Bad Critiques Vs. Good Critiques

Speaking of what fills a writer’s bathtub, how about critiques? A good critique can add a few litres of water to a writer’s bathub whereas a bad critique can instantly evaporate a few litres and continue to do so for some time.

As I get busier and more comfortable critiquing other people’s work, I find that I am less inclined to cushion what I say with compliments or to take a slow, gentle approach. And I think that is not exactly good. When meeting a writer online, it can be difficult to gauge where they are in the their writing. Are you the first person to see their work? I.e. are you likely to crush their poor little writer’s spirit if you aren’t careful? Or, are they a veteran writer who wants you to go hard and slice and dice their work and going easy will serve as unhelpful? How do you know? I say, you have to ask them.

Here are some possible questions to ask: What kind of critique do you want? Is there something you are working on at the moment that you would like me to read for? For example, dialogue, pacing, or grammar. Have you had a critique before? (It is always best to get a couple varying opinions before changing anything as well as to make sure that any changes feel right and work for your story and your characters. It can also help to have people within your genre critique your work–although some critiquers from other genres can help pick out things people within your genre might not be able to.) Also ask how much feedback they want. For example, do they want you to highlight the one thing that you feel could improve their work in the biggest way?  Hint: NEVER rewrite another writer’s work. That is a BIG no-no. However, giving examples of what you mean can be okay when done right.

Lately, I’ve been chatting with a writer via email and we’ve both been reflecting on where we’ve been as a writer and where we are now. We’ve both had crushing experiences in terms of critiques. I had one a year ago that was difficult to take. Nary a compliment in the whole critique. The other day, I looked back at some of the notes. They really aren’t that bad. In fact, they are much more helpful now, a year later (and me being a year better in terms of my writing and understanding of what makes good writing) than they were at that time. At that time, it was too much, too soon. It was so negative. What I think happened, was the critiquer assumed I was further along in my writing confidence and slammed me (trying to give me the biggest bang for my buck) and critiqued me as I would want to be slammed today. However, I was still at the point where I wanted to hear good things as well as receive a hand to help me improve. Pointing out everything that was wrong left me stumped. Okay, so I suck, but what can I do to make my writing better? It would be wonderful to have that same critique again now. Now, I’m ready. I’ve got by back pushed up against the wall so the blasts won’t knock me over. Give me your best shot.