Critique Guidance

First, here again are those Elements of Fiction.

And here are...

SOME COMMON CRITIQUE PITFALLS

Psychologizing. When a reader “psychologizes” he-she analyzes characters as if they are real people. Speculating on what they think, how they feel, or what they would (or should) do in a certain situation, not as characters but as real-life human beings. A real-life mother, kid, horse, space-alien “wouldn’t do that.” Or, of course, he-she-it must feel this way or that way because that’s how “most people” would feel in that situation. A story’s job is to create a ground situation (or an “atmosphere” for you lyrical, dreamy types) that exists on its own terms. A reader’s job is to figure out what those terms are and then judge the story according to the standards the story sets for itself. The question isn’t what would happen “IRL.” The question is what would happen in this story.

Contradictions. Harry Truman, thirty-third President of the United States, once said, “Give me a one-armed economist!” He was venting his frustration over economic advisors who would offer advice and then say, “But on the other hand…,” contradicting themselves in the same breath, just to hedge their bets. I say, “Give me a one-armed critiquer!” Here’s what I see a lot: “I really like how you [make XYZ writerly move]. But the fact that you [make XYZ writerly move] really throws me off sometimes.” Which is it?

Faux Kindness :) This one is a subset of Contradictions. You give several paragraphs about how you don’t understand anything in the story followed by, “But I really liked it. Good job!” Or “I know you can do it!!” Notice the exclamation points. I’m all about the kindness -- really I am. I’d prefer excess kindness to excess meanness. (Or any meanness, actually.) But the best kind of kindness is empathy, and that requires a certain measure of authenticity.

Faux Outrage! There’s a lot of things to be outraged about in this world. A critique story is never one of them. One big reason to resist “Faux Outrage” is that it often leads to…

Teacher-speak. I studied writing and literature for a total of ten years as an undergraduate and graduate student. Besides teaching at ASFA for the last seven years, I spent six additional years teaching writing and literature at two different universities. I have been an editor at three different magazines. What’s with the resume, you ask? Think about how often I command you to do something in your writing. Or not to do something. Not very often. The more time I spend reading, writing, and thinking about writing, the less I think I know about any of it. In my experience, there is a direct correlation between humility and writerly insight.

Missing the Forest for the Trees. These stories are in the initial draft stage. We’re thinking big-picture here. Try to focus on the “Elements,” starting with Intention. Ask yourself: “What’s this story trying to do?” Then give feedback as to whether it’s fulfilling that intention in your reading experience.

Not Le Mot Juste. Voice is a matter of personal idiosyncrasy. There are times when a writer is using a word incorrectly -- i.e. it doesn’t mean what they seem to think it means. Often, though, critiquers question a word choice just because it’s not a word they would’ve chosen. Leave room for a writer’s unique lexicon.

Typos and Omissions. Again, this is an initial draft. There are going to be a few rough edges. Try to resist running through it with a fine-tooth comb. In my experience, critiquers who comment on grammar and other sentence-level issues are very often -- very often -- wrong. If you see a consistent surface level error, make a comment in your endnote, something like: “I noticed what I thought were a few comma splices like the one I marked on p. 1.” Then leave it to the writer to go back and do the copyediting.

Strikethroughs, Abbrev., and Onomatopoetics. “Awk.” “Ha ha.” Don’t expect the writer to know what you mean by these shorthand notes. Spell it out and justify your comments -- and not as a teacher but as a fellow writer.

Book Report Links: Day Five

Carmen
Urashima Tarō (浦島太郎)/Read Real Japanese: Short Stories by Contemporary Writers, Michael Emmerich, ed.

Olivia
Breaking Her Fall by Stephen Goodwin

Hannah
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Book Report Links: Day Four

Lauren
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Lily
The Shining/On Writing by Stephen King

Ceri-Lune
The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Book Report Links: Day Three

Natalie
Inuyasha by Rumiko Takahashi

Jessica
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

Lita
My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath

Book Report Links: Day Two

Jasmine
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Sarah
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Laura
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

Book Report Links: Day One

Imani
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Julia
The Queen's Fool by Philippa Gregory

Antoinette
Far from Xanadu by Julie Ann Peters

Prompt: Big River

Write something about a great big powerful river. Try to make it work on two levels: 1) literal (use it as a setting for what's happening in the story/poem/essay) and 2) figurative (use it as a metaphor for some bigger idea). A la the river in "The Red Convertible."

OR...

Read your book report book.