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8 Tips for Having Your Story Critiqued

Today I want to talk about the critiquing process—mainly, how to prepare for and deal with another person test-reading your story. With these suggestions, I hope to prepare writers for critiques of multiple calibers, how to interpret them, how to deal with the person giving the critique, and how to handle the suggestions that are given. It sounds simple but it may, in fact, be the most difficult part of the writing process to learn. But remember, I have faith in you, or I would not be writing this!

Tip 1: Remember that the critic is your best friend.

No matter if you are dealing with a very lousy critic or a great one, remember that they are spending their time—usually for free—just to help you with your story. That requires time, effort, and energy—and only someone with a great deal of kindness will bother expending what is required to read your story.

Tip 2: Remember that drafts 1-3 are going to suck.
Yes, it may be the magnum opus to you, but objectively your story will suck for the first few drafts. It is hardly salvageable, except for maybe 5% of the text, and the foundations of story you have created to be rewritten later. This is simply the writing process—even Stephen King has to get through six drafts before a story starts to look good. So when your critic has something negative to say so early, it's probably true.

Tip 3: Don't be afraid to be open and honest with your critic.

Critiquing is as difficult a skill as writing. It's like being given throwing knives and told to cut tumors off your best friend's child from five feet away. And so, sometimes critics make mistakes like accidentally trying to make the story their own, or perhaps being too harsh with their words, and not giving any feedback on what works well in the story (though in the first draft, it's usually not much that does work). If this is the case, have a kind chat with your critic, tell them how much you appreciate them, and ask if they would do you the kindness of helping to make the critiques a little less sharp in the future—as to help you maintain the urge to write.

Tip 4: Note the critic's preferences against the critic's objective judgments.

If the critic notes that he or she does not like the fact that the puppy dies in the third chapter, be sure to ask why—and note that this may just be a divergence in preferences. On the other hand, if the critic says that it makes no sense for the puppy to die, that it adds nothing to the story, or that it seems like you are trying to jerk tears, then know that you are dealing with a valid problem in your story.

Tip 5: Not every flaw in your story has to be eliminated.

Often, I find that I have added something like a really cool concept or character to a story, and my critic says that it doesn't fit or makes no sense. Don't take that as a demand to cut it (unless the critic says CUT IT). Accept it as a challenge—a puzzle—for you to figure out how to adjust that thing you like so that it fits into the story. Remember, your first draft is a lot like dumping a bunch of puzzle pieces on the floor; it won't paint a perfect picture, but it will give you many of the pieces you need to flip, rearrange, and piece together.

Tip 6: Remember to celebrate every flaw that you and your critic find in your story.

Every flaw you and your critic find in your story, is another chance for you to redeem the mistake and turn it into something wonderful. It is a mistake caught before the harsher critics of the world have a chance to chew you apart for it. And every flaw found is another stone to chisel, so that your story becomes a masterful work of art.

Tip 7: Beware the sadist.

While not often, you will occasionally come across a critic who just enjoys tearing people down. This is the sort of critic who uses tons of vague adjectives like “terrible” and “repulsive” to describe your work, who does not give you suggestions for how to fix the problems in your work, and who steals all the joy of writing from you. If you suspect that your critic is a sadist, talk with them. It could just be that your good friend is simply new at the critiquing process, or that they never considered how harsh they were being. But, if this doesn't help matters, disregard this person and find a new critic. The sadist doesn't want to help you, they just want to see your creative spirit die—just like their spirit has.

Tip 8: Beware the Soothsayer.

Now I'm not going to say that everyone who says that your story is wonderful, is just trying to manipulate you. However, someone who just goes on about how perfect your first draft is, is either really blinded by love for you, or manically non-confrontational. Either way, if they cannot find multiple things dreadfully wrong with each of your chapters, then they are not a good critic. Kindly thank them, and then go find someone who cares about you enough to tell you the truth.

Feel free to comment with other suggested resources. Any questions about writing? Things you want me to discuss? Comment or send me a message and I will be glad to reply or feature my response in a later article. If you enjoy my reviews, please feel free to share my articles with friends, add it to your favorites, become a watcher on my page, or send send a llama my way!

Originally posted at www.facebook.com/JosephBlakePa…

And: josephblakeparker.wix.com/theb…

:) (Smile) — Description

8 Tips for Having Your Story Critiqued

Today I want to talk about the critiquing process—mainly, how to prepare for and deal with another person test-reading your story. With these suggestions, I hope to prepare writers for critiques of multiple calibers, how to interpret them, how to deal with the person giving the critique, and how to handle the suggestions that are given. It sounds simple but it may, in fact, be the most difficult part of the writing process to learn. But remember, I have faith in you, or I would not be writing this!

Tip 1: Remember that the critic is your best friend.

No matter if you are dealing with a very lousy critic or a great one, remember that they are spending their time—usually for free—just to help you with your story. That requires time, effort, and energy—and only someone with a great deal of kindness will bother expending what is required to read your story.

Tip 2: Remember that drafts 1-3 are going to suck.
Yes, it may be the magnum opus to you, but objectively your story will suck for the first few drafts. It is hardly salvageable, except for maybe 5% of the text, and the foundations of story you have created to be rewritten later. This is simply the writing process—even Stephen King has to get through six drafts before a story starts to look good. So when your critic has something negative to say so early, it's probably true.

Tip 3: Don't be afraid to be open and honest with your critic.

Critiquing is as difficult a skill as writing. It's like being given throwing knives and told to cut tumors off your best friend's child from five feet away. And so, sometimes critics make mistakes like accidentally trying to make the story their own, or perhaps being too harsh with their words, and not giving any feedback on what works well in the story (though in the first draft, it's usually not much that does work). If this is the case, have a kind chat with your critic, tell them how much you appreciate them, and ask if they would do you the kindness of helping to make the critiques a little less sharp in the future—as to help you maintain the urge to write.

Tip 4: Note the critic's preferences against the critic's objective judgments.

If the critic notes that he or she does not like the fact that the puppy dies in the third chapter, be sure to ask why—and note that this may just be a divergence in preferences. On the other hand, if the critic says that it makes no sense for the puppy to die, that it adds nothing to the story, or that it seems like you are trying to jerk tears, then know that you are dealing with a valid problem in your story.

Tip 5: Not every flaw in your story has to be eliminated.

Often, I find that I have added something like a really cool concept or character to a story, and my critic says that it doesn't fit or makes no sense. Don't take that as a demand to cut it (unless the critic says CUT IT). Accept it as a challenge—a puzzle—for you to figure out how to adjust that thing you like so that it fits into the story. Remember, your first draft is a lot like dumping a bunch of puzzle pieces on the floor; it won't paint a perfect picture, but it will give you many of the pieces you need to flip, rearrange, and piece together.

Tip 6: Remember to celebrate every flaw that you and your critic find in your story.

Every flaw you and your critic find in your story, is another chance for you to redeem the mistake and turn it into something wonderful. It is a mistake caught before the harsher critics of the world have a chance to chew you apart for it. And every flaw found is another stone to chisel, so that your story becomes a masterful work of art.

Tip 7: Beware the sadist.

While not often, you will occasionally come across a critic who just enjoys tearing people down. This is the sort of critic who uses tons of vague adjectives like “terrible” and “repulsive” to describe your work, who does not give you suggestions for how to fix the problems in your work, and who steals all the joy of writing from you. If you suspect that your critic is a sadist, talk with them. It could just be that your good friend is simply new at the critiquing process, or that they never considered how harsh they were being. But, if this doesn't help matters, disregard this person and find a new critic. The sadist doesn't want to help you, they just want to see your creative spirit die—just like their spirit has.

Tip 8: Beware the Soothsayer.

Now I'm not going to say that everyone who says that your story is wonderful, is just trying to manipulate you. However, someone who just goes on about how perfect your first draft is, is either really blinded by love for you, or manically non-confrontational. Either way, if they cannot find multiple things dreadfully wrong with each of your chapters, then they are not a good critic. Kindly thank them, and then go find someone who cares about you enough to tell you the truth.

Feel free to comment with other suggested resources. Any questions about writing? Things you want me to discuss? Comment or send me a message and I will be glad to reply or feature my response in a later article. If you enjoy my reviews, please feel free to share my articles with friends, add it to your favorites, become a watcher on my page, or send send a llama my way!

Originally posted at www.facebook.com/JosephBlakePa…

And: josephblakeparker.wix.com/theb…