Why People-Pleasing Writers Should Ignore Others’ Opinions More Often

You can’t please everyone.

And I can’t buy enough roses to win the hearts of people who don’t like me. Yet most of us still fall into the trap of letting other people’s comments skew our beliefs and worse, doubt ourself and our work.

The following excerpt convinced me that at the end of the day, we can’t allow others’ opinions* to dictate our creative (and life) decisions.

“About fifteen years ago, when I was putting together a book of essays, I sent the manuscript to two people I really respect, who are brilliant and wonderful writers, to get their opinions on it.

What each one said was the complete opposite of what the other said. One said, “This essay is the best essay in the book. It’s fabulous.” The other guy said, “This is the worst essay in the book. You really should cut it out.”

Their responses cancelled each other out, so I ignored both of them and went back to what I was doing in the first place.”

— As Tight as a Legal Brief by Eliot Weinberger (Excerpt From: Susan Bell. “The Artful Edit”* (affiliate link))

• *Opinion — a view or judgment formed about something, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
• *Full Disclosure: When you buy a product through my affiliate links, I may get a commission at NO EXTRA COST to you. :)