How Critiques Help You Improve Your Writing
Critiques help you improve your writing.
There are two schools of thoughts about whether critiques of your work can improve your writing.
One school of thought says that art is subjective. Therefore, a critique is nothing more than someone else’s opinion. This school of thought also argues that critiques might harm the artistic integrity of your work by injecting someone else’s ideas and visions into it.
The other school of thought says that art may be subjective, but other people’s opinions matter and can actually be helpful. This school of thought believes that writers may be too close to their own work to view it objectively, so a second opinion would be beneficial.
I fall somewhere in the middle, but essentially, I think that critiques do far more good for your writing than harm. In fact, a critique can only harm your work if you let it, and let’s face it: ultimately, you’re the one who’s responsible for what you write.
Approaching Critiques with Care
It’s true that a critique is mostly someone else’s opinion about your work. But critiques also include ideas to improve your writing – ideas that may not have occurred to you. Additionally, a good critic will point out mechanical errors – grammar and spelling mistakes that may have slipped past you.
If you’re going to submit or publish your work, you’ll get feedback anyway. Agents and editors might respond to your submissions with their own critiques of your work, and once you get published, there are always critics and readers who are happy to tell you what they really think of your writing. So you might as well get some advance feedback to get an idea of how your writing comes across to someone else.
But proceed with caution. It’s not wise to get a critique from just anyone, and once you get your critique, you should take your time about implementing the suggestions and ideas that it offers.
Tips for Getting Beneficial or Professional Critiques
If you approach the whole thing with the goal of truly improving your writing, then these tips will provide some guidelines that you can use when you put your work up for review.
- Find a smart critic. It doesn’t have to be another writer but it can be. It should, however, be someone who is well read in your genre. If you want feedback on mechanics, make sure whoever critiques your work has solid grammar, spelling, and punctuation skills.
- Find someone who is objective and diplomatic. it won’t do you any good if you give your writing to your mother and she gushes over it. Look for someone who will reveal what’s good and bad about your piece.
- After receiving a critique, step away and take a breather to give yourself some space to absorb the feedback and decide what you want to do with it. Come back to it in a few days or weeks with a fresh perspective and see if the critiques have new meaning for you.
- Weigh all critiques carefully. It’s your writing, so make your decisions with the understanding that much of a critique is simply well-informed opinion. Your job now is to pick and choose the suggestions that will truly make your work better.
- Don’t be afraid to ignore any suggestions that you just don’t feel right about. At the same time, keep an open mind with regards to which aspects of the critique will truly improve your writing.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously. Never let a critique hurt your feelings or drive you away from your passion. Strive to grow as a writer, apply the suggestions that seem right on, and discard the rest.
- If you don’t know anyone who is well suited to critique your work, look into professional critiques and hire someone with experience. You can also join (or start) a writers’ group or sign up for a class or workshop.
Whether a critique will be beneficial or harmful depends entirely on you. Obviously, nobody can make you change what you’ve written; it’s up to you to pick and choose what you revise.
Young and novice writers may be confused by critiques and frustrated with the decision-making process. If you’re not sure what to do with the feedback you received, then get a few more opinions.
You should also be gracious with your critic. Giving someone feedback on their writing is not an easy job and there are risks involved. Never get defensive of your work and don’t take personal offense when someone is trying to help you. If you don’t agree with their suggestions, then simply don’t use them. Say thank you and get back to work.
And keep on writing.
Have you ever received critiques on your work that helped you improve your writing? Ever gotten critiques that were useless or offensive? Share your experiences by leaving a comment.
Melissa Donovan is a website designer and copywriter. She writes fiction and poetry and is the founder and editor of Writing Forward, a blog packed with creative writing tips and ideas.
I have found that the attitude of the person doing the critique has much to do with whether it helps or hurts. Of course the best critique of a section I really have strong attachment to is also hard to take but given well I usually come around. Uppity know-it-all criticism just turns on my stubborn gene.
.-= Deb´s last blog ..The Census and Life in Transition =-.
I guess I’ve been lucky because I’ve had very few run-ins with critics who had bad attitudes. The only exception would be uninvited critic — you know when people just randomly volunteer their opinions about your work without closely reading it or who direct a critique at the writer instead of the work. Of course, once you’re published, anyone can critique you and your work, so it’s probably good practice to get that kind of feedback.
It’s a little daunting to think about critiques of my work… I’m about 2000 or so words from finishing my very first draft of my very first attempt at a novel! A friend’s mum, who is an editor, has offered to go through it for me when I’m done. I’ve also asked a good friend of mine (one of my biggest fans – so it’s more to stroke my ego than a critique) I’m sure they’ll be constructive and encouraging, but I’m breaking out in a cold sweat just thinking about someone else’s eyes on my intimate bits!
.-= zz´s last blog ..the secret competition =-.
I think that it’s natural for writers to be apprehensive about receiving critiques. There is much concern that the readers won’t like the work. Instead of worrying that the critic won’t like it or will tear it apart, I tend to look forward to feedback that will help me make the work better. For some reason, I’ve never had my ego attached to my writing, and I’m very grateful for that. The only time I’ve found a critique offensive is when I felt the critic wasn’t being genuine or was criticizing based on personal opinion rather than objectively reviewing the quality of the work. If you first accept that the work is never perfect, then try to separate it from your emotions (you are not your writing), and finally, adjust your perspective and attitude so that a critique is nothing more than a step toward improvement, it’s not that scary or harsh. In fact, you’ll start embracing feedback.
little thing as a way of an experiment to get people writing.
http://thejigsawbook.blogspot.com
it’s more for peole who want an easy way in to writing.
Thanks Gary.
Nice post. I think you make some great posts–I also think it’s important for new critiquers, writers who are just getting started together with a group, to give themselves time to learn the process and develop strong critique skills. With patience and care, a new group can grow together to provide great support and feedback.
In the five years I’ve been heavily critiqued, there’s very little feedback I’ve received (however painful) that hasn’t had some value.
I feel the same way Ellen. The only critiques I haven’t felt were helpful were the ones that said something like “Great work!” I personally love receiving critiques because they are one of the few ways I can improve my own writing.
Group experience is so beneficial to young and new writers; I completely agree. It’s the perfect way to get a wide range of feedback in a short amount of time, and to find out what other writers are doing. Thanks, Becky
I’ve been fortunate to be in a great critique group. My friend, however, has not had a good experience. He lives in a different part of the country so he’s unable to attend my critque group. He felt that the other writers offered only fluff and only wanted to be patted on the back. Online critique groups make him nervous.
If you odn’t click with your group, you should try to find another one. Not everyone has the same tastes or styles but a sincere critique group will give you good feedback to better your work and not just pat you on the back.
.-= LS Murphy´s last blog ..The Day the Easter Bunny Got Lost =-.
I am going to agree with your friend in that most online critique groups are pretty useless. I’ve checked out a lot of them, and found only a small handful to be populated with serious writers who wanted honest, objective feedback and who were willing to give the same. Unfortunately, many of the best online critique groups peter out as writers move on to other projects. However, I have come across some truly excellent critique groups on the web. You just have to look for them and be sure to assess the critique group before you join. Some may even require payment, which I think is reasonable as long as it’s not outrageous. I really think the pat-on-the back groups are built more around egotism than developing stronger writing skills. In fact, those groups sort of annoy me. But tell your friend to keep looking because the quality groups are out there. And to everyone else — there’s definitely a demand and market for this type of forum on the web.
OVER TIME I HAVE RECEIVED DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT MY WRITING,SOME FOLKS LIKED IT/SOME DID NOT.ALSO I HAVE RECEIVED REJECTION LETTERS BUT I DON’T ACCEPT THEM AT FACE VALUE.THE MORE REJECTION THE HARDER I WORK AT WRITING.NO ONES OPINION IS GOING TO CRUSH MY DRIVE TO WRITING.I BELIEVE IN MYSELF,MY TALENT AND AM DETERMINED TO PUBLISH MY FIRST BOOK THIS YEAR REGARDLESS OF OTHERS ‘OPINIONS.
Hi Rich, I’m curious if you send submissions in all-caps. Did you know that writing in all-caps online and elsewhere is considered yelling? You might want to use lowercase letters and see if you get better responses.
I particularly like the bullet about not taking yourself too seriously. This is a trap that many people fall into (not only in relation to writing). Maintaining a more carefree, light-hearted, and open disposition about yourself makes life more enjoyable. If you’re more content with yourself and your life, you are more likely to write well. It’s practically cyclical.
Absolutely!
I haven’t have the luck to find a critique group in my country. (I’m still trying though) It is very difficult to find people who are interested in writing over at where I live so I always look for people online. I have received comments on how to improve my writing. (I have very bad grammar, please tell me if I make any mistake in this comment) I feel bad as I couldn’t be of as much help to others. I don’t know what to look out for. What should I be looking out for when giving a critque?
If you’re worried about your grammar, why not try to improve it? I recommend The Elements of Style as a starter, and then Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, which is packed with awesome grammar in an easy-to-digest narrative.
When giving a critique, you should first look for what is working in the piece. Then, you should pinpoint areas that could be strengthened and improved. I know that sounds broad, and it is. What you find will vary widely. In one critique, you might find that the characters seem flat whereas in another, the language is unclear.
Good luck to you!
It’s good to see that so many other writers are on the same page. It’s hard finding the right type of people to help you develop your story as well as your future as a writer. I loved your post. It was direct and honest with a hint of compassion. On the topic of having others critique your work take a look at my blog dieversediegressions.wordpress.com for an insightful look at who we should and should not workshop with. After all fellow workshoppers are the first to critique our work and we should be highly selective. Thanks for the great posts. Keep them coming.
Yes, it’s definitely important for a writer to be selective about who to work with in critiques. Thanks so much for your kind words.
I’ve paid for 6 critiques of my novel, at various stages of it’s development, and I have to say it’s been money well spent. All the reviewers were either ex editors or multiply published authors. I’ll never recoup that expense when the novel is published, but I wanted to publish the best thing I could, and I needed external objective advice. Really good post, Mellssa.
Thanks for sharing your experience with critiques, Richard. I too found them to be extremely beneficial in catapulting my writing to the next level. Good luck with your novel!
Each time that I got a critique, it was an help for me, and it was true. My problem is that I do not have so many friends who read my works…
If you feel you need more critiques, you can take a writing class or workshop, join a writers’ group, or hire a professional who offers critiques. There are lots of options out there! I got most of my critiques in classes and workshops.
I’d go with “critiques help”. One early critique of my work pointed out that my characters were always ‘stating” to do something, instead of just doing it. (“He stated walking up the ramp”. Why not “He walked up the ramp?”) Also I began several scenes without saying where we were. I needed to have these things pointed out to me. A friend or family member may not have pointed these problems out. Aspiring oil painters have more experienced artists tell them how to make the picture better. why not writers? Best wishes.
I think you mean “started” rather than “stated,” and that is something I see a lot when I work with beginning writers. Their characters start things, they begin things, they think about things, and they really need to just do things. Establishing the location is also something that new writers forget to do. A lot of this has to do with writing from your head — in your mind, you are going through the characters’ actions slowly. When they walk in your mind, you see them starting to walk. With location, you have that in your mind, too. Yes, critiques make a world of difference, especially at crucial points in a writer’s development. Sounds like you reaped the benefits (I know I did)!