WTF: The Wrong Way to Critique

So, I've been needing a bit of a fantasy/sci-fi break and have strayed to the other forums in Writer's Digest Critique Central. I really need to stop doing this. The main reason being that there is a certain critiquer out there who needs to be smacked upside the head.

 I'm sorry, but there is a correct way to critique things--even things that you do not like--that will spare the writer's feelings and offer encouragement, even if the overall review was not complimentary. This person has no ability/desire to do that. He/She comes off spiteful, not helpful, excusing themselves with the phrase "I'm brutally honest." Writers want honesty, yes, but they don't want brutality (at least, I don't).

 But what really gets my goat is when this person has the nerve to be offended/insulted when a writer does not respond to his/her critique. Perhaps it's just me, but when someone offends me or trashes my work, I keep silent because there are just so many things that I could say that would lower me to their level. Right? Right.

Now, I am not saying this critiquer did not have some valid points. He/She did. But they came off the wrong way. That being snotty and demeaning. This person was NOT critiquing MY work, by the way, but someone else's, and I was still offended on behalf of the other writer. And when the critiquer brought in a "friend" to slam the author for not responding, that's beyond inexcusable. Critique forums are to offer help and encouragement to other aspiring authors, people, not to demean them for whatever reason.

The sad thing is, this sorry excuse for a critiquer probably scared that writer off. And that writer's work was GOOD. Rough, yes, but there was a lot of potential there. (And I am blissfully happy that this person stays away from the forum I frequent, because I can only bite my tongue for so long.)

So let me pass along a tip to anyone who has decided to offer their opinion on the piece. Look for the positive as well as the negative. Just saying something like "I liked this description here" or "Your character is intriguing" can turn a frown upside down, even if you follow it with the pitfalls of the writing.

Frame the negative, please. Begin with what you liked/appreciated and then delve into what you weren't impressed with. Sign off with another positive. Do this, and you will give the writer a feeling like they're not the nasty stuff on the bottom of your shoe, but also a dose of much-needed honesty.

D.O.N.E.

I am finished with the final revision of FURY. Hooray!

I'm crossing my fingers that I corrected the weaknesses in the story and improved the character development and flow. (Please, God? Please?)

I will try to read through it by this weekend. If we lose power with the nasty weather moving through, I have a kerosene lantern, so I should be set. And it will also minimize the distractions. (I'm trying to look at the bright side of this, people!)

After I read through it (and try my hardest not the make more edits), I shall write the synopsis. After that? Agents, here I come. Fair warning.

Tuesday's Tip: Destroying Weaknesses

Perhaps the hardest part of editing your work is recognizing its weaknesses.  Here are some tips:

• Use a spell/grammar check on a regular basis. And be sure to do this BEFORE you ever let someone look at your work. 

• Notice overuse of words or phrases. Everyone has their favorite word, and sometimes it can sneak in without the writer noticing. If you're using Word, you should be able to do a "Find". If you notice instances of the same words together, try to think of a replacement.

• Then ask someone to read your story. Not your mom. Not your friend. But, preferably, another writer or editor. You want someone who will give you honest and valuable feedback. Save the ego strokes for after the book is published. For this step, I highly recommend joining a critique group or finding a beta reader. A critique group will offer an array of opinions and suggestions, of which you can find a common thread. This will help you recognize not only the little flaws of your story (awkward sentences, confusing imagery) but the big pitfalls (sloppy plot, one-dimensional characters).

• When you receive your feedback, be sure to ask for specifics. If someone says, "I just didn't like it" ask why. After a few pointed questions, you should get to the heart of the matter: didn't like the characters; the plot was predictable; etc.

• Finally, when you believe your story has reached its full, wonderful potential--set it aside. Don't look at it (and try not to think about it) for at least a month. Sometimes, you might even wish to take longer. After you feel as if the story has finally been on the back burner long enough where it will appear "fresh" to your eyes, comb through it again. Often, this will help you pick up on the mistakes (story contradictions, wrong word usage, etc.) that might have slipped by you the first time. Also, it will help you rediscover the "flow" of the story.
  

On that note, happy writing!

On My Way

I've had the honor and privilege of being featured on The Sharp Angle . Joe and Lydia are awesome authors themselves, and I feel humbled to think that they have such faith in my writing ability.

If you get a chance, hop over to their blog and check out the interview and the other great, informative posts.

Thanks again, Joe and Lydia!

I'm doing it again...

I have a big problem with complexity in stories. Not lack of it. Oh no. I have too much of it.

Why? Well, I love a puzzle. When I read a story, be it a mystery or not, I want to be able to guess at something and have an ah-ha! moment when everything falls together like it was supposed to. But, in my own work, I can't stop at one puzzle. Or even two. No. The more the merrier for me!

Which leaves me with a big jumbled mess.

I thought I'd finally gotten over this in FURY. I told myself "Just go A to B, Brandi. No more loop-de-loops. Clarify. Clarify. Clarify."

Except I got over-excited and did my whole "What if THIS happened!" and ka-blewy. There goes my linear story. Which might have worked if it was at the beginning. But I'm almost at the end for goodness sake. Grr.

Now, I have to take a step back and try to muddle through this new mess I've created. Messes are fun to make, not so fun to clean up. Especially in writing.

Options

So, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about the future . . . and I'm trying not to drive myself and others nuts by spouting off a bunch of "what ifs". But here's the thing.

I've been thinking about jobs. Jobs are important, but they're not careers. I already have a career goal (to be a published author), but I'm reevaluating the job goal. The main reason for this is that *ahem* I don't make much money where I'm at. Granted, it's a lot more money than I've made previously, but if I ever want to buy a house or have kids, I'm going to need to be bringing in a tad more to live comfortably.

So, on to job search. And I start humming "What can you do with a B.A. in English?" Answer: nothing. Actually, the answer that usually pops up is SALES. If I'd wanted to be a salesperson I would have gone to school for it, mmkay? I honestly loathe trying to sell people things (even if I am good at it--I was a successful tele-marketer at one time). Plus, I REALLY want to do something with my degree. That's why I got it, people!

So what do you do with a B.A. in English? Go back to school and get an MAT (Masters of Art in Teaching). This thought actually makes me panic a little. Why? Number 1: Graduate school is HARD. Number 2: Graduate school is EXPENSIVE. Number 3: Graduate school is TIME CONSUMING.

1 and 2 I can deal with, but it's the time consuming part that I'm worried about. Sometimes I feel like there's never enough time in a day to do everything I want, so if I heaped a pile of school work on top of that . . .I probably wouldn't get to sleep. And I like to sleep. Really.

And then, there is no way I could quit my job and still afford the bills. Even if I worked part time somewhere else. I could always just go to school part time, but I've heard that part time in Grad School is the same as full time.

Sigh. The scales are pretty even right now, though. It's not tipping one way or the other. I shall marinate on this (and other worrisome details in my life) for a while. :)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had an excellent New Year's Eve! I know I did. ;)

This is what I'm up to now:

I've enlisted in Sparkpeople's Fitness Bootcamp. It started yesterday with a jumping exercise. Needless to say, my calves are sore.

I'm ALMOST DONE with the FINAL revision of FURY. I'm aiming for completion at the end of the month.

I've written the query for FURY, now I have to do the synopsis. Something I'm not looking forward to, but must be done.

And...

I'm making wedding plans! That's right. Jake proposed on New Year's at midnight and I said YES. So, yay! It still hasn't quite sunk in yet, and I'm all a-flutter. :) We're aiming for a late summer/early fall wedding, but that's the only thing we've decided on yet.