How do you guys handle criticism?

[Garchompula]

Hi, I posted my comic to reddit and got a comment along the lines of "The art is great, but the plot and pacing are jarring." And for some reason it struck a nerve in me. I think it's because how honest it is, they aren't being a bully or a troll, just honest feedback. It's gotten into my head a little! What if my whole comic's like this? How do I fix this?? Is this an issue for a lot of readers?

I'm curious what you guys think. Have you had any experiences like this on your works?

[BoomerZ]

For constructive criticism like that, you can take it and see if you can see what they are saying. Just because it's constructive doesn't make it true. You have to be honest with yourself though. Were they right? If so, then do something about it and get better. We all aren't perfect at our craft, we get better. But we also need feedback on what we are doing. "this is awesome" or "this is shit" doesn't help. You could reach out to them and ask specifically what was jarring. Use this as a learning experience.

[Questionable_Liquid]

I've had critiques, but not on comics - more on my music orchestral composition. All of the critiques were helpful. Despite having received constructive feedback, I felt "attacked" because I had a critique on something I enjoy doing. If there is one thing I can agree with amongst many others is having our hobbies broken down with errors by someone else, but it is important to receive feedback to allow improvements for what we love.

I realized that I only received positive feedback that never mentioned any errors that I could improve on. Examples such as: "Wow, that was great! Good job!", "Excellent work! Would love to hear some more!" and so on. I need to get out of my internal sphere. For me, I would prefer to take it nice and slow with constructive criticism. The last thing I want to do is to be forced back into my little corner with a much harder barrier to break out of because I was bombarded with critiques I am not used to getting on a normal basis.

[ArtGremlin]

I haven’t really had any critiques… I feel like if I did, it would sting a little for me.

[cherrystark]

First, take twenty steps back and realize that it's just one person's opinion. It's not a personal attack or a sign from the heavens that you're bad at what you love. Once you've separated yourself from the negative emotions, look at your work objectively. Are there elements that you can realistically fix? What can you learn?

Second, realize that some people get a big head by giving criticism to creators online. Now, I'm not casting any judgments about the person who gave you the feedback. I just know from my own experience, that there is a good chunk of people who go into reading a story with the sole purpose of acting like judge, jury, and executioner. They don't "want" to enjoy the story. I literally had a reader call my work "derivative" and another comment that they could "predict some of the twists" in my story. I didn't know how to take that feedback. It seemed weird to me. But one of the biggest things that I've learned from the indie publishing racket is that the loudest voices are the people who don't leave reviews. If you're getting numbers, it means you are doing something right.

[Lensing]

Unsolicited always sucks and I don´t read all of it but some of it is good
and I´m grateful for everyone who took the time to consume one of my
creations

Here are some quotes from the same guy who commented after
I published my first story.

He started with:
"Come on, let’s do something different on this site."
then he continues that if this and that happened in the next
chapter then he would do this: " I’m gonna throw up!".

He was referring to the tropes I was using in my story.

I had criticism that the songs were stolen, one guy (music magazine
in the 90s) liked everything about the song except the bassplaying and
he felt the need to point that out (I was the bassplayer in the band)

Early 90s one kid said about my comic characters:
"Aw, you are the guy who always draws the legs too short"

All of those people were right from their pov, sometimes my pov too
and it´s up to me what I make of it. I make the best out of it.
Tropes guy - I love the tropes that I used, I will use them in the future
but good to know that there are some people who are sick of it
Bassplaying - I was in the wrong band at that time and I wasn´t playing
what fit the music
Short legs - I didn´t know what a sketch was at that time and I had zero
knowledge about human anatomy, I didn´t know what proportions are etc.
Guessing how long the legs have to be is still hard for me today

I have countless examples like that. One guy critiqued my backgrounds and
then he took the time to explain to me how he does it. I was grateful and
thanked him

A lot of creators behave like little, insulted kids when it comes to criticism. They don´t thank the
person who took the time to consume their creation and took the time to tell
them their pov

[ButterflyEmpress]

It's best to take a step back and realize that even though the criticism stings, the critic is only trying to help you improve and there's nothing stopping you from doing so. Now that you know there's something wrong with the pacing you can focus on learning more about it.

I think the critiques that hurt the most are the ones that point out things you thought you did a great job on. Example: If you drew a portrait and you knew the hands were wonky, but you're proud of the eyes, and the critic points out that the eyes are wonky too.
I know when I took my 1st driver's test, I thought I'd fail the cones, but I did great. On the road test I was confident, until the examiner told me all my left turns were awful. I was absolutely devastated, even though next time all I had to do was practice left turns.

[llobucervallince]

With a rope and a huge bucket of wet cement, next question.

[moontokkym]

Yeah if that's your first time receiving criticism even the gentlest of touch is going to feel like a stroke from a stinging nettle.

Like others have said, take a step away to calm the emotions and once that's done, come back and analyse the critique and how it applies to your work, and then try and find ways to do better in the future.

For example the critique you got indicates that while your drawing skills are good, you might need to work on your writing skills that fall short in comparaison, so searching for stuff like videos about story or scene structure, or scene transitions, or even using a scene for multiple purposes and embuing it with subtext could be really useful (misusing any of these could be a reason a reader would talk about pacing issues). Then take what you've learnt and see how you can apply it to your work (or even write a short story to practice).

This is the internet and art is a creative field so both well-spoken and clumsy critique are going to come your way as you grow, and it's vital that you be able to take it in the best way possible. I went to art school which is an exercise in getting thicker skin in terms of critique, like exposure therapy. After a while you get better at distinguishing genuine critique from trolling, taking critique and noticing when you're taking it too personally and need to step back before analysing. It hurts a lot at the beginning but it gets easier

[thepenmonster]

Unsolicited critique is boorish. But it's rarely given. Critique is a teaching tool and they're not there to teach. It's just a complaint, "I don't like this." If you're lucky they might try to back ot up with reasonable explanations but that's usually too much for the drive by critic.

It's the internet. Starting with the assumption of bad faith on their part is wise.

Assuming they do mean well, then you have the choice of seeing if they've given you something that can improve what you're doing. Often not. They don't know your intentions or goals and they're often not smart enough to know what a critique actually is.

Or you can ignore them entirely.

If they're being a jerk... good PR practice says to not flay them alive, so a simple block should suffice.

[llobucervallince]

Now that I think about it, I don't know if I give critiques or sugestions when I comment, a few days ago I said something like:
"cool map design! you could add a paper texture and a gradient map to make it look like a typical map you'd see on other fantasy media."
or:
"Hey I just noticed that you made her teeth of different color on this side while in the front is more white, is it a mistake? or is it because on the side is fake or something like that?"

Personally I prefer to just suggest ways to improve or make things easier, like advice on the brush seeting for a certain effect or such. I've actually been trying to start a conversation with @abigaillmartin so I can comment on the idea of creating a personal default shape that they can reproduce with no problem for their characters, kinda like the animation studios that use simple shapes to animate, like peppa pig and Bluey.

[2DLenzy]

Well, I haven't had any, either because commenters are too nice to point out flaws, or my self/art-depreciating comments robs them the opportunity, lol, idk. I know if I ever got critiques, that offer any artistic/story-telling advice, I'd probably handle it fine and perhaps listen to their suggestions...unless it's on older art that I KNOW needs rework, lol.

I'll go ahead and say, coming from someone who owns and read comics of your old style, the "jarring" transitions are part of the history/style/how it was done back in the day - cause they had to cram a story in three/six panels and tell it on small sheets of a paperback book(or newspapers) so it was economical to print. The "jarring" commenter may not have been exposed to old-style comics, or if they did, then maybe they're just pointing something out that the "new-ish" generation of audience may not expect or be accustomed to.

I think the pacing fits the style, if that helps. If you want, you could add extra panels to slow a few parts down, for future episodes - don't obsess over it. I imagine the action/comedy/parody genres are well suited by your style/pacing, even if it's different, and that's not a bad thing.

Bottom line: Extra panels, but only in places where you feel you could slow down, and only if necessary. But don't go back and change what you already published, that feels unnecessary and time-consuming on your part.
Don't fret too much though, I think you honor the "old style" enough, even with so-called "turbulent" pacing. Really feels like an old-fashioned comic I've read in the papers. But if you wanna change it to fit what the "new" viewers want, that's okay too. There can be a compromise, but you may have to experiment and try some things. At the very least, maybe post a question/vote on what YOU can do (it's okay to pose limitations, and defend your craft, it comes with the mantle), and try what the majority wants and see how it hits.

Me personally, I'm about to change my font so it's more of a comfortable read(and I can fit more in the ballons, lol), but I might keep in my hatchy speech balloons cause it's the only thing that holds onto my "old art" and has somewhat become a signature of the comic - even if it takes a hour to draw them by hand. (Can't wait to see what "vertical format" impresses on my viewers too, that'll be FUN *sarcasm)

[ThunderChicken]

If it’s constructive criticism I welcome it. I’ve got one reader who points out when I’ve made a mistake (usually I’m using the wrong character’s name in a situation, or have contradicted myself, or have caused a grammatical train wreck) and I’m always grateful, because no matter how many times I re-read my own stuff I still miss things.

If somebody asks a question about a plot point I will usually try to clarify it, then I will think about how I could have made it clearer, and if it wasn’t intentionally left vague (ie, if I left it open-ended because it will be resolved at a later time and I don’t want to provide spoilers) I will go back and change it.

If it’s just somebody saying “this sucks” without providing any context I simply chalk it up as a comment section troll and ignore it.

[BoomerZ]

One last comment. If they comment, they care. People that don't care move on and you never hear from them again. Look at it as they like a lot of it and just want it a little better and care enough to say something.

[rumpenstiltzkin]

One last comment. If they comment, they care. People that don't care move on and you never hear from them again. Look at it as they like a lot of it and just want it a little better and care enough to say something.

Considered it is the internet, some ppl do just make rude comments because they dont like something, so im very careful with certain comments.

but even so, it can be hurtful sometimes when you get criticism but I usually look at it and see if i agree myself, and if it is something i actually can do something about.

if what you got stuck with you, maybe its something you agree with, or something worth studying depending how your comic is, is it a comic full av action maybe it needs a better pacing, but if its not, maybe your comic simply isnt for that person.

do you have beta readers? usually i get a lot feedback early from my beta readers so i can fix things that might feel to slow, or where it goes to fast and i need to step back and consider how to change it so its clearer for the reader.

[brianhanes117]

Good criticism is a mix of positive and negative feedback. If it's all negative or negative and neutral all the time without any room for positive, then it is coming from a hater who you shouldn't listen to. So, you need to analyze what the source of the criticism is and if it seems to be coming from a good or neutral place. For instance, some people hate fanfictions innately other people hate anime, if you ask for their feedback it may be unrealistically negative.

Some people lack a knowledge or concept of what they are reviewing, that will also make their opinions less valuable on a certain matter. Conversely, if you hear several people make the same complaint, then that may be something you should change. If the criticism is accurate (say you mention too many unnecessary details when you write) then edit your works and make an effort to be more to the point. Writing takes time, having honest flaws shouldn't be taken personally because everyone does.

Writing is not like delivering mail (where if you do it right one time, you should be good). Writing is something that most people no matter how experienced or skilled will need to make several edits. Even New York Times Best Sellers edit their stories multiple times. The more you correct and edit your works, the more innate some of the practices will become overtime.

Life is not one-dimensional. The answer to 99 percent of things is the same. Find the right balance or the "golden mean" as Aristotle would say of success. Find out how much criticism you will take from others and how much effort you will put into improving your product to meet their standards. Balance that with your own vision or goal. No matter how great your work is, almost no one will be 100 percent pleased with it.

Most people will still want you to do something differently. That means you will need to work and experiment until you feel that your work is where YOU want it to be. It doesn't have to be perfect, it never will. Star Wars is a massive entertainment success, but some people hate Star Wars. In the end of the day, you have to define what you want your product to look like and understand that you won't get there overnight.

To conclude: just keep working at it, keep getting opinions, and keep trying new things until you are where you want to be. Rome wasn't built in a day, neither was the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

[IcarusBlake]

Critique is an important aspect of growing as an artist, but I make a habit of not paying attention to unsolicited critique. As a general rule, folks offering criticism you did not ask for aren't going to give you a specific enough analysis to benefit you in any way. Consider those comments engagement -- they're upping your numbers, it doesn't matter if they have an issue with your work. If you want genuine critique, seek it out elsewhere.

[GodbreakerComic]

All art is self-reflection, even a fun webcomic.

The more you listen to outside voices and opinions, the more watered down your art becomes. When you try to please everyone you please no one.

I find if I do wan't some advice/constructive criticism I'll send stuff to people I know and bounce some ideas off them. That can be very helpful. If there is something specific you're concerned about (eg. pacing) do some research on the subject. Also very helpful.

Strangers on the other hand it's just engagement. It's adding to your number of comments. Otherwise just tune it out.

[Leyelle]

My older brother is my editor, and being that he's one of my best friends, he's always really honest with whether he likes the story or not. Sometimes I scrap and rewrite almost whole chapters until he thinks they work. It definitely stings a little bit sometimes, because it's so easy to get attached to your script/story, and though in the end, it is the author's story, when you get advice/suggestions from people, it's often good to look back at the comic/story and see if you want to fix it, or if it it was the way you actually MEANT to write the story. Sometimes you want it to be jarring, other times you don't. And though it can be painful, if the advice isn't offered in a trolly way, it's probably because the person finds the story worth their time and wants to see you/the story improve. So try looking at it that way.

Example: the original second chapter my novel "Damsel in the Red Dress" became the third chapter because my editor thought it was too fast a jump from the climax of the first chapter to a rather boring continuation, so I sandwiches in a whole, very climactic chapter in between before the excitement lulls to the depressing chapter I did want (since the novel is largely about depression and recovery). It's definitely better this way.

[kyupol]

I keep at the back of my mind what you said but it's mostly in one ear out the other.