Rae's Guide To Critiquing

One of the most important tools for improvement that writers have is the critique.

Not to brag, but I know a lot about critiquing. As a flutist, I have attended masterclasses with world-famous teachers. At these masterclasses, I am expected to take their critiques with grace and enthusiasm. So must you, young writer. At school, all of us music students are required to critique each other with written and verbal comments. It is a delicate balance. You want to point out what the other person did well so that they will repeat it, and also point out what they could improve on without being negative.

A similar process is used to critique artwork. I have taken several art classes throughout the years, and listening to other students discuss your work is both exciting and terrifying.

The first thing to remember about critiquing is the golden rule: Critique others as you would want to be critiqued. Be respectful.

I also like to follow the good-bad rule. For every suggestion for improvement you make, mention something positive about the other person’s work. Please remember, critiquing is different than editing. You don’t have to come up with an original compliment every time someone misses a comma. But if you want to point out that a character is not convincing in a particular scene, find another place where the characters are very strong and point that out, too. Say, “see this part here? This is a much better way to do things. Try to repeat that.”

There are two other rules to follow if you are the one being critiqued.

Rule number one: smile and nod. Even if you disagree with what the other person is saying, just smile, nod, and thank them. You can complain to yourself about how wrong they were later if you think they were completely off-base.

Rule number two is similar. If someone else fails to follow the Golden Rule of Critiquing, you may politely (seriously - I mean it. Be polite even if it kills you) point out that tearing someone else down does not help anyone become a better writer. Then, just ignore everything else they say and hope that you will not have to work with them again.

Also, make sure you play both sides of the fence. Wink wink, get it? ...... you know, about critiquing? How you have to read other people's work instead of only forcing your own on them... ? Yeah, that's exactly what I meant....