This podcast episode is from the Shelf Life article Defensive Line, which originally published on February 4, 2021.
In Defensive Line, I use an extended football metaphor (bear with me—I only know roller derby) to talk about the difference between criticism and attack. Most writers feel defensive when someone critiques their work—that’s normal. The problem isn’t the feeling; it’s what you do with it. I share my own struggles with internal defensiveness, the mistake of dismissing feedback while pretending to accept it, and why learning to sort good criticism from bad is a skill you need long before you ever hear from an agent or editor. The goal isn’t to stop feeling defensive. It’s to stop letting that feeling control your response —and your revisions.
