220. The Mechanics of Constructive Critique
BETH BARANY: Hi everyone, Beth Barany here with How to Write the Future podcast. This week's episode is pulled from my premium channel that I offer to Edit Lab. Every month, we meet in person online, and we do critique, and we teach, and we write. And every week, they get an advanced piece of content, because they're in the premium program in Edit Lab.
So I thought I would bring this out to you because it is so, so important on how to give constructive feedback to other writers, and also how to receive that feedback from other writers, and how to create a safe space. So you could take these tips and bring them to your critique group. I highly invite you to do them.
And if you would like to come and join us at Edit Lab, please do. If you join before the first Wednesday of the month, you get to come into that call and have your work looked at, if you'd like. We do 250 words so that as many people who want can get looked at in that hour. And we do some fun, free writing.
So take a listen to this for constructive critique basics, and these are really core principles that you can take with you into your critique group. All right. Happy writing and happy editing.
[01:22] Constructive Critique Basics
Hi, everyone. In this episode, I am going to talk about how to give good critique that is constructive and helpful to the other person. So here is what I recommend in being a good critique partner. So there's two things I wanna talk about. How do you handle it when you're the one being critiqued, and how do you offer critique that is constructive and not destructive?
[01:47] Respect and Hold Space
So number one, in our group, we ask people to tell us what is it they would like feedback on. So pay attention to what that is and be deliberate in giving them the feedback that they asked for. Be respectful, and it's the golden rule, right? Treat others as you would like to be treated. If you're not sure, ask questions, ask clarifying questions.
Hold space, meaning we all understand how tender it is to have our work critiqued, especially when we offer up critique thinking it's just wonderful, and we get feedback that critiques, that tears apart our writing. So hold space for that and have compassion.
[02:28] No Blame or Explaining
Also, take responsibility for your method of communication, and if you make a mistake in the way you offer critique, own that.
In offering critique, there's no blaming anyone, there's no complaining, and there's no explaining. Unless people ask for an explanation. By blame, I'm like, don't make it be someone's fault- your own fault or someone else's fault. We're all doing the best we can here. In terms of complaints, if there is a complaint that relates to anything in the way the critique group is run, do bring it up to the organizer as an aside, unless you can state it in a constructive way.
Also, don't explain. By explain, I mean if someone gives you feedback, you wanna say thank you.
[03:10] What Worked and More Of
There's two main principles in giving feedback, which is to start off with what I liked. "What I liked was..." and you tell them what you liked. Everyone wants to know what is working in their pages so they can do more of that.
So we want to know what you liked, and also what you thought was working. That's another way of saying it. "What I see is working is X, Y, and Z."
And then the second piece of feedback that people do want to know, that's why we're offering our work for feedback- is: What isn't working, or what is lacking? What is missing?
Another way to state that is: What I would like more of is..." And that puts it completely in the positive. We're still saying what's lacking, but we're saying it in with positive language, and by positive language that the listener may be able to receive better. If you tell them, "Well, this isn't working," that can put them on the defensive.
But if you say, "What I would like to see more of is..." because I didn't see it, and now we're not saying that it isn't working, we're just saying, "I expected to see something in your pages, and I didn't see it."
[04:16] Ask for the Feedback You Need
Now, how do you ask for feedback when you are the one in the hot seat, or in the critique group, or even with a, just a one-on-one critique?
You wanna be up front. When you give someone your pages, you wanna say specifically what kind of feedback you would like. You get to control this. It is your book. It is your creative process. You get to control it.
There's been times when I have been in an early draft, and I will give it to my critique partners, and I will say, "Please don't give me dibby dabby line edits. Please don't critique the story yet. Please, just speak to the characters. Are they interesting? Do they grab you? Do you want to know more?" So, ask specific questions. You get to.
[05:01] Set Critique Style and Genre
It's your book. Also, you can tell the room or your partner how you wanna be critiqued. You could say, " Throw it all at me. Anything goes."
Or you could say, "Please use the sandwich method." Something positive, something constructive, and something positive again. Something like that. Or you could say, " Please just tell me what is working and what you'd like to see more of." You get to guide the critique, and you can always ask if it's an organizer or teacher like myself; you could say, "What do you suggest?" Or if you're not sure.
[05:33] Genre Expectations
Also, it is important to understand the group expectations or the partner expectations around genre.
Are you putting your work in front of people who know your genre really well, like you're doing in my group in the Edit Lab? Or is it in front of a mixed group of writers who come from all different backgrounds, some are experienced, some aren't, some write in fiction, some write in nonfiction, some don't even, and maybe nobody in, else in the group writes in your particular genre.
It's really helpful to know this because we are writing for readers who are expecting something from our kind of book. And if you're in front of readers, writers who do not understand those expectations, they are going to poke at your book expecting it to be something else.
And that's okay, too. It's great sometimes to get feedback from people who do not know your genre, and people who are good at that will say things like, "Well, I don't read your genre, but what I noticed is working is this, and what I'd like more of is that."
A good critique partner can critique your work even though they may not read, be an avid reader in your genre because they understand good writing craft, 'cause that's what you're looking for as well.
Is my material understandable even to someone outside my genre? That is a good test.
[06:47] Receive Feedback Gracefully
Also, when you are receiving feedback, it's really good practice to say thank you after the feedback and leave it at that. You don't need to explain, but you could ask clarifying questions. Your job is to receive the feedback and then next use what's useful.
Throw away the rest. You are the one who decides. Inside of you is some kind of North Star that is pointing you in the direction of the book you want to write. That's what you listen to. You could receive 10 pieces of feedback, and only one piece actually resonates strongly. Do listen to all the feedback and then make a considered decision and discard it if it doesn't work.
But you might learn something even in the consideration of that. You're like, "Oh, that's really interesting. I hadn't thought of that, but that doesn't work for my story." You don't need to say all of that, though in a critique group. In a critique group, you're just receiving critique, and it's great to just say thank you.
[07:42] Supportive Culture and Wrap Up
Lastly, we wanna have a critique environment here at Edit Lab, and wherever you go that feels supportive; that is a win-win. No one needs to lose here. This isn't a contest. This is about how to make your writing better and helping other people make their writing better. So those are some tips on giving and receiving feedback.
I hope you enjoyed that episode on how to give and receive constructive critique.
If you have any questions at all, please reach out to me. You can find me on all the socials, and there is a contact page on my How to Write the Future landing page... Be sure to check out the Edit Your Novel checklist if you are getting ready to edit or you've started editing your novel and you're like, "Oh my God, where do I begin?"
Start with this checklist. It will give you a 30,000-foot view of your own work and help you reinforce what you're already doing well and help you analyze where you need support. And remember, I offer that kind of support in Edit Lab, a monthly membership for science fiction and fantasy writers. So I hope to see you there.
Happy writing, everyone. Write long and prosper. Ciao, ciao.
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