How to Get the Most From Critiques

Posted by: @storysinger

I've received awesome, in depth critiques from friendly forumites in the past. 

What is the best way to learn to reciprocate? 

 

You've activated my trap card! Because I could literally write a whole essay on giving critiques. 😀

A couple of the more basic, long term things to do in order to learn how to critique: read and take to heart the critiques you've been given, and read a lot of stories. Take to heart doesn't mean taking every single bit of every crit and putting it in your stories! Just recognize which pieces of advice are resonating, and which things are, to you, part of those crits you'd call awesome and in depth. Start trying to consciously recognize when stories do those things well and when they don't have to do those things.

Here's how I go about giving a critique.

First, I'll read the first line and see how it makes me feel. If it hooks me, I let the author know. If it doesn't, I let the author know. Sometimes, if the first line doesn't work, I'll either point out another line in their opening that works or point out some elements of their story that are interesting and could be used as a hook.

Then I'll point out what thoughts I'm having as I read. Usually this means "hmm, I'm not sure about this wording" or "this bumped me out of the story" as well as "oh, wow, I loved this sentence" or "this is a really vivid image" or "oh, man, this is making me feel something." IMHO, it's just as important for an author to know what they're doing well as it is for them to know what isn't working. Why? Because then the author can keep doing the things they're doing well. We've all had moments where we wrote down something really wild that we liked but weren't sure was going to work, right? Knowing whether it worked is really valuable. I try to be very conscious of what did work for me as I read a story.

I also look for opportunities to cut. This can mean anything from an extraneous word or two to shortening a sentence to cutting paragraphs or entire scenes. This is a really delicate balance. You don't want to cut into the heart of the story or the voice of the piece. Of course, hopefully if you (the critter) are a little over-zealous, the author knows when to let your advice lie. But I try to be very cautious of that with newer writers especially, because sometimes they are still in that zone where they feel if they get all the crits and take all the advice, they'll come out with a good story.

Look at the starts and ends of scenes. Did the first sentence make you want to keep reading? Did the last sentence make you want to find out what happens next? Pay attention to where your eyes start to glaze over (if they do). Point those spots out, kindly, and perhaps give a little context as to what was making that pacing drag for you. Evaluate how you feel about each scene overall. If you're good with the scene, you don't necessarily have to comment on it. If it didn't work for you, try to figure out why and let the author know.

Then, pay special attention to the ending. Did you feel satisfied? Did it strike the balance between hitting on the nose and subtlety? Did it go on too long or did it end too quickly? There's also a fine balance between "oh my god, I want to read more (because it was so good)" and "wait, where the heck is the rest?".

At the end of the story, I'll usually write a big overall blurb comment talking about how I felt about the story. Again, I'll always point out at least one thing that the author did well, because it's important for them to know what worked. This is where I'll talk about anything that didn't feel right to me on a big story level, for example "this character arc didn't feel quite right to me" or "I felt this decision didn't make much sense." Sometimes you know why and sometimes you don't. I'd recommend giving it serious thought, of course, but it's better to say "I don't know why" than to make something up. It might be that you say that and it makes the author think about it and understand why, or they might ask someone else about what you said and figure it out that way. Reader reactions are valuable even if they can't explain how to fix it!

As you do all of this, recognize that you are biased as a reader. You always will be. There will be certain things you love that others won't and vice versa. Try, as much as possible, not to let your bias out on the story. It's really hard to do this at first, but reading slush makes you get good at that really fast Recognize your pet peeves and reckon with them. Sometimes I'll even tell an author "this [sentence/wording/plot device/etc.] didn't work for me, but it's something that seldom works for me, so I'd recommend having someone else read this bit to see if they agree."

The things that above all make a crit work are honesty and kindness. There is nothing to be gained from being brutal in a crit (not that you would in particular, storysinger, this is just a generalization!). Don't hold back how you feel about the story, but always, always be kind about it. Remember what it feels like to get a critique yourself. Remember that author has just given you a chunk of their soul rendered onto paper, and remember that it costs you nothing to be nice. If I sold a story to or got revisions from a professional editor that was actively unkind in their comments (I mean, why? Does it make you feel good?), I would likely choose not to work with that editor again. Because there are other, kinder editors out there that won't make me feel like crap about needing edits like every other author does! I just finished up work on some revisions that shall not yet be named, and there were a TON of notes, but I never once felt bad because the editor was so kind.

Anyway. Told you it would be an essay hope it helps!

I can remember — painfully — very early on when I first started writing, time spent in my first writing group, which I should actually call a "social group which occasionally discussed writing and also critiqued each other's work if anyone happened to write anything that month..." I was young (to writing, at least) and very inexperienced and also very frustrated. My skin was very thin and, sadly, I did not take critiques very well in the beginning. I also did not give critiques very well, and am ashamed to say I probably stifled more writing than I ever encouraged with all my redlining.

In my defense, I really did try to be constructive, and also tried to "sandwich" the bad with the good. Still, I failed to recognize that other people's skins might be just as thin and fragile as mine. I did enjoy hearing what worked in my own stories, but I've always been more interested in the parts that don't work. So I was always more heavy on the bad than the good whenever I critiqued someone else's work too. I've learned though...oh, how I've learned... At least, I hope I have.

It's been a long time since I've critiqued anyone else's work, but that has more to do with time constraints than anything else. I no longer attend any writing groups, either in person or online. I do, however, continue to work with editors and first readers for my stories. All the above points are excellent suggestions, so thank you for posting this topic. If I ever get another chance in the future to critique someone else's story, it'll help me deliver bad news better, and good news more genuinely.

Thank you Rebecca and Liz. It is obvious that I have to do the work to learn how to critique.

I am a good reader, now I need to learn to use the proverbial scalpel to cut into the heart of the story.

After I'm done with this month's nanowrimo exercise of course. Write on!

Posted by: @swiftpotato

Posted by: @storysinger

I've received awesome, in depth critiques from friendly forumites in the past. 

What is the best way to learn to reciprocate? 

 

You've activated my trap card! Because I could literally write a whole essay on giving critiques. 😀

A couple of the more basic, long term things to do in order to learn how to critique: read and take to heart the critiques you've been given, and read a lot of stories. Take to heart doesn't mean taking every single bit of every crit and putting it in your stories! Just recognize which pieces of advice are resonating, and which things are, to you, part of those crits you'd call awesome and in depth. Start trying to consciously recognize when stories do those things well and when they don't have to do those things.

Here's how I go about giving a critique.

First, I'll read the first line and see how it makes me feel. If it hooks me, I let the author know. If it doesn't, I let the author know. Sometimes, if the first line doesn't work, I'll either point out another line in their opening that works or point out some elements of their story that are interesting and could be used as a hook.

Then I'll point out what thoughts I'm having as I read. Usually this means "hmm, I'm not sure about this wording" or "this bumped me out of the story" as well as "oh, wow, I loved this sentence" or "this is a really vivid image" or "oh, man, this is making me feel something." IMHO, it's just as important for an author to know what they're doing well as it is for them to know what isn't working. Why? Because then the author can keep doing the things they're doing well. We've all had moments where we wrote down something really wild that we liked but weren't sure was going to work, right? Knowing whether it worked is really valuable. I try to be very conscious of what did work for me as I read a story.

I also look for opportunities to cut. This can mean anything from an extraneous word or two to shortening a sentence to cutting paragraphs or entire scenes. This is a really delicate balance. You don't want to cut into the heart of the story or the voice of the piece. Of course, hopefully if you (the critter) are a little over-zealous, the author knows when to let your advice lie. But I try to be very cautious of that with newer writers especially, because sometimes they are still in that zone where they feel if they get all the crits and take all the advice, they'll come out with a good story.

Look at the starts and ends of scenes. Did the first sentence make you want to keep reading? Did the last sentence make you want to find out what happens next? Pay attention to where your eyes start to glaze over (if they do). Point those spots out, kindly, and perhaps give a little context as to what was making that pacing drag for you. Evaluate how you feel about each scene overall. If you're good with the scene, you don't necessarily have to comment on it. If it didn't work for you, try to figure out why and let the author know.

Then, pay special attention to the ending. Did you feel satisfied? Did it strike the balance between hitting on the nose and subtlety? Did it go on too long or did it end too quickly? There's also a fine balance between "oh my god, I want to read more (because it was so good)" and "wait, where the heck is the rest?".

At the end of the story, I'll usually write a big overall blurb comment talking about how I felt about the story. Again, I'll always point out at least one thing that the author did well, because it's important for them to know what worked. This is where I'll talk about anything that didn't feel right to me on a big story level, for example "this character arc didn't feel quite right to me" or "I felt this decision didn't make much sense." Sometimes you know why and sometimes you don't. I'd recommend giving it serious thought, of course, but it's better to say "I don't know why" than to make something up. It might be that you say that and it makes the author think about it and understand why, or they might ask someone else about what you said and figure it out that way. Reader reactions are valuable even if they can't explain how to fix it!

As you do all of this, recognize that you are biased as a reader. You always will be. There will be certain things you love that others won't and vice versa. Try, as much as possible, not to let your bias out on the story. It's really hard to do this at first, but reading slush makes you get good at that really fast Recognize your pet peeves and reckon with them. Sometimes I'll even tell an author "this [sentence/wording/plot device/etc.] didn't work for me, but it's something that seldom works for me, so I'd recommend having someone else read this bit to see if they agree."

The things that above all make a crit work are honesty and kindness. There is nothing to be gained from being brutal in a crit (not that you would in particular, storysinger, this is just a generalization!). Don't hold back how you feel about the story, but always, always be kind about it. Remember what it feels like to get a critique yourself. Remember that author has just given you a chunk of their soul rendered onto paper, and remember that it costs you nothing to be nice. If I sold a story to or got revisions from a professional editor that was actively unkind in their comments (I mean, why? Does it make you feel good?), I would likely choose not to work with that editor again. Because there are other, kinder editors out there that won't make me feel like crap about needing edits like every other author does! I just finished up work on some revisions that shall not yet be named, and there were a TON of notes, but I never once felt bad because the editor was so kind.

Anyway. Told you it would be an essay hope it helps!

Activated my trap card! LOL ... love that.

Awesome answers all of you guys, wow. It was good for me to see how others explain how they do their critiques and I found them ALL helpful.

Thank you!  

~A.

Your essay was very helpful. I'll use it as I learn to interact with other writers.

I copied and pasted it to it's own little folder. 

Thanks again Leah.