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Back to Articles Page (submitted to the Gulf Coast Romance Writers website) Plusses: You find out if your writing is good enough for others to enjoy Minuses: You are terrified that your writing is the worst piece of garbage on the planet and the other members will rip it to shreds. Solution: Lay down guidelines for the critique group, making sure that all suggests are constructive, rather than destructive. I’ve done many critiques for people, and I know it’s not easy to be on the giving side, or the receiving side. Therefore, I’ve done some research into what makes a critique partnership a great experience, making both parties feel good about the whole process. When doing someone else’s critique, the reader needs to look at the following things—characterization, dialogue, description, point of view, plot/development, pacing and mechanics. It seems like a lot, but when you analyze those seven things, you’ve pretty much searched for every possible problem. Characterization: The story’s characters are very important and must be believable. They have to be three dimensional, with their flaws and strengths evident. Dialogue: There are many books on writing good dialogue, but it all boils down to this—does it seem believable and does it move the story along? Description: This includes the setting of the story, and has to paint a picture for the reader. All of the five senses should be included, to make the reader feel like they’re part of the story—the old show versus tell. However, the reader shouldn’t be inundated with description, but rather it should be presented in limited offerings to keep up the pace. Point of View: This should be obvious with each sentence. The point of view is like having a camera attached to the head of the person who’s watching the action. If there’s introspection, it has to come from that person’s thoughts. Watch for jarring head hopping and consistency of changing points of view, if needed. Plot/Development: Each scene of the story should propel the plot. If a scene has nothing to do with the plot, or the writer can remove it without changing the plot, take it out. The story should develop logically for the reader to follow it easily, and the story shouldn’t be confusing to the reader at all. Notes made along the way might be helpful, such as ‘why doesn’t the heroine just walk away from this whole problem?’. The reader might be asking questions such as that if the piece is published. Pacing: Pacing is the speed at which the story propels and how quickly the reader can get into the story. You don’t want it too slow, yet if it’s too fast, the reader feels like they’ve been trapped in a tornado. Varying pacing is ideal, drawing the reader into the story from the first sentence, then including some characterization and description, and action throughout. Some readers like a slow read, while others prefer to be drawn in quicker with non-stop action. Mechanics: This includes grammar, sentence structure, and basic style. These problems are more objective and should be pointed out specifically. Those are the basics, but there are other things to consider, such as voice. A writer’s voice is the way they write. It’s their unique writing style as an author. Just like everyone has a speaking voice, everyone has a writing voice. As someone reviewing another’s work, you have to realize that the writer has his or her own voice and you can’t change that. To be someone who’s considered to be good at critiquing, try to use the following guidelines, realizing your goal is to help this person grow as a writer, and not to feed your own self-interests.
Good luck, because a good critique group will help everyone involved. References: www.shortstorygroup.com/critique.htm homepage.mac.com/sadlerkids/Critiques.htm melissaa.com/articlecritiquepartners.htm writersgetreal.blogspot.com/2006/12/giving-good-critique.html Back to Articles Page |
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