Have you posted something to Gather, only to have lots of people pat you on the back, but give you no constructive criticism? Even with that glaring typo in the first line?
Or, have you posted a lovingly-crafted essay, poem or story, only to have someone rip it to shreds in public? Essentially calling your baby ugly AND offering to kill it too?
Both of these things happen daily on Gather, primarily because we don't do a good job of asking for what we want from our readers. If we want to simply publish, and bask in the adulation of our friends and fellow Gatherers, there are tons of groups designed to do just that.
Conversely, if we are looking for constructive criticism, we should keep our fledgling post somewhat close to our vests, posting it to our favorite Writing, Poetry or other dedicated group. Certainly Gather Writing Essential is an excellent forum for both types of publishing, but we have to be cognizant of what we are asking our readers to do.
Do we want them to simply enjoy the fruits of our labor? Publish away!
Or, do we want the critical eye of thousands of Gather writers to examine our work, buffing and polishing it with us to a fine glow? That's a different story completely.
We should get into the habit of asking for critique if that's what we want. Many of our friends and fellow Gatherers -- particularly here in the Gather Writing Essential group -- are writers. They likely hone their work as you do, with all of their various experiences, backgrounds and skills. If you want to take advantage of that experience, you should ask.
Putting "Crit Welcomed" at the beginning of your piece signals that you would like this type of scrutiny for your work. Be prepared for an onslaught of comments regarding words, typos, grammar and other structural concerns. Other writers will offer comments about your story arc, your verses or your meter.
If you've asked for it, the first response to this gracious offering should be "thank you." As we all know, it's painful to receive these types of comments, but we should accept the comments in the spirit they are intended: a fellow writer helping you improve your work.
You may not agree with all that is offered, but you can always privately email someone for further clarification, or to discuss why you believe that a particular criticism is unwarranted.
A very simple habit -- "Crit Welcomed" -- that will improve your offerings if that's your desire, and toughen your skin for the ultimate critic: a publishing house.
For today's Tuesday's Child, offer up something that you'd like to see polished. It can be any type of literary work -- fiction or non-fiction, poetry or essay. Ask for critique up front by putting "Crit Welcomed" in bold before the start of your work, or in your title.
Practice being gracious and return the favor by being gracious with your critique on other work.
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Comments: 15
For me I could care less about critique only because I don't write like that~I don't construct or define parameters~meters~or any such thing~my poetry gushes on its own~it literally writes me and I rarely have a clue what is happening until after it is done~THAT is suncobscious~spirit flow~and the last thing anyone wants is someone putting their two cents into the expression of their very being~
I also do NOT critique for the same reason~
I hang out here for interaction that is based more in play and friendship than adulation or a job well done comments~
But this will precisely state what the riter wants~
Good idea here X~
When you do have that hankering for human spell-checking, we're here to help :)
Critique ... good critique anyway ... takes time and work. I have tried to help people with their work and been severely chastised for being mean. I don't intend in any way to be mean. I have been trying to follow the model of praise, comment, praise, but truthfully, if I'm taking my limited time to pick something apart, it's a great piece of writing. Having to carefully follow the ego-soothing formula really cuts down the number of pieces I can critique.
It would be helpful if you defined what YOU think is good and/or appropriate critique. I'm still learning ... I've come to understand that I can give one type of critique to close friends (who know I never intend to be mean) and another to random people who I don't know well.
Oh, and I thought it was amusing that you did not include "Crit welcome" in your post. Hee hee hee.
LOL, you can always crit my stuff if you'd like!
Another thing about critique is that there are different levels. One is a concept critique. Another might be just for spelling/grammar errors. (In my opinion, if a person does not want to know if they spelled something wrong, they aren't serious about their writing. I want everything I do to be the best I can do. I try to spell things correctly in my comments, too.) What level of critique do you have in mind?
Sensible people know that when I ask for criticism I mean the praise kind.