I’m a pretty harsh critic when I beta-read my writer friends’ manuscripts, so sometimes they’re surprised when I tell them there’s not much to fix! Sometimes they even think I’m just telling them what they want to hear, but the truth is, I usually have to be honest either way. And if someone isn’t ready to pitch agents, I don’t tell them they are.
If I do tell them they’re ready, I mean every word of it.
But, having been on the other side of this situation too, I know it’s sometimes baffling to get compliments you don’t expect, and it can be hard to figure out how to swallow them. Funny how sometimes praise is harder to process than criticism. . . .