WRITING: Critiquing II

“An interesting post, but the critique/criticism issue gets more murky when you bring in what people “hear” and “act” upon that hearing. How does one learn to take good criticism?” (ersinghaus response to WRITING: Critiquing (I) 3/20/04)

Personally, I find it harder to give good critique than to take it, but there are most certainly many factors that affect both sides.

I’m trying to find an excellent online article that gave guidelines for critiquing, but cannot locate it right now. I would suppose, from what I’ve tried to learn in workshopping, that one of the most important elements involved is objective honesty, again both in giving and wanting to receive. We all of course are vulnerable and subjective over our person as well as what we produce. It is a very difficult first step to even ask outside opinion, so I would think that who we ask is one of the first considerations. We’d look for someone who is open, honest, and while knowledge of the art is not essential, some form of literary savvy in steering the writer towards the necessary elements of story is just as great a help as providing response as to the feelings a piece may give to the reader. I tend to go overboard on the nitpicky things, but I am a born proofreader and cannot help myself.

It is almost impossible to catch all the places for improvement within one’s own work. Workshopping a piece is great because even though you may not agree with someone’s opinion, when you hear the same thing from several people, it’s a safe bet that it bears looking into more deeply. I still am eternally grateful to the magnificent seven who read the first real draft of my novel. They all said the same thing in various ways, and I’ve learned that “it’s long” really meant “it kinda plods along.”

More later.

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Addendum: The article I mentioned is Hardcare Critique Guidelines, by Amy Sterling Casil, and it’s well worth the read. Also, since I can see myself merely rambling above, and despite the importance of the topic and its interest to me, I’m abandoning it here since it is really nothing I can claim any proficiency at much less offer any expert advice upon. Luckily, it is being picked up and continued at The Great Lettuce Head log for more input. Thanks, Steve.