The Gift of Critique
By Greer Macallister | January 4, 2021 |
While the 2020 holidays are behind us, the season of giving doesn’t have to be. This applies to all aspects of life, but for the purposes of this post, I’m going to focus on how it applies to writing. Done right, critique can be one of the greatest gifts one writer gives to another.
Done wrong, it can be a disaster.
Of course there isn’t just one right way to critique. There are lots of right ways. And the converse applies — there are lots of wrong ways too. Let’s get the wrong ones out of the way first:
Unsolicited feedback isn’t critique, it’s criticism. Call it the first rule of Write Club: if the writer didn’t ask for your feedback, it’s unlikely that your input will be helpful. There’s nothing wrong with book criticism, by the way! Review all you want, anywhere you want, in as much detail as you want! But if you’re thinking about sending the author of the latest book you read a long email detailing all the ways you think their book could and should have been better? Well, that’s not what I’d consider a gift in this context.
Don’t try to make it the book you would have written. So if a writer you know has asked for honest feedback on their work and you’ve agreed, great! You’re on the road to providing a gift-y critique. But! There are still ways to go wrong. Unless they’ve asked you for something specific (“do you feel like chapter 3 is too long?”), what they probably want is a sense of what’s working for you — what’s compelling, intriguing, enjoyable — and what’s not — what you find boring, confusing, off-putting. If they’re writing a nautical murder mystery and you’d like the book better if it were set on land and nobody died, saying so is probably not a gift. You can say you find all the sailor-y jargon confusing. You can say the way they describe the murder is too gruesome for your taste. But “I’d like it better if it were a completely different book”? Not helpful.
On a happier note, here’s how you can make your critique more of a gift to your writer pal:
Focus on what succeeds, not just what fails. Naturally, when you’re asked for feedback, your instinct is to point out all the ways the book (or whatever piece of writing) could be better. And yes, you should do some of that. But also be sure to point out sentences you loved, characters you found intriguing, plot twists that caught your attention, etc. When I ask multiple beta readers for their feedback, the most helpful comments help me establish a pattern. One person thought a piece of description went into too much detail but two others praised it? Good to know. Two people disliked a character that was another person’s favorite? Food for thought.
Provide questions, not answers. This can be hard, but it’s worth it. It overlaps some with the idea of not trying to make someone else’s book into the book you would have written — a common trap for writers commenting on other writers’ work. Maybe you think their sentences are too long, but they like writing long sentences. (I like writing long sentences, but I also appreciate it when a beta reader lets me know when I’ve gone too far.) If you say “Your sentences should be shorter,” well, they’re not necessarily going to receive that and consider it. But if you say, “I’m concerned the length of this sentence makes the reader slow down in order to understand it — would it come across more smoothly if you broke up these thoughts into separate sentences?) You don’t have to couch every single suggestion in super-gentle language, but if you find your comments starting with “This is…,” maybe think about rewording some to “Is this…?”
Q: What are some other guidelines you follow for making your (solicited) critique helpful to the writer?
Raised in the Midwest, Greer Macallister earned her MFA in creative writing from American University. Her historical novels have been named Book of the Month, Indie Next, LibraryReads, Target Book Club, and Amazon Best Book of the Month picks and optioned for film and television. Her latest novel, The Thirteenth Husband, is inspired by Aimee Crocker, the Paris Hilton of the Gilded Age. Macallister also writes the ongoing Five Queendoms epic fantasy series as G.R. Macallister. A regular contributor to Writer Unboxed and the Chicago Review of Books, she lives with her family in Boston, MA. www.greermacallister.com
Great points, Greer! I would add that some of the responsibility lies on the person asking for the critique. When I send a manuscript to a beta reader or critique buddy (as I just did yesterday, and you know who you are if you’re reading this!), I include a short list of concerns that I have, so she can focus her critique on areas that I suspect will need work. For example: Were there places where you disliked my protagonist or stopped rooting for her? I want to identify trouble spots (though I don’t necessarily want her to tell me how to fix them). And then I end with: Anything else that strikes you? The best critique, for me, has a balance between points or questions that I (as the author) have asked for feedback on, and points that the come from the reader herself. The more specific, the more useful! And not too overwhelming ….
Totally agree, Barbara! Putting some guidelines around the critique makes it way better for everyone.
So true Barbara. It’s important to have a sense of what your questioning. A good Critique is to help The writer not be a pat on the ego ( although those are nice too).
I just asked a non-writer to read the synopsis I’ve been working on and question anything that confused her. We talked about the goal of a synopsis as a linear ‘story-map’, similar to back-cover copy. Being specific, as Barbara said, above, is so helpful, both for reader and writer. Same with Beta Readers. Clear honest feedback is truly a gift. I’ve had the other kind, which can be debilitating. I recently had a writer ask for feedback on her first 10 pages, specifically looking for ways to pick up the pace and up the tension. I sent edits and haven’t heard back. I’m worried that I may have upset her. That line can be fine sometimes, giving and receiving equally delicate. Thank you for the thoughtful post, Greer. .
I hear you. Hopefully the writer you gave feedback to is just still absorbing it! I think on some level, even when we ask for feedback, we’re kind of hoping they’ll just say, “No changes needed, it’s perfect!” But it’s never perfect.
That’s the hopeful but unrealistic dream. The good thing is that we can usually find that one perfect sentence or paragraph for them.
When requesting critiques, I fear that giving them questions will force them to dig for potentially non-issues just to meet my list, or tip my hand and interfere with their reading–in a sense… stop them from being a “normal reader”.
When I beta for others, I tend to make reader remarks with Track Changes as I go, so the author can see where my mind is at any certain time. I think it’s important to let an author know this, so they can see if they have steered me off-track, without me saying so. Many times, partway in, I’ll remark that I realize I was “wrong” and say where my mind is now. That too allows them to see just how long I was off-track.
I like that approach! And when requesting critiques I do sometimes hold back on questions I really want answered — because even asking “Is X a problem?” makes them read X differently. In these cases, I trust that if they find X disruptive, they’ll say so, and if they don’t? That’s probably a good sign.
Is track reading a program? I just found a program I think will be helpful called autocrat.
This is very important, and bloggers like me should take special note of this. I’m kind of interested in getting into beta reading myself (now that I’m retired) so your points are well taken.
Davida, you’re a careful and intelligent reader, so I think you’d be a helpful beta reader for authors who are looking for one!
Excellent advice all around.
My favorite approach to a critique is “If you’re going for X, I think adding more Y would make that stronger.” That backs away from preferences and impressions, and shows the principle I think could be used to help the story. Though of course sometimes it’s “This part just works, and here’s the kind of fun I had with it.”
Also my advice for taking a critique is, remember it’s a suggestion poll. One critiquer isn’t “right” or “wrong” and certainly doesn’t mean the author was wrong about something. Each voice is one person (and representing a few more) who saw one thing in the story — the challenge then is if you can satisfy them without hurting the rest of the tale. (Even if a reader blatantly misses something, we still have to ask if there’s a safe way to make that point more obvious, because other readers will have the same blind spot.)
Both great points, Ken! Thanks for your perspective.
Thanks Greer for the post. Critiquing is so important and I have been both devastated and affirmed. One almost stopped me writing and it was hard to pull myself out of that. Fortunately I have a wonderful writing coach who believes in me and my writing. She knows how to be gentle at the beginning and keep pushing little by little.
Who is critiquing is sooo important.
All great comments and sharing of experiences. One suggestion I have is that you ask reviewers and beta readers to not hit the delete button in trackchange when reading your manuscript. I have a regular critique partner who loves to edit online and it takes me twice as long to see what’s missing and agree/disagree with the deletes.
One other suggestion – may have already been made. Be sure to thank your beta readers – it’s their time and attention. I gave small gifts to my great bookstore – Village Books in Bellingham, WA as a thank you.
One of the most important considerations is the author’s voice. I try to be very careful in any suggestions I make to not change the voice of the piece.
I would be cautious when asking writers you admire for a critique. Sometimes the qualities that you like in their work — a strong voice, for example — might make it hard for them to be receptive to your own. In the same way, I’ve heard that basketball great Michael Jordan wouldn’t be a great coach. His style was unique, his talent spectacular. He would try to impose them on his players and wouldn’t be able to understand why they couldn’t imitate them
My oldest daughter gave me access to her story, cowritten with a friend. I gave her one piece of feedback she said opened her eyes: Where’s the conflict?
The story said what happened, but every time a slight obstacle was put in the path of the heroine, she overcame it.
I would not dream of critiquing anyone else’s writing – I have hated having mine critiqued because I could never get people to critique what I wanted – they wanted to critique what they wanted. I already knew those parts!
But daughter asked, and seemed very pleased with the question. I hope to be granted access again some day – but it’s up to her until it is published.