“If your critics are all telling you
the same thing about some facet
of your story –
a plot twist that doesn’t work,
a character who rings false,
stilted narrative,
or half a dozen other possibles
– change that facet.
It doesn’t matter
if you really liked
that twist of that character;
if a lot of people are telling you
something is wrong with you piece,
it is.
If seven or eight of them
are hitting on that same thing,
I’d still suggest changing it.
But if everyone
– or even most everyone –
is criticizing something different,
you can safely disregard
what all of them say.”
Yes, this is about writing
but it’s also true for product development.
If everyone is saying the same thing,
consider listening.
If everyone is saying different things,
consider not listening.
All criticism isn’t equal.
Learn how to separate
the good
from the useless.