Guide to Writing Critique | boroondarawriters

PARTICIPATING IN WRITERS GROUP

A Guide to Critique

by Sarah Craze, Coordinator

Joining a writers group can be intimidating, especially if you have not shared your work with anyone before. The primary goal of our writer’s group is to provide:

a forum at a consistent date, time and place for you to hear and be inspired by other people’s writing
opportunities to receive critique on your own work
opportunities for you to think about other people’s writing and learn from it
a convivial social atmosphere for talking about writing and making friends.

Some people prioritise the social aspect over the critique part, others do the opposite. I have also come across people who just want to be told what a great writer they are, process their feelings about a topic, or share their point of view. All of it is fine with me if that’s what you need to keep on writing.

I think one of the most important ways to utilise the wealth of knowledge and experience in the room is to prepare beforehand. Think about why you selected this piece.

It could be because that’s all you had time to write this month (great!), or because something about it is not working and you need some help figuring out what (perfect!), or it could be you’re proud of this piece and want to share it (excellent!). There is no right or wrong answer but knowing the reason and articulating it to the group in advance will help others give you critique you can use.

WHEN IT IS YOUR TURN

Do not explain your piece, just read it. If there is specific critique you are after or the piece is a continuation from last time, mention that ONLY IN ONE SENTENCE or have it included at the top of the page.
After you have read your piece, time is given for members to re-read and make notes on their copies, then some members will be called upon to comment verbally. They are asked to identify something that is working and to suggest an area for improvement, if any.
Do not defend your work and don’t argue with the critique. The group will tell you honestly, tactfully, what they have perceived about your work. You don’t have to agree. However, arguing wastes workshop time and may prevent honest feedback in future. A response like ‘I’ll make a note’ or ‘I’ll think about it’ is all you need.
You may ask for clarification of comments if necessary, but please question the person in the break or after the meeting.

GIVING CRITIQUE ON OTHERS WORK

As you listen to a piece, tick, double tick or even triple tick the things you like, and/or note the things not working for you. We are not interested in minor errors of punctuation or typing in the critique. If there are numerous mistakes throughout the piece, just add a general suggestion for a spell/grammar check at the end of the piece.

DO NOT MAKE IT PERSONAL

People use writing to process the complicated world we live in. You may not agree and that is your right. But if you think you can not be impersonal in your critique or seek to criticise the subject matter rather than the writing, then DO NOT COMMENT.

FIND SOMETHING TO BE POSITIVE ABOUT

For fiction, think about character, setting, plot, conflict and theme. Try to note the writer's strengths as well as weaknesses. Think about:

What were your favourite moments?
Which descriptions made you feel most present?
Which character(s) did you find most compelling?
Did any plot shifts pleasantly surprise you?
Did you feel lost at any point?
Does the plot seem plausible?
Is the pacing good, or did you feel rushed, or find yourself getting restless waiting for something to happen?
Are there any continuity errors, like sudden name changes or location shifts?

KEEP VERBAL AND WRITTEN COMMENTS CONSTRUCTIVE

If you lost interest at some point, note the passages and then identify the parts that held your attention and suggest the writer keep that pacing throughout the piece. If a character left you cold, identify the characters that you found compelling, and suggest the other character/s be developed more like those. If a humorous piece is not funny, find the author's strengths (action, dialogue, description, etc.), and suggest leaving the humour out to let those strong points shine through.

Review the comments you wrote after your initial reading and add any specifics that might clarify your first impression. Harsh criticism only alienates the writer and doesn’t help them improve. On the other hand, a critique that finds no flaw is not helpful unless the writer’s work is truly perfect.

As far as time allows do a second, closer, reading looking for continuity, character development, dialogue, descriptive passages and plot points. Make notes in the margin as you go.

GIVING CRITIQUE ON POETRY

I am the first to tell you that I am not a poetry writer or reader. I have read and heard more poetry in the two years of running this group than ever before in my entire life. I have had to learn to critique it and even then sometimes, it is beyond me. Here is the way I try to approach it:

IF THE WRITER SAYS ITS POETRY IT IS

Debates about what is a poem are common and never-ending (ask me how I know!). There are rules we learnt about what poems are in school and speaking from personal experience, these can be deeply engrained. But we’re all grown ups now and we know that the world is not the black and white utopia of our youth. Things to know about poems are:

No, it does not have to rhyme
There are a plethora of different techniques a poet can invoke and none of them are wrong: Stanzas, line breaks, specific form (free verse may rely on devices such as scattered rhyme, assonance, consonance, repetition, imagery, figures of speech, or space organisation.
The way it is laid out on the page does matter

I have learnt that it is human nature to want to be able to understand a poem. This may not happen and it may not even matter. If I don’t know, I think instead about how I felt. Did I feel sad, frustrated, joyful or confused reading it? Did these feelings change throughout the poem? Once again, there are no right or wrong answers.

ACCEPTING CRITIQUE

Other people’s opinions are just opinions. Try to be open to criticism. You will inevitably get contradictory comments about what is good and what needs work. There is no point in attending the workshop if you don’t pay attention to what has been said. You can decide a comment is wrong but if several people agree on something you should consider that before you ignore them.

You can benefit a great deal from constructive criticism but it can be hard to take (ask me how I know that too!). We all learn from valid criticism, but we also learn to recognise invalid criticism and learn to ignore it; we learn what is constructive and what is not; what applies to our work and what does not. When you can recognise the truth in a comment you can be grateful for the feedback, even if it means you have a lot of rewriting to do.