Just a spoon full of sugar helps the critique go down
How do you balance constructive criticism and the honesty required to give a helpful critique?
I try to always start by telling the author something I liked about their piece. Even when it is horrific, I can generally find at least one good character name or other trivial point to give a positive comment about.
After I have stated at least one positive thing I let the critique flow. A writer can’t improve unless they know their weak spots. Don’t waste time giving a fluffy feel good critique, tell the author what stinks so they can sweeten it up.
In graduate school the professors always said to end a critique on a positive note, but I generally forget to do this and thus far no one seems to care.
How do you balance constructive criticism and the honesty required to give a helpful critique?
Jacob
Stumble it!
Tags: Critiquing, Improve Your Writing
January 12th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Honesty is key. An author can feel hurt, sure, but I think that author would feel much worse if she later found out she was lied to.
July 6th, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Well yes of course in a perfect world it works all the time. Having just joined I am learning about this new community in which we revolve. With that said we as writers take time , patience , and rearing to raise our stories. When one person gives us a criticism we take it so to heart without really seeing what it is they meant so therefore we strike out mad and blindly at the other person. I must say that no matter what we do to truly improve ourselves or try to improve others we must come to terms with the fact we may get hit on the way. Oh well, Live , learn, laugh. I have already experienced it myself threw a critique I gave out myself. When someone doesn’t take time to read your story and because you have read their story and haven’t given them above a five across the board, at they will strike at you the same way, unjustly so. It is okay because even in there bitter and shameful act you still
learn and still can grow
February 12th, 2011 at 9:27 am
I hope we can grow beyond tit for tat. If you have honest points for improving my stories, I will be grateful. I hope other’s will see beyond the topic I chose and look at the writing. With out honesty I can’t improve or look at new options. I might be surprised, but my experience has been that if someone is being honest, and not “getting even,” I value their words. Writing is lonely in that we get close to our work and in my case anyway, I lose my objectivity. I am also prone to getting tired of a piece if I spend too much rime trying to perfect it. I would hope that there would be a blend Of encouragement along with what I can do better. A lady just critiqued a book I wrote. I came home energized by her honesty about turning it into more of a thriller. The
problem I ran into was that I am not a thriller writer nor was that my intention. Yet, because of what she said, I am taking a new approach that has just come to me. I will take the crime out of the story altogether but have pretty much the same theme.