Get the Most from a Critique of Your Writing

Do you seek critiques, and what do you do with them?

I've had critiques help me, freeze me, encourage me and make me mad. I've had critiques that made even less sense than what I'd written, and critiques that read too much good (and that was unintended) into what I had spilled onto the page. What's most helpful?

I think it depends on what kind of feedback is truly helpful for you and where you are in your novel (ranging from "do the basics make sense?" to "I'm in a tangle and I can't get out -- help!") It also depends on whom you ask.

I am lost when friends ask me to critique their poetry. I feel anxious because I don't understand poetry and I'm afraid they will find out that I am stupid. I tell them that I'm giving them the "Everyman" critique. If I can figure it out, they need to re-write it and make it more obscure, or whatever it is that poets aim for.

Don't ask me to critique a good many genre novels, either. I don't get it. But there are many, many people out there who do -- and they'll be glad to help.

At some point, get someone to read your work. Some writers like to have their work critiqued as they go. Others are afraid of undue influence and wait until their work is finished or at least substantially complete. At the very least, get someone else to read it to see if it makes sense. What is very clear to you might not be so clear to someone with no understanding of things you take for granted.

If you're lucky enough to be in a writer's group, by all means take advantage of the opinions of other writers. But be sensible. Yours is the only opinion that matters in the end (unless the whole group tells you that they don't understand a word, in which case you might want to listen).

The least helpful advice I have encountered has been in writer's workshops. I think this is because they can be very competitive in nature, and I'm not sure why. It's a workshop. The pieces are supposed to be unfinished, yet some folks bring their masterpieces hoping to impress. I also think that criticizing others becomes a way to elevate yourself. Kind of like stepping on other people to climb to the top. I no longer participate in workshops willingly.

But a writer-friend or a writer's group, now that's the best yet. They help you with your feelings and your writing. Our group usually started off with praise, then gave very insightful comments about ways it could be improved. This is water for the thirsty.

Just a few things to watch out for: I tend to believe every word that some friends say because I think they are absolutely brilliant. While they are usually brilliant and I should believe every word, they are no more perfect than I am. Just because they said it doesn't mean it's the right thing for my work.

Then there are the criticisms from the less talented, knowledgeable or brilliant. Don't slough these off because they often see the most glaring problems, even if you don't expect it from this source. They're writers, too, and may one day surprise you.

I guess it all comes down to separating the critic from the critique.

Another caution has been said better many times in many other places. It's your work. Don't let someone else's urge to shape it into their vision change your own vision. Stay true to your instincts.

Above all, don't take it personally. These are people who are trying to help you.

And if they are making is personal, move on. You and your writing deserve better.

Whatever you do, don't corner a writer and beg them to critique your work. You can offer to pay a writer who is farther down the writing road than you are, but let them graciously decline if that is their wish. You don't want the opinion of someone who found reading your work painful.

Finally, be honest and helpful when you critique others. Always find the good things in a work, because there are always good things in a work. Praise the good, and gently make suggestions or ask questions about the flawed parts. We shouldn't take is personally, but for many people, it's really hard not to.