Photo by Vicky Lorencen
You trust someone, and then you’re stabbed in the back. Hurts, doesn’t it? Ever thought of inviting someone to stab you in the front? Sure, that’d hurt too. But it’d be a constructive versus destructive brand of pain. Okay okay, I know that sounds strange, maybe even a little creepy, but please stick with me for a few more sentences, and I’ll explain as best I can.
See, even though writing by its nature is a solo sport, that doesn’t mean you can’t invite others to join your team. By others, I mean other writers who can give constructive criticism–aka stab you in the front, to hit you where it hurts most–right in your writing.
Losing weight, staying on track with an exercise regime, even cleaning out the garage, are all easier if you have at least one person to come alongside you support, encourage–maybe even push–you. Why should writing be any different? If you’re frustrated with your lack of progress, either in term of pages or improvement, consider opening yourself up to a good, ol’ fashioned front stab.
[At least] three things are certain:
1. Someone pushing you without your permission will only make you want to push back.
2. You need to ask someone to hold you accountable. Nobody volunteers for that job, but most people will say yes if you invite them, especially if you’re willing to reciprocate.
3. You will make better and faster progress with accountability and input, than you will without it.
This is why I am so grateful for my critique group. They’re a friendly bunch of front stabbers who want me to become a better writer and I’m happy to help them do the same.
If you feel stuck with your writing, let me encourage you seek out your own critique group (ask around on Facebook, via your SCBWI chapter list serve or your local library). If a group isn’t already in place, start one. And remember, you don’t have to let geography limit you. Online critique groups can work very well and can include writers from all over the planet, if you like. (I suggest keeping your group Earth-bound. Anything beyond that can get too complicated.) If joining/starting a group sounds like too long of a leap, consider partnering with another writer and setting up a regular schedule for exchanging pages.
Connecting with other writers for criticism and accountability will make a positive difference for you. I promise.
G’head. Take a stab at it.
Photo by Vicky Lorencen
. ~ Psalm 27:17
My thanks to Ben Redmond, Director of Student Ministries at the Hub, for inspiring this post. He’s a wise man.
Personally, I love criticism. I’m greedy for it. I know how hard it is to find someone who can give honest, constructive criticism – criticism that makes you suddenly see the wood from the trees, makes you realize that what you were never quite happy with is just not good enough, and can ask questions in ways that leads you to answers you didn’t know you were looking for.
As writers, we’re standing inside our stories, so it’s difficult to know how they look from the outside. As Kathy Lowinger says, ‘Get your work read because you can’t see yourself dance’. An outside perspective can be invaluable – and offers insights that you wouldn’t get otherwise.But - having been a member of many writing groups, and a teacher of many creative writing courses, I also know how damaging criticism can be. I come across students who are afraid to read their work in case they receive a negative comment that makes them want to give up (and in this case, I tell them, ‘don’t read’). I come across people who were criticised as children for their creative efforts and were told they were ‘making a mess’ or weren’t ‘doing it properly’ . Needless to say, they haven't tried it since. And I come across writers who want to offer up their work for criticism, but only want positive feedback and defend their work against the slightest criticism.
So I suppose I have concluded the following: - A writer shouldn’t share their work until they’re ready for criticism and can take it or leave it without being mortally wounded. This is usually possible only after some time has elapsed after writing it.
- A writer should say ‘thanks’ for the feedback they receive, and nothing more. Then they can go home and decide what to do with it. If a writer tries to defend their work, the people giving feedback will quickly stop bothering.
- When giving criticism, try and restrict it to the one or two main issues – don’t go on and on.
- Try and give other writers the feedback that they are ready for. We can’t judge everyone by the same yardstick – and when I think back to what my writing was like when I first started, I cringe. By working to our strengths and strengthening the positives, the negatives often fall away all by themselves
- But even when giving feedback to experienced writers, don’t forget the positives. We all like being reminded of what we do well. It makes us want to carry on.
What's your experience of writers' groups? Have I forgotten anything?
http://www.heatherdyer.co.uk
All helpful critiques are alike; each unhelpful critique is unhelpful in its own way.
I’ve been a part of many different writing workshops and critique groups – some of which were fun, positive experiences that left me feeling refreshed and energized. Others left me feeling like I should never write again.
Whether you are enrolled in a creative writing workshop, discussing a story in your writing group, or giving a friend some feedback on her story, here are some general guidelines for giving a good critique.
Positive Feedback
First, start by giving the writer some positive feedback. What did you like best about the story? Even if it is poorly written or on a subject in which you have no interest, there is something good about the piece. Maybe it is only a particular sentence or a phrase that you liked, but at least that’s something. Writers get nervous when they have their work critiqued, and it’s best to make them feel more comfortable by starting on a positive note.
Make Suggestions
Next, discuss elements of the story that could be improved. Unless a story has been critiqued once or several times, there is probably at least one element that could be improved. Maybe there are inconsistencies with the character’s personality. Perhaps the pacing is off and more time needs to be spent on one scene rather than another. In rough drafts there are often typos and misspellings. Unless the writer has specifically asked for help with this or the errors are so bad that they impede your ability to focus on the story, do not dwell on small mistakes like typos. They can be corrected in later drafts.
You can also ask the writer questions on her/his intentions with the story. Asking questions is especially useful when you critique parts of a novel. You may not be sure where the story is going yet, but by asking the writer questions like, “Does Doug end up falling for Mary?” will help the writer focus her/his intentions. You could also suggest where you would like to see the story go, such as saying, “I hope Mary moves back to Seattle instead of marrying Doug.”
Give Encouragement
At the end of a critique, give some encouraging words, like, “I'm looking forward to reading more!” or “Keep going with this!” Reiterate the positive aspects of the writing. It can be daunting for writers, especially new writers, to have others read, analyze, and criticize the writing that they have put your heart and soul into. Keep this in mind before becoming overly critical of a piece of writing. On the other hand, giving all positive feedback without any suggestions for improvement is just as unhelpful.
The key to a great critique is finding the balance between positive and critical feedback. You want to be helpful but you also don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. It may take some time to find that balance, but just like with writing, it will get easier with practice.
by Anne Greenawalt at http://www.annegreenawalt.com/
What do you do when a good friend or relative asks you to read her manuscript, give it a "critique" (or at least tell her what you think of it), and. . .it's not good? Not only is it not good, but it also breaks all the rules of writing--all the rules that first-time authors are definitely supposed to follow. She makes mistakes like changing points of view without any sort of pattern, using cliche sentences and story lines, and including improper grammar and punctuation. What do you do?
Do you save your relationship and tell her it's great? Do you tell her a few things you like and gently explain some of the mistakes? Do you offer resources she should read before she continues writing? OR do you just give a completely honest critique because she asked for it?
Some published authors I know won't read people's manuscripts for this very reason. They don't want to put themselves in a situation where someone close to them has hurt feelings. Let's face it--we 're all close to our writing; and even if we know there are problems with our story and we want to learn how to fix them, it still hurts when every single person who reads our work doesn't think it's brilliant.
It's hard to say no, however, when someone very close to you is excited about writing and asks you to read a manuscript and give your opinion. So, what do you do? Has this ever happened to you? How did you handle it? If you did give honest advice, how did the receiver take it? Did the person even listen to you?
On a day when we celebrate fathers (Happy Father's Day! to any dads or soon-to-be dads out there) and think about all the advice our own dads have given us over the years, I thought it would be appropriate to ponder this situation about giving advice (critiques), which is sure to happen to many of us writers at sometime in our lives.
post by Margo L. Dill, www.margodill.com
photo by AMagill www.flickr.com
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It's true that you really have to find a critique group that is a good match for the level of feedback you desire. I've gone to some groups where I'm listening to the others' feedback, and I think, "Are they reading the same story I am?" because the comments just amount to pats on the back and ignore glaring errors.
I try not to be too hard on the newbies, but for those that are genuinely out to improve their writing, ego-boosting comments are no help to them.
And then there's the opposite end of the extreme, where we had one lady that was so harsh in her written comments that many of us stopped coming. Also, we each thought she only did it to our works until we compared notes. Funny how we were able to shrug it off when it was only our work, but it got our backs up when we saw she was doing the same to others'.