I've been in critique groups over the years, but for various reasons, I'm not in one right now. That doesn't mean I'm not critiquing. I still teach my young adult writing classes and occasionally will critique adult writers for hire. So I'm taking a slightly different path in this discussion, non-group critiquing. Here are my suggestions in working with one person at a time (some of them also work in group situations, so I am not really getting off topic.
Being critiqued can be a traumatic experience. I've had people (professionals who should know better) literally treat my work as if it were bird cage liner. On the other hand, I've had critiques that said that my work was the best thing since Harry Potter. I suspect the critiquer gave my work a once-over-lightly if they read it at all. And, as my husband says, you don't learn anything by being told how great you are.
This is not to say that critiques have to be all negative. They do have to be specific. Saying "I like your protagonist" is all well and good but really doesn't tell the author anything. Why do you like that character? Is it their personality, the way they think or talk or their relationship with another character?. Be specific. It's always good to know that something is good and why
The same thing works in reverse. Saying "This scene just doesn't work for me" tells me nothing. Often the author already knows that scene doesn't work. They are looking to you for suggestions. My rule of thumb is if I don't have any idea how to fix something, I don't mention it. Or, if the author backs you in a corner and says "The scene by the old mill stream isn't working, what can I do?" I throw it back in their lap. Why do they think it isn't working? Talk about it a little back and forth. You two will either come up with what is wrong with the scene (or character or whatever) or you will decide the old mill stream scene isn't moving the story along. One of all time favorite movie scenes comes from Tootsie. Bill Murray is a playwright working on a piece called Return to Love Canal. Throughout the movie he keeps spitballing ideas with his roommate Dustin Hoffman for one particular scene that comes to be known as "The necktie scene." (By the way, the movie audience never learns what the necktie scene is about.) At last, Bill tells Dustin, "I've solved the problem of the necktie scene. This time I'm writing it without the necktie." Great writing advice. Sometimes if something is giving you that much trouble, it doesn't belong in your story (or play) to begin with.
Asking someone their opinion of your work is a lot like asking "Does this outfit make me look fat?" I have tried to take as much fear and loathing out of the process as necessary. At the start of a session I remind the writer that he is already a writer; working together, he will become a better writer.
I always ask if there is something in particular the writer wants you to look for in their work. Do they want to know if their characters are believable, the plot plausible, is it overwritten? I learned to ask because I have a tendency to point out every little inconsistency or flaw when all the writer wants to know at that point is if the main character is likable/interesting enough that you want to read the whole story.
If your author doesn't have any particular questions, I try to stick to the Big Picture items...inconsistencies, missing transitions, failure in logic, vague characters etc. As I said before, if you don't know how to "fix it," don't bring it up.
Most importantly, respect your author's vision. I read a lot of stuff that left me wondering "What were they thinking when they wrote this?" So I ask, "What made you decide to write this particular story? Hopefully the answer is not "because pirates/werewolves/dystopian fantasy is hot right now." If they really like and want to write about one of those topics, great. Just remind them that by the time their manuscript has wound it's way through the publishing labyrinth, that topic will probably not be quite so surefire.
What I've often discovered is that the story the author has written (and isn't very good) wasn't the story they meant to write. Don't get me wrong. I'm not playing Freud here. I try to approach the subject as gently as possible. I once asked someone why they had written a picture book about talking organic vegetables. After a little conversation, it turned out that what the writer wanted to write about was the sense of community after 9/11. She wanted to write about a community garden and the sense of healing that it gave the gardeners. I don't know if she ever went back and wrote that book. I hope she did.
You know the best thing about critiquing? It is so much easier to see the flaws in your own work by recognizing them in someone else's. You are not only helping someone else improve their work, you are helping yourself as well.
Don't forget to enter our latest book giveaway of the latest edition of Children's writer's and Illustrator's Marketplace.
Posted by Mary Ann Rodman
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 4 of 4
Blog: Teaching Authors (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Mary Ann Rodman, critiquing, Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Add a tag
Blog: Teaching Authors (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: critique groups, Jill Esbaum, Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Add a tag
Writing is a solitary art.
But if you're writing for submission, fresh eyes are invaluable. Critical readers who aren't as close to (or as invested in) a work often have an easier time spotting its weaknesses. This is a GOOD thing. But take care; nobody likes to have her work ripped apart. If you're new to critiquing, here are a few tips on giving feedback to other writers.
Let it simmer. Read a manuscript soon after receiving it. Make a few notes, then, if time allows, put it away for a few days. When you give it another look, you'll notice things you missed in the first go-round and have a better understanding of it as a whole.
Take note of: characterization, setting details, dialogue (realistic?) & dialogue beats, sensory images, consistent point of view, voice, showing vs. telling, overall story arc, openings & endings.
The Critique Sandwich. Always begin and end a critique on a positive note. It's awfully easy, after a period of time together, for group members to jump right to the "this isn't working" part of the process. That's a dangerous practice. Members feel ganged up on, resentments build, and your ship's sunk before anybody has even sighted the iceberg.
Avoid putting a writer on the defensive. Never begin a crit with anything like "You shouldn't have..." or "You didn't..." or "Why didn't you..." Not everybody's skin is rhino tough, and those phrases feel like personal attacks. Instead, talk about the piece itself, using non-threatening language like:
"I wondered why the main character chose to_______"
"I wasn't sure of__________"
"A reader might need a bit more___________"
When in doubt, channel Aretha: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
May all of your critiques leave you feeling challenged and inspired, and have you dancing off to revisionland.
Antoine Pesne, 1745
Or at least put a little spring in your step.
Jill Esbaum
Remember to enter our book giveaway to win a copy of the 2013 Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market (Writer's Digest)!
Blog: Teaching Authors (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: SCBWI, Getting Published, Contests, Ask the Teaching Authors, Writing Workout, Esther Hershenhorn, Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Nuts and Bolts of Writing for Children, Add a tag
So, How Do You Publish That Children's Book You've Finally Created?Thanks, Lia L., for posting the above question. It's the Number One Question asked of all children's book creators, even of those who may not also teach Writing.(The Number Two Question, by the way? "How do I get an agent?") Your timing couldn't be better. My Writing for Children Workshop "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" this past
Blog: Teaching Authors (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: JoAnn Early Macken, National Novel Writing Month, Writing Workout, Turning Life into Fiction, Children’s Writer’s and Illustrator’s Market, Add a tag
<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times
>>At the start of a session I remind the writer that he is already a writer; working together, he will become a better writer. <<
Great advice, MA!
I used to teach acting. I learned more about acting from teaching it than I ever learned in an acting class. I get a sense you may feel that way about critiquing. Thanks so much, Mary Ann. An excellent reminder on how to ocritique.
Ran across this post via Cynsations.
You always gave good critiques, because you'd discuss stuff that worked and stuff that needed work and the crits always gave me food for thought.