The Importance of Feedback

Starting off 2026 with something positive seems like the right thing to do, so it makes sense for this week’s blog to be all about the importance of feedback – and I’m not just talking about authors here but editors too!

As an aspiring writer, seeking feedback on your work is one of the bravest, most daunting journeys you can embark on. After all, you may have spent years working on your manuscript, falling in love with characters of your own creation and passionately believing in your story. To then send it out for feedback can be so intimidating that you might not even want to send it out at all.

I get it, and let me tell you why I do.

My Feedback Experience as a Writer

When I was a Creative Writing student, I was so over-confident that I was always the first person to throw my hand up whenever my lecturer asked, ‘Who wants to share their work today?’ Seriously, I cringe whenever I think of those days, but I don’t regret them. Especially since the feedback I received wasn’t always positive. Sometimes my work would be torn apart, and I would feel thousands of needles being stuck in my heart with every 'Have you tried this?’ or ‘This doesn’t work for me.’ Most days I felt like one of those pin cushions you’d use for sewing.

I carried that slight ego all the way to my Masters by Research, where I then learned the true value of feedback as a writer. The creative part of my thesis was a story I was more passionate about than anything else I’d ever written, and I loved the protagonist. I mean LOVED him! He was cocky and sarcastic, handsome but not in the stereotypical way, and a real rogue who could hold his own in a fight or in a ballroom. Then my lecturer suggested I completely rewrite him. Make him darker and meaner, a real antihero, someone the reader can hate, dislike but still want to follow.

I was DEVASTATED. I honestly cried in my car. Then, a tiny part of me whispered, ‘Why not give it a go? What’s the worst that can happen? Editors will suggest different ways of writing, so I’d better get used to it now.’ Guess what? It was a thousand times better with an antihero. It had more grit, more grey space, more drama – and with it came more plot points, more relatable characters, and even a sequel.

Positive feedback is what we all want as writers, but the true gem is the feedback we’re not expecting. That suggested tweak that opens a brand new world for us. That honest disagreement that can snap us out of our tunnel-vision. That drench of cold water that douses us with the reality of writing a book: it’s a product. One that you can love, champion and defend with all your heart (and you should!) but one that needs customers in order to survive. Your readers are your customers, and you need to make sure you’re giving them the best possible product, which is why constructive feedback is the kind you really want.

Being an Editor

Now that I work on the other side of the feedback bridge, I can see the value of constructive feedback in a different way. Whenever I suggest to a client that they might want to cut this scene and focus on this one instead, or remove a POV or rewrite it in first person, I do so because I truly, in the depths of my editorial soul, believe that it’s what’s best for the manuscript. My neutral view, that distance I have that the author may not, is one of my greatest strengths, but I always let a client know that the ultimate decision is theirs. They don’t have to follow my suggestions, especially if they have a good reason why they decide to pass it by, because they know their world best.

Me? I know the big-picture editing stuff. Reader expectations. Tropes and trends. Structure and characterisation. I know what works and what doesn’t, when narrative needs to be dialogue and dialogue needs to be action. It can be a bitter pill to swallow for readers to be told that chapter they’ve been dreaming of since they were ten is the one that needs cutting, but that’s the value an editor can bring, even if it’s painful.

I read an article in the Writing Magazine recently by Simon Whaley, where he wrote that if a manuscript is a car being crash-tested, then the beta readers are the crash-test dummies and the editors are the engineers (Jan 2026 issue, pp. 50–1). I totally subscribe to this idea. As an editor, it’s not my job to tell you what to write (what product to make), but it is my job to help you write it in the best possible way for the market, the readers and the potential of your creativity.

Now that’s the power of feedback for me – bringing out the best in a writer’s product by applying my editorial expertise, genre specialism, and unique editing approach to grease the wheels and tighten the bolts so that the car survives the crash test.

The Positive for 2026

Here’s my own little sparkle of personal joy to start the year off with, and it’s that I received fantastic feedback from a client I worked with on a debut fantasy novel back in October/November 2025 – and this feedback brought happy tears to my eyes as an editor and business owner.

This client purchased my gold developmental editing package, which included a magic systems analysis and an editorial impact assessment alongside the edit itself. Take a look at what F.H. had to say below, and see why I believe in the power of feedback and how it’s important for authors and editors alike!

Heather x

Developmental Edit:

“I was blown away by the detail of the developmental edit report, and the care with which you put it all together. I will be reading these reports for many months, learning more and more each time. From plot holes, to character traits that need development, looking at the main conflict, character arcs, character motivations – the level of detail astounded me.”

Magic Systems Analysis:

“It's a fantastic service that gives the magic system the time it needs, analysing it separately from the manuscript. It enabled me as a writer to really stop and think about what the magic actually is, where it originates, what its costs are, how it relates to the characters. Questions that I am too close to the story to see were raised, and it has given me that boost I needed, as well as tips, to develop it more deeply.”

Editorial Impact Assessment:

“I found this extremely helpful. There is a lot of information to digest with the various reports (all very helpful) but having the editorial impact assessment gave me an insight into the overall areas to look at, with easy to digest information and overall feedback and the impact of the changes/or if the changes are not made. Again, it's been invaluable to help me look at it all more objectively, and sit back and think about the world and story.”

Thank you, F.H.