I am sometimes the most easily offended person on the planet. A little joke, or correction, can put my defenses up faster than high winds in a hurricane. But getting easily offended is something that will only hinder me with this choice of career rather than help me.

When I first started writing, I had no freaking clue what I was doing. Actually, I still don’t. I’m learning new things every single day, and my head is constantly swimming with all the information I’ve gathered. But one of the things I’d learned was the importance of a critique partner.

My critique partner is someone I love dearly, but is someone I also highly respect as a human being and an author. I value every bit of advice they offer me, and try to pick their brain as much as they allow so I can grow and learn as an author. But since we are such good friends (something I still pinch myself about because they are so amazing) we were worried about hurting each other’s feelings about suggestions we point out to each other. What’s the point of having a critique partner, though, if you can’t point out something that needs corrected?

But it’s during those times I need to keep my defenses down and my mind open to suggestions. If I don’t do that, how can I stay in a career such as writing where reviewers can sometimes be brutal or cruel? The suggestions coming from my critique partner aren’t done to be mean, but to help me make my story better, and that’s something I need to remind myself.

It’s the same scenario when I receive my manuscript back from my editor. She’s a godsend, but she doesn’t hold back when offering her opinion—which is what I need. Her comments and suggestions aren’t made to be malicious, but to help me release the best book I possibly can while at the same time helping me grow as a writer.

So, even though it might suck at the time hearing my work in progress needs a lot of work, or that something isn’t flowing right with a chapter I’d just written, it’s needed. I embrace any constructive criticism I’ll ever receive, and in doing so, I’m starting to develop a thicker skin with other things, as well.