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This week: Learning How to be Critiqued Edited by: Jay's debut novel is out now!  
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This Short Stories Newsletter is dedicated to readers and writers of short fiction and to those who want to know more about the art of telling big stories in small spaces.
This month:
Learning How to be Critiqued
There's not really a wrong way, but here are some thoughts on how to maximize what you get from the reviewing process. |
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Okay, so confession time: I love creative reality TV competitions. Shows like Face off, Next Food Network Star and Project Runway are essentially catnip to me. Not only the human drama, but the mentoring the contestants receive-- I think I am the most interested in the advice and critique segments of these kinds of shows.
A Web TV reality show called Strip Search (relax--it's about comic strips!) reminded me of how interesting it can be to see the critique dialogue - - and how difficult it can be to receive criticism we don't agree with on a personal or professional level.
In a recent episode, the contestants were directed to come up with a set of responses to difficult or heckling comments posted on Twitter, using only the space of a single 140-character Twitter post in order to make a reply. In the critique segment of the episode, the episode's guest judge was confronted by a contestant who came across as being very defensive of her point of view and not open to instruction. Now, whether or not anyone was in the wrong regarding that conversation, I'm not really interested in, for the purposes of this editorial. But, it got me thinking: what reviewer hasn't had the experience of having someone react badly to a review they've given?
I think reviewing is a critical part of the short story learning experience-- I think it's necessary to help others grow as well as oneself, but I view it as a mark of a writer's abilities when they're able to clearly express what works and doesn't work in another author's work.
That said, I think we've all had the experience of having somebody upset with the opinion we've expressed regarding their work. It's only natural; we all have a gut reaction to being told something that equates to "a decision that you made is wrong." No one likes to be wrong. That's a completely normal reaction. What matters is the way we express these feelings.
Reactions to a review you perceive as negative take a little finesse.
I've received -- and, I'll admit, even sent-- a few replies to reviews which amount to nothing more than "Thanks for the review." While this is maybe the fastest and easiest way to deal with a review where you simply don't agree with the reviewer, consider that it looks like you're brushing off the reviewer's efforts by not at least acknowledging the comments the reviewer has made. Whether or not you agree with the comments the reviewer made, it's polite to acknowledge the comments to indicate you have read the review and at least processed its comments.
Situationally, sometimes a reviewer suggests a higher volume of repairs to a piece than the original writer is willing or able to execute. Assuming these aren't grammatical or spelling errors (which you absolutely ought to correct, especially if a reviewer is kind enough to point out these minor typographical fixes!), sometimes they're things like a more optimal plot line or better characterization. If these aren't changes you want or are willing to make, it's still good manners to, again, acknowledge the ideas, and indicate if you think they're workable for you or not.
Sometimes, a reviewer simply doesn't get what you were going for-- for whatever reason, whether it was a misunderstanding on the reviewer's part or a part of your own work which wasn't clear. It's natural that not everyone will "get" everything you write, and that's okay. There are times when a piece doesn't click for a reader for any number of reasons. Whenever you get-- or write-- a review for a piece like this, it's important to remember that this site is a diaspora of internet citizens of all ages and skill levels, and that this place is a great place for authors to experiment, try new things, and yes, at times, fail at them. It's important to be aware of the incredible diversity we have here, while still endeavoring to give everyone here an honest opinion about their work.
My personal experience with reviewing here on the site tends to go in fits and spurts, but essentially, what I've learned in over a decade of writing reviews on Writing.Com is:
There's always a nice way to say something, even when it's not what the recipient might want to hear.
A corrolary to that is that I try not to send any review which doesn't contain feedback that I, personally, would want to have on my own work, and I think the "golden rule" approach is basically true to writing as it is to most other things.
On the same note, one thing that I've seen recently that drives me a little crazy is the (usually long-winded) "this review is just my opinion" disclaimer. Of course it's your opinion; it would be really weird and a little uncomfortable if you were writing reviews from someone else's opinion, wouldn't it?  No review is exclusively based in fact; there's a necessary opinion component when it comes to creative writing.
Own your opinions, don't make excuses for them. Defend them when you have to (nicely!) and be prepared for others to disagree on occasion, rather than standing behind that emoticon-laced Comic Sans shield of "niceness." If you receive a reply to a review where the author is mad or frustrated or confused or bothered or whatever, by what you have to say, then at least endeavor to clarify your points and be supportive; sometimes it's possible that a review is just as unclear as the piece it's reviewing. If you can't clarify, then agree to disagree. (If you can't even agree to disagree, well, I can't help you there.)
No one likes to be told that a decision they made was wrong-- and that goes for reviewers, too. Don't make your reviewers feel like they made a bad decision in reviewing you.
Until Next Month,
Take care and Write on!
~jay
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Feedback from last month's issue: "Unpacking" :
pinkbarbie writes:
Hi, I too think that short stories the reader should be thrown directly into action with full of chaos that I may sort out, especially if the story is a drama or romantic one. However, for the horror genre, I like the chaos coming back again at the end. Thanks for this useful newsletter.
I agree with this sentiment-- I think chaos may be a necessary element in many different subgenres in its own way.
Timstrong  writes:
your short story was interesting and presented some idea on a way to approach a story and get it out on paper. Thanks for the letter, it was helpful.
You are most welcome! It's helpful to me to know if someone enjoys a newsletter.
Seamus Leo writes:
Packing and unpacking are great philosophical principles. Move the principle plot idea around into a state of "Art Fluxus" behaviors. Folding and unfolding of paper.
There's a lot of depth to be had from this consideration, I think.
Doug Rainbow writes:
Your NL was, overall, good. I have a quibble with your characterization of stories not written in straight chronological sequence as "disorderly." That is a pejorative term and not fair to great stories that artfully reject straight chronology as the only way to present.
Hi, Doug-- you and I had a longer conversation about this so I could better understand your meaning here. To be honest, I'm not using the word "disorder" as a medical term, which is the only way I can find to make it a pejorative declaration. I believe that the human impulse to "straighten the picture frames" as Stephen King once put it, is simply the urge to set chaos right. There's nothing wrong with material which is presented in a disordered fashion, provided that the author's clarity is at least able to be discerned upon finishing the work.
fyn  writes:
GREAT newsletter! Absolutely LOVED it!
This means a lot to me, coming from you, Fyn. 
Feedback from February's issue: "Reverse Outlining" :
Seamus Leo writes:
I find this article to be a helpful exercise and a great reminder.
Thanks! I always try to share things I've found that have been helpful for me as well. |
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Short Stories: April 03, 2013 Issue [#5604]
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