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| The Effective Critique |
From:
Posted by wt6869 
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| I have noticed a trend on the forums since I have been on here. Critiquing is non-existent. Whenever someone posts a writing submission, the standard answer is “Great job, I hope to read more in the future.” Even though the writing, the plot, or some other detail is not all that good. To be certain, we need to encourage other writers, but the act of reading a submission with a critical eye is important for both the author and the reader. Giving a bland attaboy does no justice for anyone involved in the process. If the author believes that his writing is great, because everyone on the site told him so, then he may decide to submit substandard work to a publisher. Imagine yourself in that position. You have been told how wonderful and delightful your novel is. You submit it to a publisher and next thing you know, there is a stinging rejection letter in the mail. To be sure, even good writing can be rejected, but imagine the horror of learning, from a publisher, how your work truly suffers. Then you have to make a difficult decision. After the time and effort put into your story, is it worth the effort for a complete rewrite of your story. This is an extreme example, but it is a situation that can happen. A rejection letter will not always be avoided, it is the nature of the business, but the sting of it can be dulled somewhat. “How?” you ask. Ok, so you may not have asked. But if you’ve read this far, please give me just a little more of your time. There may be something here that you will find useful. Here are the things a writer needs to do before putting his work out there for the world to see. 1. Research the material you are writing about. I say this because of the numerous mistakes I see when an author attempts to write about a subject that he does not know about. I’m not saying that you need to research to the point of being an expert in the field, but you do need to research the particular points you plan on putting in your novel. Take this as a small example. I spent 6 years in the military. I know how military men speak to each other. I know the camaraderie of men in this field. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve read work from authors whose only research into this subject is the movie “Hamburger Hill”. It turns the reader off instantly. I mean, how could it not? If you’ve not taken the time to properly research the subject you are writing about, why should I, as the reader, spend my time and money on your book. This goes for any subject whether it be military, marksmanship, insects, guitars, whatever.Research your subject enough so that you have the knowledge to write about it and it will pay dividends with your reader. 2. Research your craft. This should be number 1 on the list really, but since I’m writing this off the top of my head, they are a little out of order. But it is another huge mistake that I see writers make often. Anyone can write. Some say that not everyone can write well. I believe that most people can learn to write well if they would take the time to research the art. By all means, don’t stop writing, writing is the sword of your craft. Knowledge of your art, though, is the whetstone. You need this to sharpen the sword. As an example, one of the most common amateur mistakes that I see is the use of too many adverbs. Nearly every website I’ve visited lists this as an error that is repeated too often. Yet, too much amateur work I see is littered with adverbs. They clutter the sentences and interrupt flow. Now, I’m not saying that you should never use an adverb. What I am saying is that you must learn the rules first, then you will be in a position to know, wisely, when you can break them and get away with it. 3. Use spell check or buy a dictionary. Self explanatory. 4. Learn proper punctuation. Again self explanatory. On to Critiques Another vital area in the growth of a new writer is critiquing. This means learning how to effectively critique another person’s work, as well as learning to take criticism without being disheartened. One of the most important rules that I can tell you is, if you don’t wish your work to be criticized harshly, please do not submit a first draft. There is of course an exception. If you want opinions on the concept, plot, or feasibility of an idea before committing more effort to the work, then submit it. Be sure to make this plain in the introduction, prior to the work itself. Make sure that the reader knows that it is a first draft. Otherwise, put a little polish on it, before submitting. The people assisting you are not there to write your novel for you, they are there to point out small flaws and give opinions about your writing. The following list has been reproduced from the website of Pam McCutcheon with the owner’s permission. If you’d like to visit the website you can visit: http://www.pammc.com/crit.htm http://www.pammc.com/tips.htm On the site there more tips for writers. This is Pam McCutcheon’s list on critiquing. I’ve elaborated on some of the points. This list was written for a critiquing group that meets in person regularly. Some of the points may not apply. When critiquing other writers' manuscripts: • Identify yourself--put name & date on the manuscript for future referral. o This is already done for us when we post replies on the forum. • Provide both positive & negative feedback. o The goal here is to encourage the author as well as provide constructive feedback. • Try not to belabor a point. o Tell the author what you believe could use work. Tell them why, then move on. • Be diplomatic, remember critiquing is subjective. o This is your opinion and there is a chance you may not be right. Or the author may have had a reason to write it the way it is. • Be constructive--tell them why it doesn't work and offer improvement suggestions. o This is an extremely important point. Letting the author know why you feel this way allows the author to learn to do this himself. It also let’s the author know whether this is a sound argument or if it is merely an opinion. • Write everything you say on the manuscript. o What I like to do is copy and paste the piece that I am critiquing into a word document. I then make notes directly on the copied work in red font. I then copy and paste it back. This allows the author to see exactly what you meant and where. • Only talk about the important points; the author can read your minor comments later o This one is geared mainly for the in-person groups. When having your manuscript critiqued: • Try not to take it personally o The person that is critiquing your work is only trying to help you to improve. If you find that someone is flaming without giving any constructive criticism, notify an administrator. • Try not to argue/defend your position o Arguing over a point is worthless. If you get argumentative with someone, they generally get argumentative right back. This will not benefit anyone involved in the process. If you don’t agree with one of their points, move on to the next one. • Ask for clarification if you don't understand o I think this is self-explanatory. Asking questions is necessary to the learning process • If more than two agree, consider their critique seriously • Remember, this is only their opinion • Read it, digest it, put it aside for a few days o This allows you to get some separation from the emotional and hopefully will allow you to see it from the logical side. • It's your manuscript--change it only if you agree o All that really needs to be said, really. Frequently I find, when I do a critique, many of my comments are posed in the form of a question. These questions are not for the author to answer to me, they are meant as way for the author to explore his work. Here are a few of the questions I often ask. How do this advance the plot? Why is this information or scene important to the story? Is there a better way to write this sentence? Is there a better way to present this scene? Did you choose the right POV character for the scene? What is the purpose of this scene? Here are some things that you should look for when editing your work, or giving a critique of another writer's work. Punctuation and grammar of course. If the author has researched his craft, then there should not be too many of these, but they do slip in. Point these out with the least amount of effort. Confusing sentences. If you can't understand what the author is saying chances there are others who won't. Unnecessary words/phrases. Unnecessary adverbs (most adverbs are unnecessary) are one form of this, but there are others. Remember, the author should believe that the person he is writing for is at least as intelligent as himself. Unnecessary scenes. A scene in a novel should have a purpose in the story. It should advance the plot, present necessary character information, present necessary backstory, or be used to transition between scenes. Note the word necessary, not all character information and most certainly not all backstory is necessary. If the scene doesn't accomplish something important, it is simply fluff that distracts from the real story. These points are absolutely important for a short story where word count is limited. There are many other things to comment on, of course. If something just doesn't sound right bring it up and let the author decide. As stated above, try to phrase much of it in the form of questions. Get the author thinking critically of his own piece. Hopefully, these questions will also get you to think about your own work in the same manner. I hope everyone was able to take something from this article. If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, just send me a message. I’m always looking for input. Bart T |
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