close to our own writing. We know all the fine details that may or may not have found their way into the draft we’ve shared. Sometimes, we know those in our head, but forget to include them in the text which can be confusing, or we add too much information to the text. We need an objective reader to point those areas out.

Every writer needs quality constructive feedback to improve, but to get the most out of it, check out the following guidelines to prep your piece for feedback.

 1. Finish your piece or section before sharing and asking for feedback. Get it done and trust your own writer’s instincts.

2. If you get stuck in the drafting process, hit pause. Set it aside. Go on a walk. Work on something else. Your brain will work on the problem. If you’re working with a coach or writing group, take your question to them for help working through it.

3. When you are all done with your piece (chapter, scene, section), set it aside for a week or two. Leave it alone! After some time, go back to it and read the entire piece. You can even read it out loud. You will be surprised at what you catch. Take notes and make your own revisions.

Feedback can be super helpful and it can be crushing. Use it when you’re ready for it, with trusted peers or a coach.