Constructive Criticism

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General Things To Keep In Mind:

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General Things To Keep In Mind:

-Not everyone can take extremely harsh criticism. Be mindful of the writer when offering criticism.
-Most of what you have to offer is opinionated. Refrain from being a know-it-all and don't take it as an insult if the author doesn't take your suggestion.
-This writer obviously trusts you. Do not betray that trust.
-When receiving suggestions, keep an open mind and be objective. Your pride is not what you should be focusing on. The end product is more important.
-Be appreciative. Whether giving or receiving, your editor is giving their time to help you, and your author is trusting you enough to let you in on something they really care about.

Why Constructive Criticism Is Important

In the end, the writing you're doing is not for you. Your writing will be taken in and interpreted by a totally different person, and it can greatly improve your work if you have a sense of how others will digest your writing because you can edit from a more objective point of view and incorporate things that will add to the readers' experience, as well as remove what may take away from it. Never underestimate the value of feedback, and do whatever you can to understand your audience. Also, offer your criticism whenever possible to help other writers.

At what point in the process should you seek feedback?

In my opinion, you should ask whenever you feel like it, and you should ask for it more than once, from multiple sources. However, I find that the points in the timeline that prove most useful are in the beginning, when you're outlining the events and creating characters, during the writing process, to make sure you're not getting into the habit of filling your story with details that aren't useful and just bulk up the word count, and at the end, when your first draft is finished and is in dire need of a thorough comb-through. My overall advice is to ask for a second opinion (or 3rd, 4th, etc.) anytime you're preparing to enter a new phase or start on something you'll spend a lot of time on.

How To Apply Feedback

There are so many ways you can apply and utilize suggestions to your work. My favorite method takes about 6 steps:

1. Make a list of all of the notes your editor left.
2. Write each individual suggestion on a small sticky note.
3. Place them on any part of your manuscript where it may apply.
4. Take time to read over your manuscript, and remove sticky notes from places you want to leave alone.
5. Retype your entire manuscript and make changes as necessary, keeping suggestions in mind.
6. Have someone else read and repeat the process.

This sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but the truth is, editing typically takes a lot more time than the actual writing itself. I always recommend completely rewriting everything at least once, because you always find so many tiny details to add or remove or make better or more specific or word differently, etc. No matter how many times you rewrite, there will always be something to improve. A lot of writers aim toward a specific word count, and rewriting is the way to achieve that.

Giving Feedback

Things To Address When Giving Feedback

-Grammar, spelling, format, punctuation, and technical details.
-WORD CHOICE. If you pause, confused, while reading something, word choice is likely the thing that has thrown you off. Always be picky with word choice. Tone and voice are super important and easy to mess up.
-Plausibility. Would the characters, as you've gotten to know them, really say/do/think that?
-Make sure you're honest when the author's voice peeks out a little too much.
-Plot holes?
-Run on sentences and lengths of paragraphs/chapters
-Details that don't fit in/make sense
-Things that weren't explained
-Dialogue that doesn't follow
-Any other things you think need to be reevaluated

General Rules Of Courtesy

-This writer is sharing their baby with you. Treat it with care and respect.
-Make every suggestion with the goal of helping the writer instead of being a know-it-all
-The writer probably won't take all of your advice. Don't take it personally.
-Be as gentle as possible when delivering criticism. It's not easy for writers to take.
-keep the writer's vision in mind. Don't try to manipulate the writer into creating your vision.
-Be thorough and as specific as possible. Pick that thing apart. "it was good" isn't useful

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