I've been a total goof-off this morning. My apologies! I meant to have this done yesterday, but...
Catchy title, huh? But you know what I'm talking about. Sometimes the crits you get back on the work you submit are really helpful, and other times they're, uh, you know... crap. So how can you tell the difference?
It's not always easy to differentiate between the two, especially if tender feelings get in the way. "What? You think the villain's page-long speech kills the pacing for this scene? Well, that's just crap. I think it's brilliant."
Ahem. Take good advice where you can get it. This silly example is definitely one for the books. There are writers out there who are resistant to sound, logical advice. I know of many who chose not to take good advice and then wonder why they can't get an agent or publisher interested in their work. I recall a recent discussion on one of the forums I take part in where a writer couldn't figure out the problem of having a first novel that's 270,000 words long. Though others had explained the reasons to him ad nauseum. Some people just don't get it. Or refuse to get it, as the case may be.
We can flip the coin and look at the other side, too. Crit or crap?
When subjectivity interferes with objectivity, the crap-meter's needle wags to the right. A comment like: "Blond men are fags. Give your hero dark hair." Helpful? I think not. "I don't know what a scrying mirror is. You need to explain it." If you read fantasy, you'd know what it is. Explaining a common trope to readers of the genre is not a good idea. It only marks you as an amateur.
I'm lucky to be in a great critique group that I've had for ten years, but I don't use them exclusively. Because it's a mixed genre group, crap tends to creep in sometimes, so I use critters familiar with my genre to make sure that area is covered by good critique. It means more work, but it's worth it.
Do you have a critique partner, or are you a member of a group? How do you tell the difference between a good crit and a comment that's crap? Can you share some examples of both?
7 comments:
Karen -- Just got around to looking at your blog which I think is very a very worthy idea. Finding a crit partner you can trust (and that's #1 as far as I am concerned) is difficult. I haven't had one in years and now rely solely on my daughter who has turned out to be invaluable. Frankly, I can't imagine how the anyone does it via email without a lot of personal time in establishing a trust relationship first.
So, I am not your ideal respondent. However, over the years I have had partners whose opinions I did trust and it always happened after a lot of hands on time in real person. I am going to leave it here because I think the way has changed and I am no longer up to speed.
I exclusively use my mother these days. I've had bad luck with other critique groups and partners. I think I work best with in person relationships as well, and I find it hard to trust someone I've never met IRL. I've been thinking of working up the nerve of approaching a few writers whom I do know IRL, but geez, it's worse than dating. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
Hi, Karen!
I'm a real believer in the value of "fresh eyes" looking at my manuscript, or any other work for that matter. After I've worked on a project for awhile, I know what I intended to say and I know my characters, but that doesn't always get clearly down on paper.
I do have a critique partner and really value her suggestions. I used to be part of a critique group and knew I could count on each member to catch different things in my manuscripts.
How to tell if it's crit or crap? Gut instinct. If my critique partner says "I don't understand" a specific part of my manuscript or "this is confusing", I know I need to take a closer look. Many times it's something that didn't sound quite right to me either.
Great topic!
Karen, I have a couple of first readers -- my aunt and my daughter. And I have a few writer friends who help me out with critiquing, during those times when I'm actually putting out some fiction. With the nonfiction stuff, which is all I've been writing of late, I don't usually ask for critique help.
I have comments! Woo hoo! I'd about given up on you guys. 8^)
Alice, it's great you have your daughter to bounce stuff off of. My youngest one is too starry eyed to be critical, but she's great for brainstorming with.
Wavy, I agree with you about worse than dating. Your skin has to be bullet proof to run the new crit partner gauntlet. No fun.
Genene, I agree with you 100% about gut. I have one crit partner who's in her 70s and there's a lot of modern stuff she just doesn't get and criticizes for. Crits from her can be daunting, but she's a retired English teacher and offers great grammar advice. It's a struggle weeding through her comments and gut instinct helps.
Danita, constructive feedback helps no matter what you're writing, fic or nonfic. You're lucky to have family members to give a helping hand.
Apologies. I've been slack this week as I work like a madwoman on my deadline. I haven't checked ANY blogs this week, let alone this one.
Great topic, Karin. Weeding through the crap is a pretty good analogy of a lot of critiques. I've been through many critique partners, and it took me a while to find one I really clicked with. I have one now that I trust implicitly, and I know a big part of the reason I sold is because she critiques my work. We've been together for over three years and she calls me on pacing and motivation and all the stuff I need her to watch for (like with the wip, when she said, "this is good, but have you considered starting with "this" scene? She was right...the new opening is a thousand times better than the old). I don't have to tell her what to look for in a crit - she just knows.
I also rely heavily on my agent to tell me when something works or doesn't. She has a good eye in the editorial department and doesn't believe in sending out a book before it's ready. She's reading my paranormal for the third time, looking for inconsistencies in the world building, and while the edits she suggested are minor, they're so so important - and things others never caught. So I'm really glad I have her on my side.
I also have other writers who read for me - usually when a book is done - Lisa and Kendra and Becky - and all have GREAT eyes and catch different things that Joan and my agent both miss. And when I think a book is really close, I have two beta (non-writers) I send to for a cold read.
Sounds like you have a great feedback system for your work, Eli! That's awesome. I have a new crit partner in the UK who helped me so much with the book that got me my agent. She writes in the same genre I do, and I think that's key in getting the best critique. As with your agent, mine is also very hands-on when it comes to reading/rereading and offering suggestions to make the work stronger. Her insight is amazing and I feel so fortunate to have found her.
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