How to Spot Toxic Feedback: 7 Signs That the Writing Advice You’re Getting May Do More Harm Than Good

Susan DeFreitas argues that feedback can be harmful when it does not respect the work’s purpose or the writer’s vision. She frames toxic feedback as a practical problem in critique groups, mentoring, and editing rather than as proof that the writer is imagining things.

Reading notes

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• Feedback can miss the mark when the reader does not understand the writer’s intent or the kind of work being written.
• Some critiques reflect the reader’s own preferences, assumptions, or unresolved issues instead of the manuscript.
• Feedback becomes toxic when it turns personal, especially when critique is mixed with public conflict, derision, or unwanted psychoanalysis.
• An unprofessional tone can make criticism degrading even when the work itself needs revision.
• Formula-based advice can flatten a novel by forcing it into a single system or structure.
• A useful editor should think through the consequences of a change, not just point to a problem.
• The problem and the fix should stay distinct, because only the author can decide what fits the work.
• Writers should keep their vision intact while improving craft and finding readers who value that specific vision.