Fear of the dreaded critique

Offering someone to read your stuff in the hope of good review can be a frightful, unnerving experience. A story is an extension of one’s soul, having bubbles up from the creative well, as well as marking skill to the written word.

Some fears stem from;

They will say your writing sucks. I think many writers fear that statement, as if a single piece of feedback can undo years of writing enjoyment. Trust me when I say, some of the ‘great writers’ got such rejections. Maybe not put in such bluntness, but nevertheless a statement where they should consider another profession. Even so, sucky writing can improve with editing and revision.

If you’re getting feedback questioning your writing skills- DO NOT GIVE UP! If you want to achieve your goal, then you need to realize you need to learn more about how to learn the writing skills needed for a good story.

Some fear the editing process. Some authors dislike the idea of having to make changes, sometimes multiple changes, to their story. Some may like it ‘as is’, but if you get a number of critiques that say something needs work, take heed to that advice.

Editing helps a writer polish the story. You can remove those ‘has, is’, was’ verbs to find stronger, more eloquent verbs, or add description to a character, depth the story, or revise entire section to help the story flow better.

Although this process can be overwhelming, keep in mind that you take it in steps and sections. Don’t think of the whole process. Take it one day at a time.

Remember, it is all about telling a story. As much as I often correct grammar, I still realize that ultimately, any story is about the characters and plot. Grammar/punctuation help the reader enjoy the process of reading, while the plot, characters, and theme carries them along the adventure.

Technorati Tags: editing,critique,feedback,writing,authors,publishing,writing process

Feedback on feedback

I’m not very good with feedback. This isn’t to say anyone complains, but somehow I feel I’m not providing something essential to my fellow writers when I provide them my opinion.

In a writer’s group, you often find members providing feedback to one another’s work. In fact, its expected in most.

The most crucial part of providing a critique encompasses the delicate balance of reading as an editor but also as a reader. I think here is the cruix of the matter because reading any story with a red pen tends to make one overly critical at times. I guess that’s what I feel is my issue; I feel I’m trying to errors when there might not be errors.

Plus I forget to ask the author what they’re looking for in feedback. Sometimes they want an overall impression while others want a more page-by-page, inked-up-scratched-out edit.

Elements to look for in a good story;

-Are the characters well rounded and believable? I tend to consider all the people I’ve met in my life to compare (and sometimes include in my own stories!).

-Is the conflict apparent and clear at the beginning of the story? Stories are about conflict and problems. The reader needs to know who the hero is, who to root for, and ride along in the adventure. They also need to understand the conflict the hero faces.

-Is there a theme to the story? Here is where I consider things like man vs nature or a hero’s journey. There are many themes to choose from, and most stories touches upon one or more in a single story.

-Is reading flowing and understandable for the reader? This is where you need to consider word usage, paragraph and chapter length, and other elements to writing to make reading fun and pleasurable for the reader.

-Check your is, was, were, had, has, and other useless verbs. Remove them if they weaken the verb/action. Also remove ‘it’. Ask yourself ‘what is ‘it’?’ and provide clearer description or explanation.

-Does the dialog flow?  Can you understand who is speaking?

-Does the story end with a resolution to the conflict? Sometimes the hero doesn’t win, but you still need to provide a satisfying end for the reader. Its not always a happy ending either.

What do you think? What things do you look for the most in a good story?

Technorati Tags: feedback,authors,fiction,writing,word processing,novel,readers

Some thoughts on feedback

A story is more than just a story to the writer; its pieces of their soul poured out to paper. Opening yourself to criticism can be terrifying. You may feel your skill, your very soul, is now on the cutting block.

Its not an easy thing to have skill scrutinized, but this is a very important part to the writer’s evolution towards being an author.

Comments, like feedback, can often fall into the very simplistic “I hate it” group. Some folks can’t explain why, just as you might find readers who love your work, and can’t expound further. Neither offers much help in the way of improving your writing.

If you can explain the characters are flat, the action slow, or the start bored you, then I will give you a big thank you. That’s helpful, even if it says the writing was ‘bad. The writing also wasn’t working as I wanted, so I need to be able to rework it until it does.

I find the reviews of my fanfiction or published story online, offers me insight on what people like. Although there’s the occasional “I love it” without explaining why, (which is unhelpful) I also get a number of people who can easily tell me their reasons for enjoying the story. That shows me what I’m dong right, to keep doing what works, and yes, even boost my ego a bit.

As you venture into the Internet for critiques, remember that any value of feedback depends on what the reader offers. Some are just griefers or SNERTS (Snot-Nose-Egotistical-Twits), but I find most are regular folks who want to give their two cents. Don’t waste your time on the trolls.

Be daring, be bold, and believe in yourself to share your writing.

Technorati Tags: writing,author,feedback,critique,publishing

 

 

 

 

 

Baring your soul = critique

Getting your writing reviewed isn’t unlike standing in front of a crowd of people in your underwear. There’s something very soul-bearing when you share your work.

I feel it stems from the fact you evoke from the recesses of your soul a plot, characters, and creation of worlds from within you to paper. Having someone with a critical eye, who hasn’t lived in your head as you poured out your soul, could hardly understand, could they?

Unfortunately, the fact we live in our heads can be a problem. We can’t see the error of our writing, grammar mistakes, or serious plot holes. We take the story for granted. We know the character too well. Someone with fresh eyes needs to see the story and give a new perspective on it.

What to do with feedback?

Don’t take things personally. A bad critique doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a bad storyteller. There are many elements to a story, and you may have weaknesses that need to be scrutinized and therefore fixed. Your plot might be great, but the characters bland. Your characters might be well-rounded and wonderful, but the conflict weak. Take the feedback as constructive, and a basis to improve.

Understand we all have our strengths and weaknesses. The weaknesses need to evolve, and every writer could improve. Even the great writers are known to criticize their first published works, where they improved since then. The critique helps hone your writing skills.

Not all feedback is gospel. You don’t have to take all feedback to heart. You, as the author, need to consider what elements you will work on, improve upon, delete, and eventually edit.

Listen, learn, and improve. You’ll reach your goals in time.

Technorati Tags: editing,writing,critique,feedback,plot,character development

The importance of feedback

Yesterday, my writer’s meetup gathered at my house to discuss the topic of feedback. I felt we needed to urge and encourage members to share their work and also to provide some feedback for other members to help them along their own writing journeys.

Get a fresh perspective on your writing. Sometimes, after weeks, months, and even years of writing a manuscript, you find yourself taking for granted certain elements. Having someone else look at your work offers to clear up hazy parts of your writing, clarify plot, and even sharpen your characters into something better than before.

Feedback must be offered as a means to help the writer improve their writing. You can give a critique without being harsh or attacking the author. Ask questions, and be clear on parts that do not make sense, or if the story doesn’t catch your attention. Offer suggestions on how to change things. Most writers, I find, appreciate the feedback to help them in the long run.

Sandwich your feedback with the bad and the good Some argue this might be too cautious or even too kind to a writer, but adding what you liked the about the writing offers a writer the same help with what’s working as the feedback that tells them what’s not working.

Be mindful of who you allow access to your work. Someone not familiar with the genre may not provide useful feedback. Sometimes, you’ll get vague or even harsh critiques. Find readers who read the genre and understand it.

I’ll be the first to admit I just adore the good feedback I receive. Bad feedback generally includes a few grammatical errors, which I can’t argue with, but its nice to hear/read when someone tells me they enjoy what I write.

One member in the group found my story, Fireflies, and commented how she enjoyed the story. I published it over a year ago, and nearly forgot about it, so the out-of-left-field feedback was very welcome indeed.

I also received an email from a fan of my fanfiction online, who said “I enjoyed reading this story today, and was sad to get to the end of chapter 22 and realize that the there were no more chapters. It’s been a while since you’ve posted an update, so I don’t know if you are even considering still working on this, but if you see this review, I want you to know that I, for one, would love to see you continue this excellent story.” And its these sort of comments that often prompt me to continue writing for others.

Technorati Tags: feedback,critique,writing,author,fiction,story,comments

When asking for critique

As an organizer to a writer’s group, we have a number of would-be authors share their work for the review of their peers. We’re no expert by any sense of the word, but we all love reading. I compiled a few tips I thought might help writers who want their work critiqued to keep in mind that will help them gain a good experience.

Your first step is to recognize who you are allowing to read your work. Make sure they understand the genre, and perhaps bears some experience with providing reviews. Someone who hates romance might not be the best choice to read your manuscript- if that is your genre.

Brace for honesty. Most people give feedback to not hurt another’s feelings. This is both good and bad. Good that they’re considerate of your feelings but bad if they can’t provide you honest review to help you improve your manuscript. Ask for the honesty. If you are fortunate to receive such feedback, see the following tips.

Don’t take a critique personally. Even if someone says you’re writing is horrible should not halt your writing. It simply means you have room for improvement. If you’re serious about publishing some day, then prepare for rejection. Grow a thicker skin, and recognize that it doesn’t reflect to you as a person. Bad writing improves with practice.

Ask for specifics to what you’re looking for in a critique. For instance, some authors want to know if the story is boring or too far fetched. Are the characters believable? Does the story catch your attention? Do you want to read more?

Don’t take everything said to heart. Even reviewers can be wrong. It”s a good idea to have more than reviewer, but if they agree on a specific change, and you can’t see changing the story, then don’t make the change. Its your story.

A few more quick tips to consider also helps a reviewer read your story:

Keep chapters relatively short. Lengthy chapters, or even paragraphs, are exhausting to read and deter anyone from wanting to go further. Break it up a bit into scenes or changes of point of view.

Add your email, name, page numbers, and title to the documents. Some authors add a copyright, by simply adding the small copyright symbol. (c) Adding this information keeps all the pages in order, and if someone reads more than one author, having your name available on every sheets helps with organizing manuscripts. (I read a couple a week sometimes).

With these tips, having your manuscript open for review becomes relatively painless.