Recently, on one of the Facebook groups that I am a member of, a writer posted a link to an online article. She then proceeded to ask the other writers how they felt about the article because she was confused about how the article fit with the voice of the site. Another writer promptly posted that it was wrong to critique another writer's work in a Facebook thread because it may hurt the writer's feelings.

Umm, huh?

If a person can't stand being criticized then they have no business being a writer. God knows many editors (in the publishing world and online) are very blunt and tactless when it comes to their crit of a piece. When you put your work online you're opening yourself to being analyzed. Don't want your work analyzed? Show it to your mama. Either you get a thick skin or you self-publish or you cry in your soup every night.

We all, as writers, have the right to analyze other writers publicly. How is this any different then posting a review of a book on Amazon? If we post a negative review of a book are we supposed to be afraid that the review will hurt the author's feelings? Of course not.

I'm not saying there is a green light to flame writers we don't like, but critique is a normal part of being a writer. Receiving it helps us grow and giving it can help us see errors to avoid in our own work. Constructive criticism is good for everyone.