Separate the delivery from the message. Many people are bad at giving criticism they don't start with the positive, they get angry, they get frustrated Try to ignore the emotion with which comments or suggestions are delivered. If you can stay calm and refuse to take any comments per sonally, you will be better able to evaluate the criticisms on their own merits. Criticism delivered in a hostile nanner can still be correct, criticism delivered in a kind manner can still be wrong. You have to learn to siit the useful from the useless without reference to its delivery method"Remem ber that the same person can be absolutely right about certain aspects of a Piece and dead wrong about others" (Edelstein 1991. 130 Listen, don't talk. A good practice when receiving criticism of your writing is to be silent. Just listen and take careful notes. Later you can decide which criticisms are useful or not, for now, just make sure that understand clearly what the criticism is. It's easy to get swept up defend ng your work instead of listening. But even if you orally convince others of your point, your defense still isn't on the page, which is where it needs to be. In fact, some writing groups have a rule that those being critiqued cannot speak until everyone has given their opinion. You don't to go this far, but you should be listening more than you are talking. If you are working in a group, this allows you to have the wonderful experience of hearing others defending your work for you Take advantage. Every criticism is an opportunity for you as to explain your ideas more clearly So, don't think"What an idiot! Anyone smart would get that sentence your reader stumbles, use that feedback to clarify your writing You are the final authority on your own writing. You don't have to do anything anyone tells you to do, no matter how hard or she pushes Only make he to you. Once changes that you understand and that make sense you really believe that you are the final judge of your writing, you can be more open to others' comments and suggestions