Avoiding the Fetal Position
So what do you do when you get a critique that stings? Cry for your mommy? Reach for a half-quart of Ben & Jerry's? Kick the dang dog?
Sometimes it's hard not to take critiques personally. Especially if you've knocked yourself out to begin with on a particular piece of writing or if the crit comes at an exceptionally bad time (bad time defined as something as huge as contracting Dengue Fever or as simple as you just burnt the toast and your house stinks to the high heavens). I understand that holy-cow-whatever-made-me-think-I-could-write feeling. But before you take that feeling and run with it to the bad place, here are some ideas to cope with a tough critique:
Shelve It
Though your instinct may be to ball the thing up and toss it into the circular file, don't. There's likely a lot of great advice in there that will improve your manuscript. Set it aside and come back to it later. Time really is the great elixer.
Find a Shoulder
Writers are an emotional lot. Yes, even those with stoic Scandinavian backgrounds. As a writer, it's important for you to find a network of 2 or 3 buddies who are there for you to give you a pat on the back and listen to your sniffles. Often a good venting will clear out the gunk in your head so that you can see the critique way more objectively.
Pray
Go to to God and give Him all your insecurities. Really, that's likely all it is, you know. When you get your eyeballs off yourself and turn your view upward instead, all that insecure nausea will disappear. Tough critique or not, either He's in charge of your writing or He isn't. Which is it?
Critiques that are hard to swallow are going to come your way. It's part of the writing game. So put on your knee pads and wrist guards and get out there and play.