Guenhywvar Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 (edited) OK, so, I have been with this forum for sometime, even before they moved. I have only ever submitted one piece, and have only ever critiqued one as well, even though I have read almost every one that has been sent my way. Why? Because I don't know what sort of things I should be commenting on. So my question is this, would it be possible to set up a critiquing guide? So what sort of things we should say, the sort of things we shouldn't comment on etc (for instance, I know that picking up n all the typos and commenting on those isn't generally appreciated unless asked to do so.)? I know this would be a real help to myself, and I think that it could also be a help to other members. Many thanks for taking the time to read this, Guen. Edited December 14, 2011 by Guenhywvar 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silk Posted December 14, 2011 Report Share Posted December 14, 2011 OK, so, I have been with this forum for sometime, even before they moved. I have only ever submitted one piece, and have only ever critiqued one as well, even though I have read almost every one that has been sent my way. Why? Because I don't know what sort of things I should be commenting on. So my question is this, would it be possible to set up a critiquing guide? So what sort of things we should say, the sort of things we shouldn't comment on etc (for instance, I know that picking up n all the typos and commenting on those isn't generally appreciated unless asked to do so.)? I know this would be a real help to myself, and I think that it could also be a help to other members. Many thanks for taking the time to read this, Guen. Good point! I'll work on this. I think there's a fairly general one in the threads that are linked to on the old boards, but I don't remember how detailed it is and I know it's kind of a pain to read right now (sorry! getting this stuff moved is actually on my to-do list for today. I know I've been saying that for ages...) Perhaps this would be a good time for others to throw in some ideas about what they're looking for in a critique? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjhuitt Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 I used these questions as a starter for a local critique group. They are by no means exhaustive, but things to get you thinking along the lines of general critique. Many of them come from one of Orson Scott Card's books about writing (I think it was How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy). Were you ever bored? Did you find your mind wandering? Can you note where in the story this was happening? If you put the story/portion down to do something else, where in the text were you at that time? What did you think about the character named X? Did you like him? Hate him? Keep forgetting who he was? Was there anything you didn't understand? Is there any section you had to read twice? Is there any place you got confused? Was there anything you didn't believe? Any time when you said, "Oh, come on!"? What do you think will happen next? What are you still wondering about? What did you like/enjoy most? What did you dislike/hate most 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KateJ Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 http://www.writingexcuses.com/2008/11/ Season 2 episode 5 is about writing groups - I need to relisten to it myself but - hey, we're supposed to be the writing excuses writing group so... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skyhunter Commander Posted December 15, 2011 Report Share Posted December 15, 2011 That's some good critiquing advice. I've always felt that I wasn't great at critiquing, but those guidelines seem to be apretty solid foundation. Now to get back into the swing of things, reading through the enourmous backlog that comes from having no time to critique (as well as little to write) during school, which is now over. But to make one use for school, printing out as much as I can here, for free! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.H.McMullen Posted April 10, 2012 Report Share Posted April 10, 2012 If I could add a couple of things? I know it's presumptuous of me, but I think these have been given only glancingly and they deserve more attention: Critique the story, not the author. Respect the author, regardless of writing skill. We all start somewhere. Recognize that a work can be good even if it isn't how you'd do it. (I have in mind a story I once saw in a group where everyone but me criticized it for not being realistic enough, but I thought that the author was trying for a fable--and she succeeded--though perhaps it needed a better announcement of the type of story it was.) Consider the intended audience. A middle school novel is judged by different standards than a tragic confessional. Consider the genre. Writing is writing, yes, but I haul out different tools for a user guide than I do for a piece of flash fiction about the end of the world. Different genres carry different assumptions. If you don't have the whole piece of fiction in front of you, you might mention things that worry you, but they aren't necessarily bad: the payoff might come. For instance, I dislike prologues intensely (they are often used unnecessarily), but there are reasons to have them, and I recognize that. So a prologue is (for me) a red flag, but I can't know if it's worthwhile until I read THE END. And even then, the author and I might disagree. I know; I've repeated some of the advice we've already had. But I think it's important. John 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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