To me the word, critique, translates into laying my work bare for others to judge, condemn, mock, or flay as they seem fit. Though in my experience, most people are kind, or at least constructive with their criticism, the fear is still there. Like the little girl I once was, all I can think is, “Will they like me?”
Recently the tables have been turned, however. I volunteered to critique a set of short stories for an anthology to be published by one of my writers’ groups. Since I don’t write short stories myself and would not be entering a submission, I was deemed a perfect judge. I accepted willingly. Stories of under 5000 words—how bad could it be?
The first story was easy. The author had done everything right, from plot to arc to grammar and punctuation. My only consideration was a typo or two. Hey, bring it on, I said to myself. I was good at this!
Then I began story number two.
Though this storyline was intriguing, the body was full of errors—grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. It was nothing that couldn’t be fixed by an editor, and goodness knows, we all need one of those, but the writer hadn’t bothered, and it showed. Sadly the problems ran deeper. The plot was turbulent and difficult to follow. Terms like trying too hard and overcomplicating came to my mind. How was I ever going to tell the author of their shortcomings without breaking their heart?
As I made my notes, I tried to be kind and optimistic while still conveying specific points where change could be advantageous. I don’t know if I succeeded, but I hope so. I believe anyone who is driven to write should be encouraged. No one’s first attempt will turn out a Louise Penny or a Steven King.
I recently looked at the first manuscript I wrote—450 pages of drivel. I had no voice of my own, so I imitated writers I loved. My plot likes were mediocre and my characters two-dimensional and cliché. Still there was hope. An upsurgence of ideas and my first experience with how the story writes itself. Without that first there wouldn’t have been a second or a third or a Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery Series or a Cat Seasons Sci-fantasy Tetralogy.
I’m still no Louise Penny or Steven King, but I am myself. I have a voice. I have a plot. (More than I can ever get to paper!) I was encouraged by others, and now I hope to pass that on.
If you critique others’ works, feel free to give me some
tips. How do you handle the heartbreak of crappy writing? How can one be honest
with out being brutal? Do you have reference items you love to pass on with
your writerly advice? I know I can’t make everybody happy, but is there a way
to not make them cry?
Mollie, I used to do reviews for a company and I ran across some bad writing as well as some excellent prose. I tried to find something positive in the bad stories to relay to the author at the beginning of my review. I thought it good to be honest, but used kindness in the statement about what I found wrong or offsetting in the story because, as an author myself, I know reviews can give a good perspective on what I need to change in future writing. I never used snarky remarks or sarcasm to relate these problematic areas of an authors story. I used phrases like, "you might consider such and such," "the story could have used such and such," "character so and so needed a little shoring up," and so on. It's rude and despicable to downgrade an author in a public forum. The last thing we should do is crush the spirit of a newby author. God knows, this business is tough enough and so incredibly competitive, we don't need to squash those who are inspired to write. I've made plenty of mistakes in my own writing and I've gotten some biting reviews along with some good ones and some that were helpful. But in all reviews and critiques I expect honesty and compassion.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mollie. I'm sorry I'm late getting here.