Giving a good critique is difficult. You want to help the critiquee become a better writer, but you don't want to frustrate him or her out of ever wanting to create again. Finding a middle ground that serves the critquee without destroying his or her self esteem is an art all its own. I've had a freakish amount of experience critiquing over the years and I currently have four crit partners who seem to be happy with me. Here are a few of the things I learned.
Positive reinforcement works. Years ago I had dinner with a comics editor who said she remembered being on the other side of the table and sweating every critique so she always tried to find something nice to say even if the whole page was a disaster. This actually works in all aspects of life. After lunch, my class is always a little wild and I don't turn on the classroom lights until they settle down (there's a window, it's not pitch black.) I can shout for 15 minutes at this one or that one to sit down, be quiet, sit nicely, stop yelling across the table, don't touch the crayons, or I can say “Oh, look how nicely _______ is sitting. And look at __________.” Seriously, you can hear the rustle as all the kids suddenly want to be sitting quietly. It takes a minute to restore order. Approach a clerk in a store with a scowl and you might get your thing, but it'll take a while. Approach with a smile and you'll get your thing faster and much more pleasantly. If you critique with a smile, the person on the receiving end is less likely to shut you out.
Choose your battles. I have seen comics pages that were utter messes, but if I listed everything I thought was wrong, the artist would have most likely gone away distraught, burned all his (most of the artists I reviewed were male) art supplies and taken up couch potatoing as a competitive sport. So I would pick the top two or three issues to give them something manageable to work on. In comics these tended to be anatomy, line weight and angles. In writing it's usually passive verbs, adverbs, wordiness and either too much description or not enough, but there are other things. The point is to not overwhelm the critiquee into giving up.
Be kind and human. This is another positive reinforcement issue. If you approach the work with hostility, the creator is going to dismiss everything you say. Or worse, they are going to be discouraged out of trying at all. My critiques tend to contain a disclaimer. “This is my thing right now.” “I just got dinged for this.” Whatever. I also lean toward saying that the author can take or leave my suggestions because it's not my story. Just because I've given my honest opinion, doesn't mean I'm right and I don't want anyone to feel that I'm going to be upset if they don't take my every word as gospel. Honestly, if Stephen King critiqued me I wouldn't make every change he suggested. I had Three Alarm Tenant critiqued by Harlequin and I didn't follow everyone of their suggestions (most, but not all.)
Take some time. Make sure you explain your point. Saying the pacing doesn't work, doesn't tell anyone anything. Doesn't work how? Too fast, too slow, both? I know I've been guilty of rushing through crits myself, but it works best for everyone if you spend a little time to make yourself clear, especially when you aren't face to face with the person on the other end of the critique. I once critiqued an young artist at the Chicago ComiCon. He walked up to the table I was babysitting for an art dealer friend. I tried to talk him out of it explaining that I wasn't an artist or an editor or even an art dealer, but he insisted. I looked over his art critically and made some suggestions and at the end I asked him if it made any sense. Slightly glumly, he said, “you said the same things the editors said, but I understand it now.”
End nicely. No matter what you said in the middle, end on a high note. People tend to remember the last thing they heard. If the last thing you said was negative, that's what's going to stick in their minds. If you leave with encouraging words, you help them not just to improve, but to continue trying.
Being critiqued is a painful business, but if you as the critiquer take a few minutes to act with extra care, you will be infinitely more helpful which is the point, otherwise you'd just play solitaire.
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Comments: 17
I do hope your college poetry professor was at least a good poet. My college writing professor had more ego than craft and probably set my writing back.
I love your approach. This is well written. I DO dismiss mean spirited comments.
Dancing with my Dream (Vote Round Two)" Please stop by and rate.
BTW...Loved Three Alarm Tenant! Good job. It was extremely enjoyable, entertaining and served as my escape this evening!
Many of your points work in all areas of life where there is ongoing development of skills. Nice work!
I like to catch them being good. When I taught preschool I had stamp markers. Everyday I would put a different one in my pocket. When I saw someone being good, I would quietly walk over and whisper, "I caught you being good." and give them a stamp.
Critiquing is much the same. I try to find the strength of the piece, and work from there.
Sometimes I'll ask, "Are you sure you want to know?" If they do, then I proceed as politely as I can.. otherwise I stay quiet. Dreams shouldn't be taken lightly.
The FCR contest has proven to be out of my league critique wise, because most of them were so well constructed I had nothing to say.
Three Alarm Tenant Chapter 2
The blessing in critiquing is that by taking apart others work, I can spot problems with my own writing. I'm not out to kill anyone's dream since it's a dream I share.
It certainly sounds as if you've had a lot of experience in working with others in this delicate situation. In "most" cases, I have found it a little easier when it is a published book, simply because I rarely critique something unless I've already discussed several of the issues with the author. During that discussion, I emphasize that if the book is not basically good and worthy of having been or in being publishing, then I wouldn't even come back to talk about it (in a nice way of course). If the book is basically not very good and/or is filled with errors, we refuse to provide a professional review simply because it is our name at the top/bottom of the review itself...
One important thing is that I discuss with the author how I may use that critical review myself...can I post it on my personal site...can I use the name of the book/author? If confidentiality is requested, I ensure that is provided!
Unfortunately, there have been times when specific parts or a chapter might be a problem and the writer doesn't understand the difference in specific negative comments related to specific issues. They may be unable to hear the overall feedback, just the negative comments. Frankly, this could be the problem of the individual, no matter how nice and constructive you have been in your criticism! So I agree with you, the caveat that, "This is MY opinion..." must always be included.
Thanks for sharing your expertise on this tough activity!
Glenda
Also, I'm actually kind of surprised you didn't take the editor at Harlequin's suggestions, unless you felt it compromised the integrity of the story.
Good luck with your work. ;-)
Terri
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