Today’s blog post is by my esteemed colleague and friend, Carter Jefferson.
The number one rule for critiques is derived from one you may have heard before: Critique as you would be critiqued. You wouldn’t want people telling you your story is no damn good, so don’t do it to other people, no matter what.
The first thing to say about a piece is what you liked about it–the idea, a character, the plot, a glittering piece of writing, whatever. Find something you liked, and mention it.
Don’t say only “I liked it!” or “It’s beautiful!” Figure out what made it good or bad, if you can, and talk about that.
Tell the writer whether you liked the story as a whole or not. Did it move you? Make you laugh? Make you cry? Leave you cold? Overall, what stood out, good or bad? Whether you liked the story or not, what could be done to improve it?
Talk about the writing style. Was the style too flowery, or too pedestrian? Too cute? Were the sentences overlong, or too short? Were they all similar, so they became monotonous?
What about the structure? Do the parts of the story follow in the right order? Did you learn something way down that you should have known sooner? Does the story go at breakneck speed, leaving you breathless? Or is it just too slow? Was the piece overwritten–that is, should it be cut? Where? What’s not necessary? What actually detracts? Was it too short? Did you need more information about something?
How did the characters strike you? Did you like the hero, hate the villain? How about nuances? Did the characters seem alive? How could the writer have made you feel more deeply with the characters?
Does the setting seem real? Can you feel the place? Settings matter.
You can do a line-by-line critique if you want; you don’t have to, but it’s good to show examples of things you think need to be improved.
A good critique takes time and thought. Remember, that’s what you want your stories to get–give it to those of others.
When someone critiques one of your pieces, say thank you nicely, even if you think the critique was stupid–you’ve at least learned how stupid people will view it. Take the good suggestions, and ignore the not so good. If nobody likes it, it needs work. If half love the piece and half hate it, that’s fine, for tastes differ. Don’t feel bad if there’s plenty
wrong with it; nothing’s perfect, and you can make it better. If a critique hurts, that’s okay; you’ll survive. Nobody has a thick skin, even those who say they do.
Want to learn more? Carter Jefferson’s wisdom is accessible at his website. He lives in Boston and has been a reporter and copy editor on a metropolitan daily, a Navy officer, a professor of history, and a family therapist. He started writing professionally when he was 15 on a local ethnic newspaper, and has never stopped. Officially retired, he now writes fiction, memoirs, and essays for e-zines, and teaches creative writing to the senior set at U.Mass./Boston.
So check out his work, and then you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!
