z

Young Writers Society


How to Write Critiques



User avatar
3821 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 3891
Reviews: 3821
Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:42 am
View Likes
Snoink says...



It’s funny how we spend so much time on how to write stories, and yet there is hardly any information about how to write a proper critique. It’s kind of sad really, because a critique can be so helpful if written correctly. Every writer knows this from critiques which are given to them. But many writers don’t write critiques themselves.

This is a problem that can affect you a lot. Writing critiques can give you insight on your own story because it forces you to see what is good and correct and what is bad from an outsider’s perspective. How much does this help your story? Let me put it this way: I’ve been to many many writing sites. The best “publishable” writers are those who give others constructive criticism. And let me tell you, some of those writers absolutely make me go open-mouthed with jealousy. They are that good.

So the question remains, what is a good critique?

Strangely enough, before we get into what a good critique is, we have to find out what a bad critique is. Here are some examples of bad criticism:

Omg, that was seriously the best story I read. Write more.


Ah yes, the typical thing said by admiring people who are not quite sure why they like it, but like it nonetheless. And of course, they want to read more. Some writers are tickled pink by these remarks; most of them want more explanation.

So what do you do if you love it and find everything perfect? Describe why you like it. This forces you to look at the story critically and very often, a piece that you didn’t like when you first read it, can suddenly seem better.

Tickle your mind a little bit. Ask yourself these questions:
  • What do you think of the characters?
  • What do you think of the plot?
  • If you were writing this story, what would you do?
  • What do you think is going to happen to the characters and plot? (for novels or long stories)

Then, write out your answers. Tell the writers what exactly you thought about their characters and why you liked them so much. Believe me, this can sometimes be the most helpful thing. Lots of writers are so intimate with their characters that they might accidentally portray the characters in ways that they might not want.

And when you talk about the plot, it can give ideas to writers who are stuck with writer’s block, or are bent on doing one idea only, by giving them more ideas. Brainstorming works so much better with two.

All of these tips will help expose you and the writer to a new level of writing, and both will benefit. By all means, tell the writer that you adore the story, but tell them why and they’ll love you. 

This could be better, but it’s pretty good for your age.


Younger writers generally hate these remarks and most of them consider them an insult. It makes them feel immature and worthless, because they’re not worth having a full critique just because they’re younger.

Age can be deceiving. One writer in particular that I met on the internet had the most amazing stories and poems and ideas that I’ve ever heard, and boy, could she write. And her age? She was eleven. And she is now only getting better.

What can you do if you really think that it is good for their age, but maybe not so good for when they’re older? Tell them that it’s fair, and then go into how they could make it better in simple terms so they might be able to understand them now. Right now, they’re probably just learning what is good and what is bad, and they may not be familiar with the terminology of writing. Explain this patiently and don’t give up on them. Remember, soon they’re going to be critiquing your work and giving you feedback. ;)

And be nice! Later on, when they get older and read their story in disgust, thinking that they were the worst writers ever, they can always look at your supportive comments and feel a little bit happier about their work. A good supportive comment for a crappy piece of work can go a long way the older you get.

Good story, but the grammar was terrible. Let me begin…


I do this a lot, and I end up driving everyone crazy. They want to hear about improvements for their story, and they end up getting a grammar lesson from yours truly. This is a big big mistake.

Nit-picking only goes so far. If you do wish to critique the grammar, remember the story. Grammar, most of the time, can be fixed easily, but unless you plan on publishing it, the main concern should be the style. Saying the story was good just doesn’t cut it.

I hate it.


This is the same level as the “I love it” crowd, but worse since it is derogative. First of all, you don’t say why you hate it. Is it a bad plot? Do you dislike the characters? Instead of insulting the story and the writer, be thorough in addressing the problems of the story.

The plot is shallow and clichéd, the characters are despicable, and I didn’t find it interesting at all.


Some people decide that if you hate it, you have to explain exactly why you hate it. But this is only true to an extent. Writing is an extremely personal art and many people take it extremely seriously. When their writing is insulted, they take it as a mortal insult.

Instead of laying it bluntly, tell them in nice terms what exactly is missing, and then tell them how they can improve them. So instead of saying what is there above, you can easily say:

“The story was okay, but I think the characters could be improved a little bit by making the main character a little bit more likable. And I don’t think that scene that the character was in really developed the story. In fact, I think it may have slowed down the story. If you deleted the scene, I think it might make the story much more fluid and develop the characters a little better.”

It’s much nicer and it gives more of a heads-up on the problem. Remember, a direct insult closes people’s minds, but a gentle nudge can help the person considerably.

So, I hope that helps. I expect to see a lot of awesome critiques here. ^_^
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





Random avatar


Gender: Male
Points: 890
Reviews: 681
Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:48 am
Sponson Light says...



Double posted the same paragraph.

Also you only talked about the bad critiques, and the "I love it/I hate it" similarities.
I may need to add that just saying that you adore their art is a waste of words. When someone tells me "God I love your work" (such as in the art forum), I run it through my head and I tell myself: "Nothing is being said of why they love it, why they hate it, or why they even said it, therefore - it is worth a few cents".

As apposed to my private art teacher I once had, who gave out critisism (though very basic, but hell it helped), which I would run through my head and state "In the long run it helps me more, this would be worth 20 dollars".

When you say something, ask yourself, "How would this benefit them, skillfully?"
You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, instead, you should read every single book to see what every book is about before you even come close to judging its viability.
  





User avatar
915 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 890
Reviews: 915
Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:51 am
View Likes
Incandescence says...



This is a critique of critiques of stories, and outside of some very basic tenets, is practically useless in the realm of poetry. Nonetheless, it should be quite helpful for some of the writers here.
  





User avatar
1258 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 6090
Reviews: 1258
Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:53 am
Sam says...



There are those times when you don't really like something but you don't dislike it, it's just...mediocre. You'd crush some people about that...that's mostly generating the 'I love it!/I hate it...' remarks. We need some sort of *nice* way to say 'this bored the hell out of me.'

Hmm...

Also, I might add, with the younger writers thing, you really have to know something about the kid before you post. Me? Tell me it sucks. I don't care. But some people will burst into tears about that. So don't dumb it down at all, unless you KNOW FOR A FACT they won't get it. :wink:

Thankus Snoinky!

I'm feeling inspired...may have to go rip something to shreds now...:P
Graffiti is the most passionate form of literature there is.

- Demetri Martin
  





Random avatar


Gender: Male
Points: 890
Reviews: 681
Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:01 am
Sponson Light says...



Well if its boring the hell out of you just say it, and what would make it more exciting.
You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, instead, you should read every single book to see what every book is about before you even come close to judging its viability.
  





User avatar
1258 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 6090
Reviews: 1258
Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:07 am
Sam says...



Sponson, I'm sorry, but most of us have never really done art. If you post like a little art critiquing guildline thingamabob somewhere, people'll have some idea of how to help you. We can tell you if something looks disproportional or if you need to erase a line...but I find it hard to truly *look* at the visual stuff.

You have a mission!
Graffiti is the most passionate form of literature there is.

- Demetri Martin
  





User avatar
3821 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 3891
Reviews: 3821
Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:22 am
View Likes
Snoink says...



A critique on critiquing, eh? Interesting idea, Incan! ;)

And you're totally right... up to a point, this doesn't work for poetry. This is mostly for prose. But still... comments that say, "This is awesome, keep up the good work!" should not be used in any critique, unless you've developed your reputation as a critiquer. Then it means something. *shrugs*

Sam, you're also right! You have to judge for yourself what is acceptable and what isn't, depending what their story shows the writer's character to be.

Sponson Light wrote:Well if its boring the hell out of you just say it, and what would make it more exciting.


Yes, but people are more likely to either get really angry at you then, or ignore you completely. Or, worse yet, become a sobbing massive blob. Putting it in a civil way can not only make your opinion valid, but make them listen to you. Since writing is all about communication, why not try to communicate with them?
Ubi caritas est vera, Deus ibi est.

"The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the Master calls the butterfly." ~ Richard Bach

Moth and Myth <- My comic! :D
  





User avatar
685 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 890
Reviews: 685
Sat Sep 10, 2005 5:27 am
View Likes
Rei says...



Yeah, I find that not enough critiquers will put in positive points (Griff), when they are just as helpful as knowing where the weaknesses are, and gives those without much confidence the support and encouragement they need. Also, if we're told what we're doing right, we'll know to use that in the future.
Please, sit down before you fall down.
Belloq, "Raiders of the Lost Ark"
  





User avatar
506 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 9907
Reviews: 506
Sat Sep 10, 2005 2:49 pm
Sureal says...



I'd go out and critique something right now... but I'm wrist is currently messed up (I fractured it like three years ago and it's never healed properly) so I can't write anything even remotely long. Maybe later, when I can actually move my wrist for an extended period of time without gritting my teeth in pain.

Oh dear... it's starting to hurt again...
I wrote the above just for you.
  





User avatar
50 Reviews



Gender: Male
Points: 890
Reviews: 50
Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:40 pm
Roaming Shadow says...



Hmmm, been a while since anyone's posted here, but it's a really good article. I'd just like to put my two cents in, if nobody minds. Now, I didn't write this, it came from How To Write Science Fiction And Fantasy by Orson Scott Card. I'll quote directly.

Were you ever bored? Did you find your mind wandering? Can you tell me where in the story this was happening? (Let him take his time, look back through the story, find a place where he remembers losing interest.)

What did you think about the character named Magwall? Did you like him? Hate him? Keep forgetting who he was? (If he hates your character for the right reasons, that's good news; if he couldn't remember who he was from one chapter to the next, that's very bad news.)

Was there anything you didn't understand? Is there any section you had to read twice? Is there any place where you got confused? (The answers to such questions will tell you where exposition isn't handled well, or where the action is confusing.)

Was there anything you didn't believe?Any time when you said, "Oh, come on!" (This will help you catch cliches or places where you need to go into more detail in your world creation.)

What do you think will happen next? What are you still wondering about? (If what he reads is a fragment, the answers to such questions will tell you what lines of tension you have succeeded in establishing; if what he read is the whole story, the answers to these questions will tell you what lines of tension you haven't resolved.)


Now, this is meant for a face to face reading of your work with someone you know, but I think this question mentallity can easily be used for critiques here. And I personally think this information would be very helpful to a writter.

Again, I did not make this myself, and only read it today, but I feel it is very good and solid advice for critiquing.
  





User avatar
571 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 14170
Reviews: 571
Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:12 pm
Esmé says...



Great article. Especially:

quote:
Younger writers generally hate these remarks and most of them consider them an insult. It makes them feel immature and worthless, because they’re not worth having a full critique just because they’re younger.

Yay!

-elein
  





User avatar
758 Reviews



Gender: Female
Points: 5890
Reviews: 758
Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:22 am
View Likes
Cade says...



So what do you do if you love it and find everything perfect? Describe why you like it. This forces you to look at the story critically and very often, a piece that you didn’t like when you first read it, can suddenly seem better.

I do like this suggestion. Of course, no piece I see posted here is ever completely perfect from my point of view, and that's the way it should be. I think that people say stupid things like, "This is awesome. I love it," for one or both of two reasons:
1. Laziness.
2. Not knowing what to say or how to say something and not sound like a complete idiot.

Now, I sound like a complete idiot a lot when I crit stuff. But I do know at least some of the language of literature. I know what plot is, characterization, dialogue, diction, subject, tenses, point of view, line breaks, blah blah blah, et cetera, et cetera.

If people don't know how to discuss literature, they, well, can't discuss it. It would be like having a conversation in a language you don't know; you can say simple phrases, but you can't talk about philosophy or world events.
Once reviewers are educated, they can talk about what they liked even if they didn't have anything to criticize.

For example: "I thought that your dialogue was especially effective. It was realistic and showed the relationship between Betsy and Wally very well. I think that Betsy was excellently characterized as a conniving scoundrel when she said..."
This will tell the writer what he or she has done well. The writer will then know what he or she very good at. It's like placing players in a sports game. Different athletes stand in different positions; some are good at scoring, while others are better at defense. A writer who has been told that he or she is especially good at dialogue will use it as it can best be used, in this example.
"My pet, I've been to the devil, and he's a very dull fellow. I won't go there again, even for you..."
  








If you are tired remember it's a sign that you haven't expired
— fatherfig