On Feedback and Trusting Your Gut

I want to talk about trusting your gut when it comes to feedback.
 
Whenever I’ve completed a content edit for a client, I always tell them that 1) my suggestions for changes are just that: suggestions, 2) if a suggestion doesn’t feel right, you should not pursue it, 3) only you know your vision for the book, and 4) only you know if a suggestion can help you achieve that vision.
 
That said, if I’ve pointed something out in the manuscript, there may be a problem there, even if you don't like my suggestion.
 
After all, I wouldn’t point something out if it had not drawn my attention. If it draws my attention in any sort of negative way, it will likely draw the attention of a reader.
 
And you don’t want your reader to “stop and wonder” while reading your book.
 
So, you may not like the suggestion (or a suggestion that you received from a beta reader), but you should consider what it was that made me stop and wonder—and whether a change of some kind is warranted.
 
An editor or beta reader can help you in many ways, but they’re not perfect and they’re not mind readers. They may not understand what you are trying to do. For this reason, you must rely on your own good judgment to determine whether feedback should be taken seriously and acted upon. And if so, you must also decide what to do.
 
If you know your characters well, and you know where you want your plot to go, you can trust your gut to lead you in the right direction.
 
Revision is not easy, but if you take it seriously, it can help you raise your story to the next level.