How to Get Critiques on Your Writing (Bloggers’ Edition)
Alik Levin of Practice This and Rebecca Reid of Rebecca’s Writing Practices have both suggested a detailed post about how to use your blog to get feedback on your writing.
The Value of a Writing Critique
Getting critiques on your writing is essential if you ever want to become a better writer.
You can read all the grammar guides and writing tips in the world and none of it will do you a bit of good if you don’t show people your work, ask for their input, and then take their advice to heart.
It’s not always easy. Some critics are harsh. Others are too easy going. The trick is to find someone who knows good writing. It should be someone who knows how to pinpoint the weaknesses in your work and provide suggestions that will help you grow as a writer. Your job is to accept the critique graciously, figure out what you can learn from the feedback, and apply it to your writing.
Critiques with Groups and Partners
Unless you hire someone who offers professional critiques, there’s a strong likelihood that you’ll be reciprocating the critique. You can get involved in critique exchanges by hooking up with a group or by teaming up with a partner. So, make sure you can give a useful critique to fellow writers.
Buddy Up
Find a writing buddy and critique each others’ work on a regular basis. Look for someone who writes in the same genre or form and who has skills that complement your own. Set up a regular meeting time and place, and then get together regularly to exchange feedback.
Join a Group
Writing groups often include critiques and there are plenty of online forums where members offer valuable feedback for one another. You can also look for in-person writing groups that meet locally. This is a great way to get feedback from a range of writers rather than from just one person.
Take a Class
Writing classes and workshops often include peer reviews and critiques as part of the curriculum. Check for adult community classes or visit a community college in your area to find suitable classes for your interests and skill level.
Professional Critiques
If you’re in the market to hire an expert, then professional critiques could be a good solution for you. Hiring someone to critique your work can ensure honest and objective feedback. A professional should also be able to provide information about their education and experience, so you can feel confident that you’re working with an expert.
I offer professional critiques as one of my writing services. If you’re interested in getting valuable feedback that will help you improve your writing, just contact me.
Get Feedback Through Your Blog
If you want to use your blog to get writing feedback, it helps to have a substantial amount of traffic. Loyal readers and subscribers who comment regularly will be more likely to offer feedback on your writing than fly-bys who are coming in through searches and links.
Additionally, you should visit other blogs, especially ones that are in your niche or related to your topic, and leave comments. This is how you start to build relationships with other bloggers. Reach out by sending emails and letting another blogger know you enjoyed a particular article, or give your friends’ blogs a boost by linking to their posts once in a while.
Once you’re getting regular readers, a decent amount of comments, and have become an active member of the blogging community, there are several ways you can get writing feedback:
- Ask specifically for a writing critique. Include a brief note at the beginning of a post to let readers know that you invite feedback on your writing and that they are welcome to leave comments or contact you with their thoughts.
- Open for feedback. Use an image or link to let readers know that you’re always open for feedback on your writing. This is a good approach if you want feedback all the time rather than just for specific pieces.
- Team up. If you’ve built relationships with other bloggers, then you can email them to ask if they’d like to partner up as writing buddies. Then, you can start swapping material and providing feedback to one another.
- Launch a forum of your own. You can add a forum to your blog and use it to build a writing group. Before you do this, be aware that forums need to moderated and it’s more difficult to get regular forum participants than it is to get subscribers for a blog. This is best if you have a large amount of traffic and subscribers.
- Run a clinic. You can add a category to your blog for writing clinics and use that to post your rough draft materials, including a message that these posts are still works in progress and feedback is welcome. You might even invite other writers to participate and take turns posting your own material and the work of others, which will help you grow your community.
If you do decide to use your blog to get writing feedback, you’ll want to be careful you don’t overdo it by constantly posting unpolished pieces. Also, be reciprocal. Most bloggers appreciate reciprocation above all things, so if someone offers to do a critique, make sure you offer one in return. Show gratitude when people link to you, and try to return comments by visiting your readers’ blogs.
Also, make sure you have a clear grasp of your objectives before you start asking everyone what they think of your work. It might not be wise, for example, to run a business blog and declare that you welcome any feedback on your writing. A business blog should be professional and isn’t an appropriate place for workshopping.
Harnessing the Internet Beyond
Beyond your blog is the greater Internet, and there are lots of ways to get feedback on your writing on the web. Here are few final tips for getting a writing critique beyond your blog:
- Find an established critique and feedback forum or look for online writing groups and mailing lists.
- Use social media sites like Facebook or Twitter to connect with other writers and find writing buddies.
- Hire a professional who offers critique services (this can get expensive so save it for your most polished or most important pieces).
- Take an online writing workshop, and make sure it is one in which students critique each others’ work.
Final Thoughts
Personally, I find the best way to get feedback is through a workshop or forum. I’ve tried a number of these methods for sharing critiques but found that in a group setting, you get a lot more feedback. Interestingly, sometimes the feedback you receive in this type of setting will be conflicting. One person loves your poem and says “don’t change a thing,” and someone else thinks it needs a complete makeover. The benefit to this is that you have a lot more to work with and there’s also plenty of good reading that you can critique too.
If you want to get feedback on your writing so you can grow and improve, then try these methods and see which one works best for you. Or, if you have any ideas to add, go ahead and leave a comment.
And remember to keep on writing.
Do you have any tips to add for getting and giving a strong and useful writing critique? Share your thoughts in the comments or send in a guest post.
That is super resourceful, value packed post!
Boom Boom Boom!
Stumbled.
Alik Levin | PracticeThis.coms last blog post..Consulting – What’s The Deal?
Thanks Alik. You actually suggested this post, so I just added a little note about that up at the top
Hi Melissa: These are all excellent pointers on getting advice for improving your writing. I once read that Benjamin Franklin would take books written by his favorite authors and copy each chapter by hand in order to get a feel for good writing.
Wow, Benjamin Franklin must have had a sore hand! I have heard of poets learning how to copy the style of the masters and of course, musicians do this when they are learning as well.
On a similar note Maralisa, while in jail, Malcolm X transcribed the entire dictionary. It helped him build his vocabulary though I must say, it was a timely process!
I think what we can conclude from all these is that people back in the day had far too much time on their hands!
In all seriousness, great post. It’s impossible to downplay the importance of receiving feedback from others.
You’d think that back in the day, people had less time because everything they did took so much longer. Today, society has mastered the art of being busy. I wonder what the folks a few centuries in the future will think of all of us?
Hah that’s so true! Everything’s a lot easier now because of the advances in technology, but because of that, we devote more energy to being more distracted! It’s amazing how hard it is to just step back from everything and take a deep breath.
Warning, this is totally off topic, but I love the image. I resemble that thought in ways I would rather not. But the fact is that I am here so I had better start making the best of it.
On the topic of feedback, when I get comments they are generally directed at the subject matter and rarely do I get comments on grammar and usage. I have been told that my grammar is better than than average but it isn’t flawless yet. I haven’t been pushing the formal commenters yet. I tend to prefer that people participate from the heart. That probably isn not reality.
There’s a saying… no matter where you go, there you are. I guess that means we just can’t get away from our own selves, so making the best of it is a good idea! Your grammar is definitely better than average. Sometimes I think the only people who truly have perfect grammar are linguists and high-end copyeditors. That stuff gets quite complicated!
One of the tricks to get a good feedback is not to ask what somebody thinks about particular work, but to ask what is wrong with it. Literally to ask for negative critique. Yes, it takes a bit of courage, and you should be ready to get what you asked for, but that critique is much more valuable than simple praise.
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Yes, it’s important to ask for feedback on weaknesses in one’s writing, but a good critic will also point out the strengths in a piece of work, and it’s just as important for a writer to know her strengths and build on them as it is to know here weaknesses so she can improve upon them.
Thanks Melissa for the ideas!
I guess I first need to work on the “substantial amount of traffic” by posting more and by visiting other blogs more. At this point, I feel my blog is all unpolished pieces, which can’t be fun to read!
Rebecca Reids last blog post..QUOTE: Within Us
Hi Rebecca, getting traffic can be a challenge, and a lot of writers forget all about that aspect of blogging. Luckily, there are tons of resources online that explain strategies for growing traffic (check out the Problogger.net archives, for example). However, everyone seems to agree – first publish compelling content, then go after the traffic and subscribers.
I’m a fan of the team up approach.
Nothing beats a great sounding board you trust.
J.D. Meiers last blog post..Avoid Mental Burnout
I agree. Sometimes getting feedback from strangers (or people you don’t know very well) is good though, because they won’t be familiar with your style or accustomed to your quirks. So, yes, I think having a writing buddy is the way to go but I like to mix it up every once in a while too.
I’ve found that there needs to be a critical mass of readership before that small percentage will venture forth with comments.
And reply! It makes people feel their opinions are wanted.
Once people start commenting, there’s a safety in numbers feeling that creates more comments.
It’s important psychologically to Ask For It. Just having a comment section might not be enough, especially at first.
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Oh boy, I remember for months and months I would get anywhere from zero to three comments on a post. It does take time, which is why building quality content is priority one for bloggers. I also think it’s important to be specific. If you want feedback on the quality of the writing and the grammar (as opposed to whatever the pieces is actually saying), you definitely need to specify that in some way. Otherwise, a reader’s natural inclination is to respond to the content rather than critique the writing.
I just started posting freshly written poetry on my blog, and I thank you for your thoughts on them. I actually started doing it because of another post you wrote, but the feedback I’ve been getting has been quite nice indeed.
I have a friend that I’ll send some poetry in progress, and she’ll give honest critiques even while saying she’s my biggest fan. Then I have another friend that we actually send each other screenplays to critique each other. None of the story ideas have made it on my blog yet, but probably in due time.
t.sterlings last blog post..fripodding and immigranting: wyclef jean – carnival, vol. ii
I’ve noticed your poetry recently (obviously, you know that from my comments) and I’m enjoying it very much! Glad I could motivate you to start publishing your poems on your blog
Hello Melissa!
First I want to thank you for voicing a little opposition to my view on Obama. You were one of the only people to do do that. I often play devil’s advocate and write opinion from a controversial perspective . . . hoping for a little critique.
I love to help others and love getting critiqued. When someone points out an error, I never forget it or the lesson. Learning by doing is always the best way. I have a blogging friend from Bosnia who has emailed me many articles before publishing as he’s unsure of every English rule. I did it without question and for free (of course).
If you’re nice about it and have tact, you can help people every day. Sometimes people point out errors I make and feel they need to apologize, but I understand. I thank them because it’s a gift to learn something you don’t know.
I joined a yahoo group “Mikes Writing Workshop” and my mail box was inundated with endless diatribe, making me not want to participate. I think forums are better. Many great points as always
Bobby Revells last blog post..Ejakula: Black Mamba Hallucinogen
My pleasure Bobby. I’m an Obama supporter, but I do think we need to hold him accountable, and it’s good that a lot of people are working to remind the public of that.
I too have done a lot of critiques, editing, and proofreading for free. In fact, after doing it for friends and family over the course of more than a decade, I decided to start doing it on a professional level!
I’m with you on accepting feedback graciously. It’s always an opportunity to learn and make your work better. But I don’t go around notifying other writers when they’ve made an error unless they ask for it or it seems appropriate in a particular context.
By the way, I like to play devil’s advocate too
I am an author of 10 published books, and many short stories, and essays, and one of my books was nominated for the Newbery Award, and I was named auathor of the year for the Scottsdale Library Book Association. I’m not saying this to brag, but just to let you I was once able to write good books. Hoewever, about 10 years ago I had a stroke, and as time passed I realized it had affected the creative side of my brain. I kept writing, but I didn’t feel what I did was good. Because writing is my passion, my family suggested I not try fiction (I wrote children and young adult adventure novels) but instead write my memoirs, since I’ve had quite a life. About five years ago I decided to do it, and began my research, and the actual writing. To me the writing stunk. But I had no one to judge it, as I am now housebound. I’ve re-written it and made changes over and over again, and the writing has improved (I think).
I would like to write some of it online and get criticisms (now accolades) so I can improve it. One of the hardest things for me to write, right now, is emotion. It sounds so static.
No one in my family (only my 2 daughters) are not interested in working with me on this, so I need outside help.
I am 90 years old, and still have the passion to write.
Thanks.
Lynne, how I admire your passion and fortitude! I think you can use Google or some other search engine to find a writing group online or perhaps a forum (message board) where you can post your writing and get feedback. Of course, you can also hire someone to critique your work. Check out this list of writing communities from Writer’s Digest “101 Best Websites for Writers.” This list includes descriptions of forums and writing communities and some of them do indicate that feedback and group critiques are offered: http://writersdigest.com/article/101-websites-2009-communities. Best of luck to you!