kriadydragon | The Thing About Critiques is...

Lately I've been dithering back and forth on whether or not to ask all my readers to be more honest with me about my overall writing method, to point out things in my writing style, word choicing, plot handling that I need to fix. Because I know there are things I need to work on and get better at, but since it's my work and I'm too close to it, I can't really see what those "things" are.

But I'm monumentally hesitant, because the thing about critiques is that they can be scary as all heck. Because one person's issue may not be anyone else's issue. Because people translate "please be honest with me about my stories" as "please help me learn how to spell their, there and they're." While others see it as carde blanc to be jerks hidden behind the "anonymous" mask. Others see it as carde blanc to tell me how to write ("write more Ronon whump instead of Sheppard whump!"). They can also be overwhelming if you're the kind of person who wants immediate results, wants to fix things ASAP. Some corrections, however, aren't a matter of tweaking this word or that common, but a matter of practice over time.

I've found, though, that the trick to picking out those pieces of supposedly "helpful" comments that really are helpful is to watch out for more than one person voicing the same issue. For example, I've had more than one person - on more than one story - point out that I tend to be rather wordy. And after seeing more than one person make that complaint, I took a closer look at my stories and realized that they were right, I do tend toward wordiness. Being repetitive is another issue that people have been pointing out to me - I tend to use certain words in certain stories a little too much. Thus something else I'm trying to be careful of.

Still, to ask for honesty or to not? Or should I leave well enough alone? Or maybe I should set up that community I'd talked about setting up a while back: a locked-community (invitation only) where you post an older story to be more deeply critiqued by fellow community members? Hmmmm...

Current Mood: contemplative

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Opening up your work to be critiqued is really scary. I remember when I posted my first story over at ff.net, I was a total wreck. I thought back then that I couldn't wait until I'd done this a few more times and it wasn't so nerve-wracking, but I still get nervous when I post a story. We pour so much of ourselves into creative endeavors that I think this process of sharing it with others and waiting to hear what they think will always be scary.

Maybe you could not ask for a critique of your work from your general readership, but privately ask people you trust to give you honest and constructive criticism on the story? Just a thought - don't know how practical this would be. :)

I'd made... well, I don't want to call it a total mistake since it was eventually helpful... but I'd asked readers to be mmore honest in their reviews about my stories. The majority of "honesty" I received was people telling me how to spell or to get a beta :P

But given time I was able to weed out actual helpful critiques from the crap. Wasn't easy, though, since I'm prone to knee-jerk reactions, and it took a while for me to really see what they were talking about.

I like the idea of privately asking people. It's something I would like to be able to do with my original fiction, but would also like to use it for fanfic as practice and to build a thicker skin when it comes to concrit.

.... would this be a terrible time to point out that the phrase in your second paragraph is actually carte blanche? *hides*

On a more serious note, my gut-level feeling is that you're probably not going to get much useful critique from comments-at-large. I don't think I ever have, beyond the occasional correction of a factual/canon error, and a general sense of whether people seemed to like a story or not. I think it'd probably be a better bet for you to seek out private critique, either in the form of a crit community or by contacting writer friends and asking if they'd like to partner up with you for a "deep" beta (you can offer to do their stories back!). I have a couple of friends that I do that with. My beta for my Big Bang story that I co-wrote with Naye was brutal *g*, but she was incredibly honest and gave us fantastic feedback (even though sometimes I cringed to open the emails!).

What you really need is someone who'll crit you on the actual structure of a story -- not just incidental word choice, but things like "I don't think this subplot adds anything to the story" or "Have you considered taking out this OC?" or "Your plot resolution comes out of nowhere, and I think you need to set it up better." Those are the sorts of things, I think, that make the difference between a middle-of-the-road story and a really *good* story, and the sort of things that you often tend not to get from a typical beta job, even if your beta means well and tries hard -- I know that I rarely get down to that level as a beta (except with one person ... I sometimes boggle that she's even still speaking to me *g*).

It is a bad time!... Just kidding ;)

"I think it'd probably be a better bet for you to seek out private critique, either in the form of a crit community or by contacting writer friends and asking if they'd like to partner up with you for a "deep" beta (you can offer to do their stories back!)."

That's something I would really like to do, if not a community on LJ then a discussion group via e-mail. Probably the smaller, the better. Of course the tricky part will be finding people who will be brutally honest, or at least encouraging people to be brutally honest. Not wanting to hurt people's feelings aside, there is also the self-doubt of not knowing if your issues with the story is legit. It's one of the reasons I hesitate about doing a deeper beta job, myself. Other times, I know there's something wrong with the story, but I have no idea how to put that issue into words :/

I applaud you wanting to do this, because it is damn scary. I tell my betas to be honest with me and preach often enough about accepting open crit, yet it IS scary and IS tough to get past the bitterness because it feels personal.

How ready are you for this is my first question. I know I've backed away from some crit in the more serious coms (pre final posting) in the locked ones, where let's be honest, you've balked because it's "what you enjoy" yet, I find one of the very few aspects for improvement.

Will this change in another format?

I'll admit, that I've argued straight out a few times with my beatas..lol...sometimes I stick to my guns, others I've allowed time for things to sink in.

I’m still thin skinned in some areas, fairly thick in others.

Again, can you step back and see the larger picture and not take things personally, or go to that corner of 'well this is what I like' aspect?

*Okay, runs way because you are braver than me!*

Edited Date: 2010-02-18 04:36 am (UTC)

I think of it as "it's going to happen eventually, so it's high time it just happens" if that makes sense. I've stomped and raged at lesser crit, only to step back, calm down and eventually realize that, hey, these people had a point :/ But it was only recently that I received a bit of crit (not the review I complained about in the locked post ;) this was for another story in another fandom) where, yes, at first I bristled, but the bristling didn't last as long and I soon found myself stepping back and realizing, hey, they have a point.

But it's really my original fic that made me realize that I really need to let someone rip my story to pieces, because I'm going to need people to pick like crazy at my original since it's the one I plan on sending to a publisher. And no way am I sending it in without overhauling it as much as I can (especially if all the talk about publishers not hiring editors is true :P).

I'll also admit that I've gotten a little impatient with my stories. I'm always rushing to get them written, get them posted, so not giving them as much attention as they need and I need to break myself of that habit.

I'll probably just start out using an alpha or two for my fanfic. I wouldn't mind starting a group, though there's still some hesitancy since I don't know how comfortable it would be for everyone involved (and whether the people involved would really be helpful, because giving deep critiques can be just as scary and hard as receiving them:/)

The other problem with seeking a deep crit is those involved going on a fishing expedition and 'finding' things to crit that there might not necessarily be any issue with. Though I doubt that is the case most of the time.

In the past, I've gotten some nitpicky things pointed out to me that my first gut reaction was, whoa, you're a jerk, than realized they had a point. Other occasions, it really did seem like they were trying to find something to argue about to feel self important. Those are easy to spot since they never couch it with what they did like about the story.

"The other problem with seeking a deep crit is those involved going on a fishing expedition and 'finding' things to crit that there might not necessarily be any issue with."

Very true.

"Other occasions, it really did seem like they were trying to find something to argue about to feel self important. Those are easy to spot since they never couch it with what they did like about the story."

I think this sums up what I was talking about in my last post - people who load a reply with the negative yet say nothing positive except that they liked the story. It's why those particular kinds of reviews drive me up the wall.

I think that your idea of a private community would be your best chance at getting the constructive advice that you are looking for. You are right that you might be giving the average reader a license to just tell you how they think it should be and that isn't what you want.

I myself tend to just read superficially. I am not much help when it comes to being a beta. I enjoy a well written fic, but I wouldn't notice that things aren't linked very well or offering a better angle on an idea.

You are looking for people who put as much effort into their work as you do. An invitation only community could give you those people and it might be wonderful for them as well.

Yeah, a community or maybe an E-mail group would be nice. The more private, I think, the better because even light critiques can be pretty tough to swallow - which is another reason why I would like more involved critiques, to get a little more used to it.

Something else I would like is more alpha readers. I've never really used alpha readers for long stories before, but it would probably make a major difference if I did use them.

I haven't heard of an alpha reader. What is that?

I have an alpha reader. An alpha reader will read rough versions of a story and give you that 'boost' or positive advice, cheerleading your fic, yet will point out the 'big problems'. The reason why most people post WIPs is they feel like they are writing in a tunnel, their fic is not ready for a true beta, but they need normal feedback.

Does this chapter sense? Is it enjoyable? Does it flow?

You get the moral boost from the alpha, enough to spirit you forward, yet they point out anything 'major".

Then once you have things worked out and edited, you send your chapter, or fic to the beta, who is there to be hard and whip the fic in shape.

Edited Date: 2010-02-18 04:43 am (UTC)

Thanks for the response. Sounds like how I help a few people with their fics.

Oh, *that's* what people mean when they talk about alphas! I didn't know that ... I've had my work beta'd in stages, but I haven't done that before.

The reason why most people post WIPs is they feel like they are writing in a tunnel, their fic is not ready for a true beta, but they need normal feedback.

That's interesting to me too, because again, I don't work that way. When I post WIPs, I generally have each individual installment as polished as it's gonna get, and beta'd (if I'm using a beta); I might do some light touch-up at the end when it's all posted, but I don't think I'd make major changes or send it off to a beta after posting a chapter.

You don't actually write WIPs, I don't think. Do you? :D You're like me, you post a 'serialized' story, which to me, there is a huge difference. A WIP is what it sounds like, you're writing as you go.

I think the reason why people write WIPs is their need for instant feedback to spur them on. Again, most of those people don't have beta readers to begin with and I don't see that very often in this fandom though. Or until I left ff.net.

I understand about your beta process in stages. My betas are very good at helping me rip apart my fic, offer suggestions and so forth, but they don't have a level before that :-P I need that little boost in the early stages, where my alpha can read the story without the need to correct things. She can read the content, see where I'm going, and offer that nurturing feedback I need at first, before I'm ready for the meat grinder :-P

Actually, I always used to write my long stories as WIPs (Running on Empty, Killing Frost, etc). I did have a rule that I'd wait until I had the end written before starting to post, though. :D (I typically write out of order -- usually I'd start posting when I had about 1/3 to 1/2 of the story done.) I used to really like writing that way. I haven't done any the last couple of years, though -- I think it's a combination of having become more exacting/insecure about my stories, and just not really writing long stories very much.

And I think you hit the nail on the head as to the reason; I always liked the immediacy of it, the way that reader feedback adds energy to the writing process and gives you realtime feedback on whether plot points are working or not.

Bravo to you for wanting to improve and having the guts to ask. Also for recognizing that you're close to your work and it might be hard to hear :) There are a great many writers I've seen across multiple fandoms that have said they've wanted honest critique but came unglued when they got it. Mostly because they 1. forgot how close a writer gets to their work and 2. they couldn't separate honest critique of the story from what they perceived as a personal attack. ;)

ITA with

coolbreeze1 It is so scary to ask for honest feedback, and I'd be careful asking the general readership for your stories. Not only because some people may or may not be right, or because they might not be the most tactful about expressing themselves, but also because you could get contrasting opinions. This has happened to me and I had a story suffer for it because I asked too many people for opinions and ended up with a lot of contradictions that I couldn't reconcile with each other and I think the next story I wrote suffered for it. (long time ago..) Hard to explain but as I look back at that story I realized that not only was some of the advice wrong, but I was so busy trying to satisfy the critique of too many people that I wasn't following my own instincts or writing the story for me, but rather for all of them. Critique is good. Solid fundamentals are good. We all need that and it improves us all, but our writing instinct is valuable too as is everyone's personal style. Don't ever lose that, and really someone that gives good critique will differentiate between structural, fundamental issues that need work, and style. (and you have to be willing to consider that something that you might think is a stylistic trait is fundamentally flawed. It happens. Trust me, I know. ;) )

I think what would serve you best (and of course, this is just IMHO! YMMV!) is to think about writers who you really respect and really believe their work is outstanding. Work that, you may think, is a level above yours and ask yourself "why?" "What is different?" Then maybe approach those writers and ask them for honest feedback on your work. This obviously works better if you actually *know* these people and even are friends with them.

Be prepared for a few things. (and really I'm not trying to scare you, just coming at this with the perspective of someone that has done, and still does it. ;) )

1. Be prepared for them to say no and don't take it personally or as an affront to your work if they do. I've known great writers that flat out suck at editing (and they're the first ones to admit it LOL) or that know that they're not good at relating opinions in... shall we say positive ways? ;) or have been burned doing something similar to what you're asking and aren't willing to do it again, or just aren't comfortable with the idea. Lots of "or's" there but the point is there could be a great many legitimate reasons.

2. Be prepared to be even just a little upset, maybe more. This is a tough one. Even the most tactfully put honest feedback can hurt some, mostly because of what you already know: you're close to your work. In my previous fandom, we used to say "have a pillow ready". In other words, be ready to kick a pillow across the room 'cause you might be a bit upset. I've done it (figuratively and literally speaking) more than once ;) but in the end all was good. I just had to get it out of my system. Granted, that particular beta group was especially hard and a lot harder on each other than most people are in offering honest critique, but we all knew it going in.

The real point is that I've found that more often than not, with good, honest to goodness fair feedback, it's stung a little at first, but when I got past that and looked objectively almost every time, the person offering the feedback was right and EVERY time, my stories and writing got better. :)

That really circles around the "finding people you trust and respect their opinions" because the trust is really important, on both sides. you're trusting them to be honest, and they're trusting you not to come down on them personally for offering honest critique. :)

Ummm... need a part 2.... ;)

Part 2... ;)

I really admire that you're serious about this, because for me personally, I feel like my writing skills have benefited GREATLY from having a very open attitude for honest critique, not taking it personally and always listening and learning from what people tell me. Even if I don't necessarily agree with some stranger's "You did it Wrong!" feedback, the perspective is always beneficial and I *try* to always look at all feedback that way. :) I've kicked a pillow or two, but every worthy endeavor has it's growing pains. ;)

I had to smile at the examples of things you need to work on, because I actually struggle with those issues at well. Since I'm on a roll typing (gads! Long post.. sorry!) I'll offer you a couple things that I do to help get past those particular struggles.

"Word of the story" (as one of my beta readers so eloquently put it.. LOL) or the word of that story that you seem to use over and over. Yeah. That is SO me. ;) I STILL do it, though, as she has told me, not as bad as I used to. LOL In Word, CTRL F is your friend. Do a "find" on specific words that you notice on re-reads that you're seeing often and whip out the handy thesaurus. Find another one or restructure the sentence. Sometimes, though, it does take a fresh set of eyes by a beta to spot those pesky favorite words! ;)

Being Verbose. OMG. Me. LOL I was more than verbose, I was, dare I say.. a rambler! Gads. ;) Drove my beta reader CRAZY. One of the single best things I've taken on to battle that impulse are drabbles. If you don't know, a drabble is a story of *exactly* 100 words. No more, no less. Its amazing how you can curtail your rambling instincts when you have to restrain yourself to telling a story in exactly 100 words. I've found drabbles to be a great way to tighten my writing overall. (a word of warning though, they can be HIGHLY addictive. LOL) I think that I've improved, and I keep that "don't ramble" thought in the back of my head whenever I write, especially if I'm writing a very character centric, or reflective scene.

Speaking of rambling..... *shuts up* Hope at least some of that is helpful :)

I'd been a little too quick about asking people to be more open about issues with my stories. Though there were times where the replies were helpful, for the most part, most of the critiques were anything but and it drove me crazy, because everyone has their own ideas of what is a "helpful critique."

I think another scary thing about in-depth critiques is that sometimes someone will point out a problem, but neither you nor they have any idea how to fix it. I think that above all is what really scares me about in-depth critiques.

So getting used to those deeper critiques is another reason I would like to have them, because I'm pretty thin-skinned and tend toward knee-jerk reactions. I need to get over that. i.e. I need a slightly thicker skin (because, yeah, I know I'll never really get used to it ;) But the sooner I can get over those knee-jerk reactions, the better).

I've also never really had an in-depth, really-digging-in-and-ripping-to-shreds critique of a story before and it really bothers me. It's my own fault - especially when it comes to fanfic - as another flaw of mine is that I tend to be impatient. Once the story is written, I read through it twice, send it into beta, fix it up then post it. It's not often that I spend a lot of time on a story, especially a story that I just want to get over and done with. Thus something else I want to work on (which I am, with my original story, but need to put it into practice with my fanfic).

I think short stories for me are like drabbles for you, because I'm addicted to writing long-fic. But since writing short stories my writing style has tightened up considerably (well, at least to me, and I've yet to get any more "you're too wordy" comments. So I take that as a sign of improvement :D). I've dabbled in a few drabbles. Not really my cup of tea, but they are fun and good ways of putting a leash on the rambling ;)

Heheh.. yeah, there is a difference between a helpful critique and "write this way." ;) You really do have a legitimate "scare" though it can be very frustrating to *know* something isn't quite right but not know how to fix it. I think that might be where the other ideas of the email group or small number of people might be useful. More heads you know? :)

BTW: I've never really completely grown thick skin. I don't think you can really if you're close to the story you're writing. (If someone has found a way, I'd love to know, because I've never mastered it! ;) ) But I appreciate and trust the people that read and offer critique for me, even if sometimes I have to take a little time to get used to it. LOL

Hmm.. short stories. Yes. I've recently rediscovered the joy of writing those, as my muse has become a "novel" muse as well. (addicted to longer stories!) but originally, especially in this fandom, I wrote stories of the shorter variety. Then along came Demons and that was the end of that. LOL

But, I forgot how fun the shorter stuff can be to write, so I'm trying to write some here and there. ;)

Very interesting conversation. Its scary to go where you're going, but I think really cool that you're going there. *hugs*

Love reading everyone's comments too. :)

I've never really completely grown thick skin. I don't think you can really if you're close to the story you're writing.

Umm... I just want to clarify this is just me. Not to say that its the same for everyone, and not to say that if people don't feel the same that it diminishes anyone's work or dedication whatsoever.

Just felt the need to clarify that. This is definitely a YMMV topic.

But it's probably rare that many have a thick enough skin to take a critique without even so much as a lick of annoyance. AS was pointed out in a comment below, the stories we write are a part of us, a sort of extension of ourselves. For that reason, for someone to rip our story apart feels personal - not so much on a conscious level as unconscious. And - and this is just my opinion, I could be wrong - I would think you would have to have absolutely no love or interest in your own story if someone's critique of it didn't bother you at least a little ;)

But I do think you can get used to it... sort of. That is, you never grow a thick enough skin, but I think you can at least reach a point where you take the critiques into consideration a lot sooner than you used to. But that would also depend heavily on what mood your in, and so many other factors that it's probably a change far too subtle to notice when/if it does happen :/ Just my theory.

I agree with all you said. :)

I just wanted to clarify that i was speaking for myself. I've been misinterpreted before so
I wanted to be sure I didn't offer offense to anyone.

For me, I do t think I'll ever get to the point where honest critique doesn't sting even just a little or Im not nervous when beta comments come back from my beta reader. But I've grown to handle it mostly
by remembering that we both want the same thing: for the story to be as good as possible :)

to ask for honesty or to not?

Not if it entails pointing out the difference between their, there and
they're to you........and I am serious about that part of it.
If some were able to critique without getting sidetracked it would be one thing, but they start telling a writer what to write and how to write it and then it becomes dictation not a critique.

BTW, I do not feel you are wordy.......I want some content.
I really despise an all dialogue and no narrative story line. We have no background and no understanding of what we are seeing and I like some visualization of what is surrounding a story, not straight dialogue.
In other words, I want the scene set.

Oh, believe me, I used to be quite wordy. Notr consistantly, I think, but looking over my old fic I've found areas where I needed to trim the fat, so to speak.

I'm definitely not going to ask my readers to be honest. To e honest, I've done that before and it's so rarely a help that I might as well not have asked. Besides which, there's no reason to ask. People will point out issues if they feel an issue warrants pointing out (it's how I roll - if something in someone's story really, really bugs me, then I'll usually say something about it. But you know that already ;))

I think providing critiques or beta reading or any sort of critical review is just as much an art or a skill as writing. Asking for open feedback is probably not going to provide you with the sort of feedback you want or need. You might get some decent assistance, but you will probably get a lot of bothersome input, too. You need someone with both the skill level as well as the ability to understand what you are wanting specifically out of the review.

Also, strictly from a reading perspective, with a good story I don't always notice the fine details of writing if I am really caught up in the tale. I will certainly go back and look at that later for my own edification, but I generally like to be lost in the story for a while. So, I am not sure that readers in general always pay attention to that.

I'd say you need a much more private exchange for this sort of thing.

*Nods vigorously* Oh yes. Several of us have had discussions about this in the past (and I think

alipeeps even did a meme on how to provide good constructive criticism. Either that or she had found a link to a meme). There are plenty of people who are willing to help; problem is, they don't know how to help. Thus the bothersome feedback telling you how to write :/

"Also, strictly from a reading perspective, with a good story I don't always notice the fine details of writing if I am really caught up in the tale."

Very true. There are a lot of stories - even published stories - that were so awesome the first read. Then I give them a second read, sometimes third, after some time has passed and that's when issues start popping out a little more (it's also why I'm hesitant to reread some of my favorite published novels :/)

I'm definitely considering something private.

There are a lot of stories - even published stories - that were so awesome the first read. Then I give them a second read, sometimes third, after some time has passed and that's when issues start popping out a little more (it's also why I'm hesitant to reread some of my favorite published novels :/)

I suppose that also raises the question of what is considered "good enough." Maybe some works should be left alone.

In addition to everything that's already been said - especially in regard to alpha/beta-readers - if you want to ask a wider audience to word critique it could be helpful if you don't ask for critiques in general but ask for a little more specific things or even for critiques regarding certain parts or scenes of a story. Might help to focus the responses on certain points.

What I mean is, if you have the feeling that a certain part or aspect of the story doesn't work the way you want it (but you don't exactly know what is wrong with it), ask the readers specifically about their thoughts of this part/this aspect of a story. The various comments might help you figuring out what it is, that's bothering you - even if nobody does *really* put the finger on it. But the responses will be at least about the parts which are bothering you.

Or you could ask specifically for *one* thing they dislike in a story, or better in a certain part of a story or on a certain aspect of your story. Even if you're generally too close to your own work to be able to pick up on the flaws, I guess that most of the time there are parts that make you think that *something* is not quite right with them (while you're perfectly satisfied with other parts) but you can't put the finger on *what* exactly it is. If answers are restricted to one thing your readers dislike, you can judge from the answers if it's something that the majority picks up and it might help you find the thing that's bothering you.

If four out of ten answers say "this part is boring", one says "too long" (which often means also that it's boring) and the remaining five answers each focus on something else (which is perhaps something that doesn't bother you at all), you know the main problem is just that - this part is boring and probably too long. Now, to find out why this part is boring/too long is another thing (perhaps there's no high peak or turning point in a scene, or the scene doesn't have something that's significant/contributing to the plot, or something else entirely) - but you surely will be able to find out what's wrong with all your experience in writing. All you need is for the answers to put you on the right track, point out the direction. I guess finding out the fact (in this example "boring") as your starting point would be the first step to fix it.

So I think that the key to getting useful critique from a broader audience would be to restrict the questions and answers a little to generate more focused answers.

Just my thoughts. :-) And I sincerely hope you find a solution that works for you.

I've actually done what you've described, way back when I first got into SGA. I asked people to be honest and, well, they were. The results were mixed, with "mostly unhelpful" taking the lead. But I did manage to accumulate enough responses on a single flaw that helped me know what I needed to fix (wordiness, for example, and repeating words.)

Focusing on certain parts of the story, though... I like that idea. I don't think I would ask the help of a general audience, though, but go more with a private group. I think Crashbarrier made a good point about how easy it is to be discouraged, and most people have no clue as to how to provide good feedback ("You have spelling errors" - not good feedback. Pointing out only the negative without including the positive - not good feedback. And so on).

I personally have found critiques to be immensely useful. But only the critiques that were written to be useful. I.e. written to aide the writer/artist/*insert thing here* in improving their technique. Having been victim to what I can now say was a completely unhelpful situation (I aspired to be an artist - ala paint and canvas- we had a blind exhibition where we put our work up for view and comment. My art tutor in a particularly ungarded moment vented her immediate and unreserved thoughts on my piece. I was 16 it wasn't pretty. I haven't seriously put pencil/paint to canvas since)

Ask for honesty in your reviews because well. all readers should be honest in their opinion but be aware you can't please them all.

But if you want a proper and indepth Critique of your work then I would suggest that it would be more beneficial to you as a creator/artist yourself to gathering together (either in person or virtual) a selected group of people whose judgement you value and trust and polling them first.

Personally I believe that all creative things are a little gateway to You.. whether its to the soul or the psyche or what ever, you take part of you and put it in the work and to have that recklesly beaten with unhelpful and non-constructive crtiticsm is so very damaging (as proved by my many years of artisitic abstenance). Only the very very strong will survive such an onslaught unscathed. Opening up somethign so indepth to the general readership could prove to be quite devastating to the confidence.

In a critique you need honest opinion in a constructive way, *your story is sound... the structure great, the tension just right, but this seems off with the rest of the story.. have you considered doing it this way instead of that, have you realised your character is "washing with soup"..* etc. not just a beligerent diatribe of *blah.. this is crap... blah.. this needs work...the story premise is aweful blah blah!*

Creativity needs to be nurtured like a flower not beaten and forced.

"I personally have found critiques to be immensely useful. But only the critiques that were written to be useful. I.e. written to aide the writer/artist/*insert thing here* in improving their technique."

*Nods* Yes, exactly. There was even a discussion on how to give good feedback a while back, emphasizing the need to point out positive aspects of a story instead of focusing only on the negative. Because most people think critiquing means telling the writer how to spell :P

Discouragement is another reason deeper critiques make me nervous, because I'm very easily discouraged. I've ended up hating stories just because two reviewers pointed out a couple of little flaws. I'm usually good about bouncing back, but sometimes it takes a while and my biggest fear is being critiqued until I no longer even want to look at the story ever again :/

Which is what I need to get used to - taking the critiques into consideration rather than letting them scare me off. I know it'll be hard as all heck, but it will also mean bettering my stories.

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kriadydragon

July 2025

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The Thing About Critiques is...

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