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

Have you ever been assigned to critique something that was written by a monkey dancing on a keyboard? Do you occasionally find yourself wondering if you have spent more time critiquing a piece than the author did writing it?

When I am assigned to critique something that makes my brain hurt I pick one area like character development, setting, structure, or voice to focus on. I know there is no way I am going to fix everything that is wrong with the dancing monkey in one critique, but I can help him swing to a higher branch by helping him understand how to improve one area.

How do you deal with a dancing monkey?

Jacob

I have recently received several emails asking about the 12 hour time limit. I have apparently caused some confusion about how long you have to perform each peer critique.

When you submit your work for critique you are assigned to perform a number of reviews. Once you click “start reviewing” you have 12 hours to complete that assigned review. If you do not complete that review within 12 hours the assignment will expire and you will be given something new to critique the next time you click start reviewing.

We do not care if you let an assigned review expire. We know you are busy and sometimes can’t stomach reviewing a piece written in all CAPS. You will not be penalized for letting an assignment expire. You can do one review an hour, day, week, month, or year. Set your own pace and enjoy the peer critique process.

Jacob

Why do writers seek out other writers to critique their work? I suppose there are as many reasons as there are writers, but I believe the desire to be read ranks pretty close to the top. Without peer review, what eventually makes it to the printed page is little more than a silent scream. Writers must be read. It’s simple, it’s elemental, it’s required. I once read somewhere that a physician who diagnoses himself has a fool for a patient. I suspect the same thing applies to writers who critique their own work. We need someone on the outside looking in if we’re to grow.

As a writer I participate in both live session and online critiques. Before you accuse me of being a masochist, know this: the more I critique, the more skilled and diversified I become as a writer. The more I am critiqued, the more tolerant and appreciative I become of both the limitations and gifts of other writers I’m exposed to. Critique is a necessary and important part of any writer’s life who is serious about craft. Period.

There are significant differences in live versus online critique; the most obvious being it’s highly unlikely you’ll ever get beat-up in the parking lot for hitting “post my review” on a keyboard. It can be tempting to take cheap shots online, because, after all, it’s completely anonymous. I would caution you about that. The only person you’re hurting is yourself.

When you open your mind to constructive criticism, even though it stings a little sometimes, you learn things. Before you know it, you’re navigating your way through nests of dangling participles and clipping comma splices with the best. You don’t have to like another writer’s style or story content to critique it effectively if you strive to be objective. I guarantee you will learn something. In order to be a good critiquer, you must also be a good critiquee. (I’m not sure those are actually real words, but you get the point

Don’t become one of those people who delights in finding every little flaw and jumping on it like they’ve found a fly in their soup. Other people are going to critique the same piece. Leave a little meat on the bone for them. Look for the good and break bad news gently. “Suggest” changes rather than arbitrarily rewriting a person’s piece in your own image. No one likes a show-off or a line editor tampering with their “baby.” If there are strong and compelling reasons for suggested changes based on technique, grammar and mechanics, people will listen and they will thank you for it.

You’ll know you’re getting the hang of it when you realize you are learning at least as much critiquing the work of others as you are from being critiqued in return. Suddenly, slogging through those bothersome critiques isn’t such an onerous task. You’re discovering things in other people’s work you can apply to your own. Understanding dawns. Congratulations, and welcome to the difficult and rewarding world of serious writing effort.

Now for the bad news and the Achilles heel of online critique. There is no known defense against the drive-by critique. You know the type. Looking to have their own egos assuaged at the expense of others, they do the minimum. Spewing mindless platitudes, they pepper the “comment required” boxes like a Mac-10 with their vague and unsubstantiated garbage. Take comfort in the sure and certain knowledge that they won’t be around long. Good writing is hard work, and ultimately, they’ll want no part of it.
Writing is art and critique is the canvas. Some of us strive to paint masterpieces, others are happy with stick figures. All took the time to write something. Surely that deserves respect.

By Vance H. White
(darkeyes)

Vance H. White is a published short story author and award winning essayist residing on Northwest Florida’s Emerald coast. Vance divides his time equally between writing, pestering New York agents to publish his latest effort, and co-chairing a critique group of talented local authors.

Receiving critiques of your work is difficult as an author.  First you have to get past the idea that your writing has problems, because almost all writing does.  Or perhaps you have the opposite problem, and will need to get used to the idea that your writing has good points.  That sounds like it’d be a lot easier to do, but sometimes it can be quite challenging.

In any case, learning to take critiques well is something you’ll need to do quite soon as a budding author.  Even if you never plan on publishing, and are content to write fanfiction (or whatever) for the love of the craft, critics are a dime a dozen.  And as the old Dr Demento song goes, I’m looking for the guy who’s applying the dime.

When you first get the critique, it can be tempting just to ignore the whole thing.  Obviously the critic has no idea of the work you put into the story they just tore to shreds, the tears of blood you shed as you penned out your masterpiece of the heart!  What do they know?  They’re just some [loser on the internet / talentless hack critic / guy on the street / creative writing teacher]!  They wouldn’t know the work of an author if it hit them in the face, right?

Well, not quite.  As author, it’s part of your job to respond to criticism in a way that improves your work.  Otherwise, what’s the point?  More so, when still unpublished, you should look at critiques as a way of gauging audience reaction, and as a trial-by-fire for that scary day when you’ll send your manuscript off to an agent.  A few painful suggestions now is worth a “We would like to publish your novel,” isn’t it?

This can be hard, especially when the critic isn’t particularly tactful.  But in all except the worst of critiques, you can find something to take home with you.  It may not be something you enjoy learning, but it will be something.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you should just blindly accept whatever anybody says about your story, either.  That way lies madness and endless revisions, a never-ending cycle of bitterness and “improvement” that usually leaves a manuscript even more mangled than when it started life.

You have to pick and choose what’s useful and what’s not.  Remember that you as the author of your story are the only person who’s… well, the author of your story.  What everybody else is telling you is just a suggestion.  Don’t blindly change everything people bring up, or you’ll lose that control.

So how do you walk the line between these two extremes?  With extreme caution, that’s how.

Or there’s always the strength by numbers method:  If one person says they don’t like something, and you liked it, by all means leave it.  If five or six people say the same thing, though, it might be time to break out that red pen and mark a line through it.  It will hurt to do, but if it’s not working for that many people, it likely won’t work for many others, either.

Stewart B.
thestripedone

“You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance.” - Ray Bradbury

Would you rather receive a critique that pointed out every weakness in your writing or one that praised the “genius” of your work? Your writing will occasionally be torn to shreds by an ornery old lion. When you learn to thrive on criticism you will be able to take those shreds and develop a much stronger piece. Most reviewers are genuinely trying to help even when they sound like an ornery old ignoramus.

Jacob

After you receive a critique we encourage you rate it. Rating the critique allows you to tell the reviewer how helpful, constructive, detailed, insightful, and understandable the review was. Most members consistently rate their reviews very well in all areas except insightfulness. Why is it hard to give an insightful critique?

To be insightful you have to apprehend the true nature of the work you are critiquing. You have to shrewdly penetrate the surface of the writing to perceive its inner workings while paying attention to the details. You have to boldly tell the author what is wrong with their writing while remaining tactful and intelligent. You have to work.

Nothing is so good or poor that you cannot insightfully help the author. It’s not easy to do! If you wanted ‘easy’ you would be in front of the TV wasting your time instead of putting pen to paper and stretching your imagination.

If you take the time required to insightfully analyze someone else’s writing you will greatly enhance your own writing abilities. Are you ready to improve by critiquing others? If so upload your writing now and get started.

Jacob

Tearing someone’s work apart is easy. Telling someone they are a genius is easy. Providing a critique that helps an author improve is hard. I recommend following these guidelines when giving a critique.

1. Critique the writing not the person. Never say “you need to improve.”
2. Be useful. Your goal is to help the author improve.
3. Find something positive to say. If you start by saying something positive the reviewee will be open to accepting your help. Stupid? Perhaps. But this is a technique remarkably effective. If you can’t find anything positive to say then let the assigned review expire.
4. Be respectful. You don’t know how much time and effort someone has put into the work. Don’t assume what they have and have not done.
5. Be balanced. Don’t focus exclusively on the good or bad. Mix it up, it makes the critique easier to digest and more educational. I try to point out one positive thing for every five weakness I identify.
6. Pick your battles. If you think everything is terrible, then just pick one of two areas to focus the critique on. Your goal is to help the writer improve not teach him everything they need to know about writing.
7. Use it as an opportunity to learn and improve your own writing.
8. Don’t say “I love it” or “I hate it”. Both statements are too subjective to be useful.
9. Try to be objective. If you love vampire westerns and you have been asked to critique a sci-fi romance piece tell the author this is not your favorite gene to read. Then try to enjoy it.
10. Help the author being critiqued improve.

Do you want to have your writing critiqued? Join our online writing group and participate in the peer critique process with us.

Jacob

My team was down by one point. There were only 30 seconds left. Darren passed the ball to the giant forward I was guarding. He turned to shoot. I reached as high as I could and blocked his shot. My opponent wrangled the ball back into his hands and went up harder. I blocked his shot again

The testosterone filled forward turned and bellowed “you have freakishly long arms.”

Should I respond with my own verbal joust when insulted or I should I let it go? I chose to smile and reply “my wife does have a hard time finding long sleeve shirts that fit me!”

The game stopped. Everyone started laughing, its only basketball with my coworkers, who cares if the time runs out.

If you receive a peculiar critique of your work, let it go. It’s not worth raising your blood pressure over. Everyone has an opinion, everyone is allowed to share it, but you are responsible for choosing your response.

And yes, I do have longer than normal arms, but I don’t think they are freakishly long.

Jacob

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity of attending a leadership training where the featured speaker was Kevin Hall. Kevin is a world-renowned corporate trainer, inspirational speaker, and author of the recently-launched, soon-to-be New-York-Times-bestseller (yes, that’s a prediction), Aspire! Finding Your Purpose Through the Power of Words.

Over my corporate career, I’ve attended lots of different events and trainings and Kevin’s was one of the best I’ve been to, perhaps because I share his passion for words and etymology. One of the words he taught us is the Ancient Hindi word Genshai. (pronounced gen-shy). It means that you should never treat another person in a manner that would make them feel small. But it also goes deeper than that and conveys the feeling that you should never treat yourself in a way that makes you feel small or allow another to do so.

Of course, being the great inspirational speaker that he is, Kevin had several stories that helped illustrate the power of the word and how it could help improve my life—of course, I kept thinking how much Genshai applies to reviews. I know that it’s a subject we touch on quite often on this blog, but the quality of reviews is really at the heart of our community.

Just before writing this post, I received reviews on two pieces I submitted to the community for review. The difference was night and day. One made me want to open up my file for the novel I’m working on and start writing. The other made me wonder if I should even bother trying refine the short story any more or if I should just scrap it. The funny thing is that the tone of both was actually quite positive; however, one reviewer didn’t take the time to expound on any comments or offer anything useful it was mostly just short phrases or one-word statements and there were no inline comments.

When Kevin taught us the word Genshai, he told us about the man who taught him the word—an India-born shopkeeper he met in Vienna named Pravin. Pravin told Kevin that it was his mother who had instilled the principles of Genshai in his life. He remembered one lesson in particular recounting, “If I were to walk by a beggar in the street and casually toss him a coin, I would not be practicing Genshai. But if I knelt down on my knees and looked him in the eye when I placed that coin in his hand, that coin became love. Then and only then, after I had exhibited pure, unconditional brotherly love did I become a true practitioner of Genshai.”

While both of my reviewers were willing to give me a coin, one just tossed it to me while passing by, but the other came to my level and placed it in my hand. How are you doing in your reviews? Are you casually tossing coins or are you practicing Genshai?

-Clark