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Her Finger and Her Thumb in the Shape of an 'L' on Her Forehead

2020-08-07 · letter vlog · Hank · 3:56 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing · mode: Advice & reviews

Stung by some reviews of A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Hank says responding to critique is a learned skill and sorts criticism into four types: wrong (for you), possibly right and useful, merely mean, and about a work's impact on people, which he says is valid critique because craft is about impact.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Confidence over insecurity; publishing a book means being reviewed

  • ★★ Hank says many people who project confidence have a lifetime of practice pretending over a deep well of insecurity, and that he means himself. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Hank says publishing a book means being reviewed, which can feel like a stranger telling you whether the last two years of your life were worthwhile. (playful) — 00:00:00
  • ★★ Hank says reviews of A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor have been very good, but he has run into some that made him feel bad. — 00:00:00 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

00:00:29 — Not every response is a critique; responding to critique is a learned skill

  • ★★★ Hank says critique is not the only response to media: many reviews just say liked or disliked, or what the book made them think of, which is fine unless the author takes it as critique. — 00:00:29

00:00:58 — Four types of criticism: things you know are wrong, things that might be right, people being mean

  • ★★★ Hank says responding to critique is a skill that must be learned; everyone faces it, nobody is immediately good at it, and being bad at it is normal. — 00:00:58
  • ★★★ Hank's first type of criticism: things you know are wrong, at least for you, even if the critic is right about their own experience. — 00:00:58
  • ★★ Hank says some people criticize Vlogbrothers videos for using jump cuts, and the brothers are not going to stop. — 00:00:58 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ Hank says a review he saw today found his book's ending unexciting; he disagrees but won't try to convince the reviewer, since that is how they experienced it. — 00:01:34 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
  • ★★★ Hank's second type: criticism that might be or is right, harder to read but the useful kind, because understanding weaknesses lets us work around or strengthen them. — 00:01:34
  • ★★ Hank says when he feels he is not doing something well, he looks for people who are and examines the tools they use; that is how growth happens. — 00:01:34
  • ★★★ Hank says telling the first and second kinds apart is important and hard, and he only got better at it by thoughtfully creating things and engaging with critique. — 00:02:12
  • ★★★ Hank's third type: people just being mean; he tries to recognize it fast and discard it, since it is about something other than the work, though it always hurts. — 00:02:12

00:02:41 — Critique of a work's impact on people and society; craft is about impact

  • ★★ Hank says mean critique is often just people calling you a loser, with nothing to learn from it. (playful) — 00:02:41
  • ★★★ Hank's fourth type: critique of a work's impact on people and society, such as reinforcing stereotypes or harmful tropes; it has grown more common for good reason and hurts worst to get wrong. — 00:02:41
  • ★★★ Hank rejects the view that impact critique isn't true critique: craft is ultimately about impact, so critiquing craft is critiquing effect, and impact should be enthusiastically discussed. — 00:03:11
  • ★★★ Hank says criticism, from a friend or a Goodreads review, can feel like being told he shouldn't have done the thing, or be taken as the only way he will ever know how to get better: a gift. — 00:03:11

00:03:40 — Criticism as the only way to get better, a gift; sign-off

In the description and comments

  • ★★ The description says Hank minored in art in undergrad, where the most valuable lesson was learning to give and receive critique and knowing when you think it is wrong. — video description

Threads in this video

Mentioned

Central: criticism

Also: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor · Goodreads · jump cut · stereotype

Only in the description or credits: All Star

Also centred on criticism: I Want You to Know Nothing About This

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