Showing posts with label How to critique. Show all posts
Apr 20, 2021
Work. Relax. Don't Think.
April 20, 2021
By: Kevin Killough
Offering helpful critiques to your critique partners is a bit of a balancing act. You want to give honest feedback on where the writers’ weaknesses lie, but you also want to be encouraging. Many critique partners try to balance out the negative comments by pointing out the writers’ strengths, which is a good practice.
Another way you can inspire your critique partners while maintaining honesty in your feedback is by framing comments on shortcomings in a way that empowers your critique partner.
Here are a few tips on how to do that.
Apr 13, 2021
Prettiest Book in the Book Show
April 13, 2021
By: KD Powell
I’ve been on CritiqueMatch for quite a while. I’ve seen a lot of new people appear and vanish as soon as they arrive. Cruising the ‘search partners’ feature is a good way to see who is active on the site and who is not. People like myself and a few others will often be in the first few pages of the site while some drift all the way to the back pages or vanish altogether. I always wonder why they left and what happened, even if I’m not partnered with them. Now, most people go inactive on the site for practical and personal reasons. Maybe they only have a limited amount of time because of work, school, or personal stuff.
Apr 7, 2021
Critique Partners: Covering the Basics
April 07, 2021
By: Addy Thome
Your critique partners (CPs) will be some of the most insightful readers to ever look through your book. Why? Because unlike your readers, they’re writers. Writers like you who have studied the craft, have written their own books, and are probably planning to seek (or actively seeking) publication.
Before we get into the benefits of having a CP, let’s discuss the difference between CPs and beta readers.
Apr 5, 2021
A 3-Step Process for Worthwhile Critiques
April 05, 2021
By: Don Evitts
As writers, you’d think we’d always know what to say in a critique, but if you’re like me, that isn’t true. That can make critiquing somewhat problematic, so I’m going over my commenting process.
Step 1. Identify the Subject:
Whenever you’re commenting, it’s important to clearly state what you’re commenting on. Don’t just say things like “What?” or “No!” It’s unhelpful and comes off as rude and sarcastic. Plus, you’re not giving your critique partner anything to work with.
Mar 26, 2021
3 Tips on Giving a Helpful Critique
March 26, 2021
By: Kiefer Nunez
Have you ever received a critique on your writing that leaves you scratching your head? You read and reread all the comments, and you’re still left dumbfounded because of how vague they are. It’s like when a friend says, “I hate politics.”
You ask, “Why?”
They respond, “It’s not for me.”
The response inclines you to ask follow-up questions or forces you to assume the answer. Being vague isn’t helpful. So below, I’ve listed three tips to write helpful critiques.
Feb 11, 2021
The Art of Critiquing: How Others Can Help You Sculpt Your Work
February 11, 2021
By L. J. Hasbrouck
Many consider writing to be a solitary journey, but it’s dangerous to go alone. Okay, maybe not dangerous, but I’d advise against it. Here’s why.
There’s a massive world out there filled with people like us: creators who want to tell their stories. But telling isn’t enough, as many editors will advise when it comes to your writing. You thought I was going to write something about “showing” here, but I actually want you to share. It’s scary because we’re all afraid other people might not enjoy our work or think we’re talented authors. Maybe you write as a hobby and don’t care about getting your work out there. That’s understandable. But sharing it with other authors, editors, and readers can help you see things you’d likely never see on your own.
Apr 15, 2019
The Critique That Crushed My Fears
April 15, 2019
By Alicia McLachlan.
Even though I’ve been
writing (with varying degrees of commitment) for over fifteen years, I have
only recently started to send my pieces out for feedback. For so long, the idea
of sharing my writing terrified me; it felt egotistical to think my writing was
good enough to put out into the world. On the flip side, I was also halted by
the fear that I would find out that I was, in fact, a terrible writer; that I
should give up. Because I enjoyed the act of writing in and of itself, I
decided doing just that was enough for me.
Apr 10, 2019
My Critique Partner Journey
April 10, 2019
By Negeen Papehn, author of The
Forbidden Love series.
I used to believe that writing was a solitary action,
getting lost in the words I typed across a blank screen, just me and my
characters in a world of my making. Three published books and four full
manuscripts later, I’ve realized it’s anything but singular. Truthfully, it’s a
group effort. The story may spill out through my fingertips, but it’s plotted,
molded, and fine-tuned, by my amazing critique partners (CPs). There is seldom
a page written that someone hasn’t read through and given me feedback on.
Apr 8, 2019
First-Time Critique Partner? Here Are 8 Critique Dos and Don’ts
April 08, 2019
By
Rene Penn.
Is
this your first time critiquing someone's work? No worries. You got this.
People
with little or no critiquing experience may doubt they're up for the task. The
truth is, you don't have to be an expert to critique someone's work.
Think
about the last time you were blown away by the first few pages of a book. Or
when you noticed that a movie dragged in spots. Or how you were disappointed by
a book's ending. All of those times, you were critiquing, even if you
didn't realize it.
As a
critique partner, you'll learn to recognize moments that give you pause—like dialogue
that needs to be trimmed or a character that falls flat.
Mar 15, 2019
How critiquing someone’s work helps improve your writing skills
March 15, 2019
By Brady Hunsaker.
As authors, we’re often told that one of the best ways to improve
our writing is to read others’ works. A lot. Reading more allows us to detect
patterns in other stories so that we can begin to mimic or avoid some of those
same things. In addition to reading, another huge tool that we can use to our
advantage is the use of critique partners.
They critique our work, which is always great to have, but we also
get the opportunity to critique their work. Sometimes, critiquing
someone else’s work feels like the downside to having critique partners, but
the truth is, we also gain a lot by being involved in critiquing their work.
Mar 14, 2019
Tips And Tricks In Finding A Critique Partner
March 14, 2019
By Jane Catherine Rozek.
So you’ve written a few chapters or maybe a
whole book, and you are saying to yourself, “this is good stuff,” and then you
laugh because, of course, you and your family are biased!
Where do you find that stranger with the
uncompromised eye to tell you exactly what works and what doesn’t? I’m happy to
report on CritiqueMatch.com.
On this site, I can exchange critiques and beta reads with total strangers
anonymously, and I’m the only one who retains a copy of my manuscript once a
critique has been exchanged.
Here are five tips and two tricks I discovered
to find awesome CPs – Critique Partners!
Mar 11, 2019
A Harsh Critique: Learning to Survive the Experience and Interpret the Critique
March 11, 2019
By:
Kyrstin Oke.
So,
finally after hours of worrying and agonizing over the impending critique, you
get it back, and man was it harsh! Something you’ve spent countless hours on,
poured your tears, blood, and soul into – and someone has just casually ripped
it to shreds. Sure, some part of you knows that your work wasn’t perfect to
begin with, but you weren’t expecting it to be this bad.
It
feels like someone has just died.
Your
pride is cowering in a corner from the world, weeping in shame. Your prostrated
ego is dramatically throwing its fists against the ground like a tyrannical
child, wailing at the audacity of the person who dared critique you in this manner!
Mar 6, 2019
Dos and Don’ts When Critiquing Someone’s Work
March 06, 2019
By:
Andrea Alcolea.
I
have been writing since I was thirteen years old. I began writing short stories
and monologues for myself, and only shared them once with my middle school
English teacher. It was my first experience receiving a critique, and it was a
good one. I wish I would have kept her notes. I was only a middle school girl
then, I didn’t know the value of what I had. Thankfully, I still remember her
words. I like to think it’s what planted the writing seed within me.
Mar 4, 2019
How Feedback from Critique Partners Sharpened My Work
March 04, 2019
By Max Vonne.
I worked on my first novel for Star Faer for about six months
before I finished my first draft. I realized then that I had a huge
problem. I planned to self-publish
through Amazon, but how would I know if my book was well-written? What if
there were a billion typos that I couldn’t catch? What if there were structural issues? What if no one liked my characters?
It’s probably better to know this before publishing. So I
started looking around for beta readers and came across CritiqueMatch.com,
shortly after it launched. It’s a free platform that lets you connect
with other writers, so you can critique and edit each other’s work.
I joined the site without a lot of expectations. It was
early, and I was one of the first writers on the platform. I queried a
few of the other sci fi writers that were active and found some that were
willing to look at my work in exchange for me looking at their work. The
result for me ended up being life-changing.
Sounds dramatic. It is.
Dec 16, 2018
The Special S&M Bond of the Critique Partner Relationship
December 16, 2018
So you’ve found a critique partner—Yay!
Get ready for an experience in love and punishment that would get even Christian Grey right in his dangling participles.
You’re about to get all the feedback, critical commentary, and objective dissection of your carefully outlined, precariously constructed plot arcs you ever wanted. And more!
Wait—you didn’t think your critique partner (CP) was just going to read your story then tell you how much they loved it, did you?
Of course not, you say. But really—you were secretly hoping that would be the case. It’s okay. We all do.
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