I’ve recently been studying about the topic of Wisdom in the Bible, specifically from the book of Proverbs. A few verses have jumped out at me, like Proverbs 9:7-12 – “Learn from your critics. This is the path to wisdom.” Proverbs 12:1 – “Accept discipline and correction.” And Proverbs 16:20 – “Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.” (All from NLT).

I know these verses are talking about life lessons, how to walk closely with God. And while I don’t want to take these words out of context, I do wonder how we can apply these lessons to our writing life.

How do we feel when we receive a difficult critique or a tough contest score? If you’re published, then you’ve no doubt received a hurtful review or two.

I remember the first contest I entered, for a short story. When my scores were returned, they couldn’t have been more different. One judge LOVED my entry and gave me a near perfect score. But another judge had hardly any nice things to say and gave me a very low score. My reaction? All I could do was laugh at the disparity. That contest taught me a valuable lesson: that writing is subjective and not everyone is going to like it.

But, let’s get real. Since then, I’m having more trouble remembering that lesson. I attended a writing boot camp not so long ago, geared toward a specific genre. On the last day of the weekend, we had to read a scene aloud and the rest of the class would critique it.

So, there I was, so certain that I had written brilliant prose. (Yeah, that was my first mistake). After I read the scene to the class, I received only marginally average critiques from my classmates. Okay, one wanted to read more, but of course, I remember the marginal critiques over the positive one. Then there was my instructor. It seemed, at least to me, that his critique was doubly harsh. He had lavished praise on a fellow student, and I dearly wanted that praise as well. I didn’t receive it. Boy, did my spirits plummet! And sadly, I haven’t attempted to write in that particular genre since then. Maybe I’m not supposed to, but I feel like I’ll get back to it in the future.

I think God was trying to teach me a lesson that I’m still wrestling with, despite the lessons learned from my first contest. Perhaps that’s why these verses in Proverbs have pierced me the way they have. Especially, the verse in Proverbs 16:21 (NLT) – “Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who the Lord will be joyful.”

We can only learn and grow in our craft if we accept instruction and learn from our critics and teachers. We also must commit our plans and our writing to the Lord and trust Him for the results.

So, while criticism stings (no doubt!), here’s what we can do to have wisdom with our writing:

1. Remain steadfast in doing what God calls us to do.
2. Trust Him with our plans and hopes.
3. Remain prayerful.
4. Listen to instruction.
5. And most important, trust God for the results. You just might be amazed on where God takes you on this journey.

Rebecca Yauger worked for 15 years in radio and television broadcasting, before starting on her writing career. She’s been published in Chicken Soup for the Soul and Guideposts Magazine and continues to scribble away on various projects. She also blogs at www.TalkingAmongFriends.com. Becky was past Vice-President and Membership Director for American Christian Fiction Writers (www.acfw.com), and currently serves as ACFW’s Web Manager. Becky and her husband live near Dallas and have two grown children and one beautiful grandchild.