Critique (part 2)
Last time we talked about how writers ought to prepare for and take a critique. Today I go over tips on giving a critique.
WARNING: Many people tell writers “oh don’t take a critique personally. The work is being judged not you.” Well, I’ve never known any writer to not take it personally (even if they’re smiling on the outside). If you’re a friend or spouse of the person being critiqued—think twice about stepping into that emotional landmine field called a writer’s ego. It can seriously harm your relationship.
1. Be honest if you have the time. There’s nothing worse than making a writer wait weeks, months...years for their critique (yes, I am guilty of this!).
2. Be honest if you can read the material without bias. Can’t stand graphic violence to poodles? Hate westerns? Or chick-lit? Tell the writer that even if it was well written, it wouldn’t appeal to you, and pass.
3. Write legibly. If you are marking directly onto the manuscript, neatness counts.
4. As important as it is to find flaws in the story, it is MORE important to point out the things that are working well. A writer has to know what’s working so they can learn from that, and do more of it.
5. Omit the personal comments and the remarks you think are funny. Never jot down things like: “You must be one screwed up individual to write this...” or “This story needs more sodomy” (actual quote on one my short stories that had nothing to do with sex). Critique the story—not the person.
6. Note places in the work where you’re a) bored b) confused c) don’t believe what’s happening. These are the three big writing sins. If you don’t know why you’re bored/confused/unbelieving that’s okay. Just report those reactions to the writer and let them fix it.
7. Avoid suggestions on how to fix. Most readers cannot resist offering their solutions to problems in a manuscript. It’s not your job to re-write their story. Keep your re-write suggestions to an absolute minimum.
A note to writers regarding the first point: If your readers don’t get back to you in a timely fashion, consider that they really could be busy. There is, however, an alternate explanation: Your story is not gripping them. No one wants to read, let alone critique, a bad story. Consider shelving the material, moving on, and coming back later with fresh eyes.
posted by Eric Nylund at 8:15 AM
10 Comments:
A good how-to, Eric. I've been learning the process of the critique, both on my own work and on the work of others. Your caution against wading into the landmine of critiquing a family member or friend is well-advised. I know I actually have a much more difficult time accepting critiques from my wife than I do from people I've never met face-to-face. These are all good tips that are going into my file. :)
I find the most frustrating thing I come across is someone offering to critique what I've written and then I give it to them and two months later they still haven't even looked at the first page. If you don't have the time, fine, but why are you offering to do this? The other thing that bothers me is when someone is finally sitting down to critique something and they spend the entire time trying to find the character they think is based off of them then jumping on me when they think they've found that character and the character doesn't behave like they do. *laughs* I suppose that falls under the not letting family or friends critique. Either way, good advice!
That suddenly reminds me of my creative writing class, where a few people consistently treat everyone's works as so much more than they really are. I for instance wrote a poem about stuff in my room, one thing being a whiteboard, and i just made it sound exceptionally special. Everyone knew it was about my room, but spent 15 minutes trying to figure out the deep mystical meaning behind it...i had a nice laugh afterwards, but now i see how frustrating it is when you want a serious critique.
I find that finding someone who really knows who you are can tell you the best things for your writing. And it's always better if they are intelligent, obviously. But i say this because when you write, you always write yourself...that's what writing is. An expression of oneself, regardless of what one is writing. And if they know you, then they'll be able to criticize your work well. At least better than someone who's just a friend or someone you know.
And when i say know you, i mean know you better than you know yourself.
Sorry for the completely off-topic post, but...
HALO WARS!
How do you feel about Ensemble using your novels as a background for the game (like the time period and first contact with the Covenant)? How do you feel about the game generally? Do you think an RTS suits the Human-Covenant war?
I'm asking too many questions... wah.
Demag0gue—thanks. You should try being married to another writer! That’s fun. : )
Nikoda—good story. People are always seeing _me_ in my characters and engage in a bout of psychoanalysis about my traumatic childhood influences.
SB—this kind of projection, I think, comes from all those lit classes where the teacher _makes you_ figure out the meaning in every scrap of symbolism (even if it’s not there). Sometimes a story is just a story.
Covert—yeah...it was a very exciting X06 this year for many reasons (which I’ll comment on later). I’m confused, though. Where does it say “Ensemble [is] using your novels as a background for the game”?
If ensemble were using Eric's books, then the game would have to end badly for the humans no matter what. And I don't think that will happen.
And you're right Eric. But people have a bad habit of doing that even outside of school, for whatever reason.
More good advice, Eric.
I think it's a real important thing, like Eric said, not to get so involved in a critique that you want to re-write their story. It can happen if you see a lot wrong and you're particularly interested in it.
And as far as not getting the results you want from your reviewers, such as not hearing back in a timely manner or not getting good or even constructive feedback, it's a good thing to not dwell on it and focus on the reviews that really matter. Furthermore, it's good to get as many reviews as possible to make it more likely that you'll get decent ones.
And they won't all be to your liking, it's just that you'll have a greater chance of them being CONSTRUCTIVE...in some way.
Well, not your books per se, but certainly the background you included in them (Fall of Reach, etc). Sorry if that was confusing.
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