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Tahlia Newland

Editor, Author & Artist

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How to Deal with Criticism of Your Book

August 3, 2018 by Tahlia Newland

How to Deal with Criticism of Your Book

Last week I did a post on the necessity of getting feedback on your book from beta readers and/or professional editors in a developmental edit, but what if you get negative feedback or criticism? How to deal with criticism of your book? Feedback you take as criticism can make you very disappointed, depressed, even devastated. I totally understand this because I've written a couple of books that I've archived, and probably will never finish, because the feedback from my beta readers indicated that the books had serious flaws, ones I couldn't fix easily, ones that would take more time to fix than I was prepared to put in on the project. Getting that kind of feedback is always disappointing, but we need to be prepared for it because the aim of having it read by a beta reader or developmental editor is that they point out the flaws in our book so we can improve it.  Even if you don't feel that your beta readers or developmental editor has criticised your work, as an author you can be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editing, Writing & publishing, How to handle criticism, The writing, editing & publishing process Tagged With: criticism, dealing with criticism

How to Handle Beta Readers’ Feedback

May 23, 2017 by Tahlia Newland

How to Handle Beta Readers’ Feedback

Knowing how to handle beta readers' feedback can make the process of writing a novel much smoother, and there are pointers that can help. In my previous post on the importance of beta readers in novel writing, I said how important beta readers were for all authors, no matter how experienced they are, but getting feedback can be tough. Good beta readers will tell you what the flaws are in your writing, and that's not always easy to hear, especially if you expected a few small things, then get a flood of major issues. It's easy, and natural, to get discouraged when you hear about what isn't working in your manuscript, so the most important thing you need to remember is that the aim of the feedback is to help you make your book better. How to lessen the sting of feedback Before you read the feedback, remind yourself that: no matter how harsh it sounds, it's been given in order to help you improve your book; receiving and dealing with feedback is an important part of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Editing, Writing & publishing, The writing, editing & publishing process Tagged With: dealing with criticism

The Classic Defensive Maneuver – do you do it?

September 11, 2015 by Tahlia Newland

The classic defensive maneuver is classic because it’s an automatic reaction many, if not most, people have when their work is criticised. It’s only those who have more self-awareness than usual or who have discovered that reacting this way does no good at all, and, in fact, often causes us to act in ways that when seen with hindsight are downright embarrassing, or, at the least, make us appear rather immature and inexperienced. The classic defensive maneuver seems absolutely right to the person offended by the opinion that causes the reaction.  When in the grip of it, the sufferer sees nothing other than their own perspective, a perspective created by one single aim: to prove that one’s work is not as the critic says it is. When in the grip of the classic defensive manoeuvre we must, at all costs, retain our sense that the art work we have laboured over is perfect. If others criticise it, it’s because they don’t understand, not that we’ve failed to create something people can … [Read more...]

Filed Under: How to handle criticism Tagged With: dealing with criticism, defensive attitude

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Hi I’m Tahlia Newland

I can help you express yourself and share your story with the world.

 

Do you want to write a really good story and have it professionally polished and published?

As an editor, I help you be the best writer you can possibly be. I strengthen your voice, support your vision and can assist you all the way to publication.

On my blog you’ll find book reviews, writer’s tips, contemplative articles on meditation and working with your mind, and occaisonally pictures of my Burmese cats.

If you’re interested mostly in my contemplative articles then  Sign up to the Living in Peace & Clarity Newsletter to get those articles delivered by email. And check out the resources on my Living in Peace and Clarity Page.

I do a lot of community work involving blogging and general support for Buddhist students processing revelations of abuse in their spiritual communities.  Please consider supporting me to continue this work.

Occiasonally, when inspired and not too busy with community work, I make masks.

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Blue Burmese
Like cats in stories? Check out my books. And click the photo to read the cat colomn.

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Book reviews – sci fi, fantasy, literary fiction, Buddhist fiction and related non-fiction

Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin

Fantasy Book Review: The High Priestess by Val Tobin

The High Priestess: Persephone’s Return is the third book in Val Tobin’s Tales from the Unmasqued World Series, and in it she deepens and expands the stories from the previous two book. The book has two central story arcs based around characters we’ve met before. One arc follows Kelsey (a human) who is with Josh […]

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My gorgeous Burmese cats

Renovated Website & Cute Cat Series

Renovated Website & Cute Cat Series

Yesterday I did a photoshoot for my renovated website. Take a look around, particulary at the home page (Click on my name at the top to go there). It’s designed for editing clients with my books secondary because I need to focus on the part of this publishing business that actually earns me more than […]

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