 For Authors: August 12, 2015 Issue [#7151] |
  For Authors
This week: Constructive Criticism Edited by: 🦄🏳️🌈Sapph  
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The purpose of this newsletter is to share my thoughts, ideas, and experience with the world of literature.
Today's Topic
Constructive Criticism |
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Criticism is something is in all aspects of life whether you're doing painting, writing, business investments, or teaching. It is everywhere but so few people know how to give it properly. This has taken me quite a while to get the hang of but once I did, it's been such a better way to give a critique for all parties involved. As an author, you should be able to give this kind of feedback to other authors but also know how to take it when you receive it.
Constructive criticism involves talking about the positive aspects of a work along with the bad. I like to start with something that is good because you can say what someone is doing correctly, whether that be plot, characterization, level of detail, etc. Pointing out these aspects can give a boost of confidence and let the writer know where they're doing well so they can keep doing that.
This concept also involves the negatives of what you're critiquing. The best thing to do is to be honest about the faults without demolishing the person behind the work. Most people are able to give criticism but it takes practice to be able to say exactly what we think is wrong and how it can be fixed in a constructive fashion.
Here are some of my tips for interacting with constructive criticism:
 When giving: balance the good with the bad to avoid being ridiculously harsh.
 When giving: include ways that the bad can be improved. Simply pointing something out without ways to improve is useless.
 When giving: be honest without being brutal. You don't have to destroy someone to give criticism.
 When receiving: realize that there is good and bad in everything and work on improving those things that aren't the best.
 When receiving: ask questions if things are unclear. A lack of clarification can lead to a worse revision, so just ask!
 When receiving: remember that it's not always a personal attack if someone is trying to help you improve your work.
So why should you use constructive criticism? You should use it because it eventually leads to better end products. Having the ability to say what you think could be improved in something, how it can improved, and also what is already being done well is a valuable skill to have for any endeavor. You can make someone feel good about what they're doing while helping them get even better and that's what makes constructive criticism so great.
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My question for you this time: Do you use constructive criticism in your life? How do you incorporate it into reviews or your writing?
Question from before ("For Authors Newsletter (June 17, 2015)" ): What are your goals for yourself this coming year? What are you looking forward to doing with your writing in 2015?
Elfin Dragon-finally published  replied: I have tons of other creative outlets but my biggest is drawing. Every time I write a story or poem I can see it in my mind and how certain scenes are set. Art is a great outlet for me and I always hope to be like author Janny Wurts and be able to create my own cover art for my novels. Or, if all else fails, and my writing just isn't good enough; I hope my artwork might be as good as say Michael Whelan or even Frank Frazetta.
brom21 replied: One outlet a lot of people use is their dreams and nightmares. A while back I had this really deep dream about a glowing book and a pyramid floating over a pool of water. For some reason I was trying to get to the pyramid and I knew the secret to reaching it was in the book. It was very nostalgic. I wrote the beginning of a story inspired by the dream and called Dream Rift. Unfortunately, it did not receive very good reviews and I left writing it. Someday I will revisit the premise in a new story. Random brainstorming is good too. It is basically letting any thought, no matter how strange; coalesce into different ideas in your mind. This method is how I get most of my premises, scenes and dialog. Lastly, taking a weird title and writing based on it works as well. Thanks for this stimulating newsletter!
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