Critique, the word that strikes dread in the heart of many writers. I get it, honestly, I do. The racing pulse, the nervous sweating, the counting to ten, or more, before you open the message or email. Critique is scary, but it is also the key to improving your writing.

The dictionary says critique is, “a detailed analysis and assessment of something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory.”

For writers, critique means putting your writing out there for someone to comment on. The feedback may be positive or negative, but it is feedback, and without it, there is no way to improve. For such a long time, I dreaded putting my writing out there. I was afraid of being called a fraud, afraid of being rejected, and most of all, afraid of having my dreams crushed. Because, you know, for many writers, this is a dream, a longing they’ve had for forever. It is for me anyway and the first time I put my work out for critique I waited anxiously for the reply. My mind conjured up all types of responses, mostly negative. Because that’s what the mind does. It thinks the worst in the majority of cases.

And you see, here’s the thing. Critique helps. I’m going to repeat that and capitalise it so it sinks in: CRITIQUE HELPS.

Why?

Critique, when done properly is honest. Getting your partner, parents, closest friends, whoever you know, to read your work is never going to get you the results you need. You need impartial, honest, feedback on your writing. Proper critique does this and not in the nasty way you might have convinced yourself it’s done. Proper critique focuses on the strong and the weak points of your writing. For example, say you send off the first 1,000 words of the book or short story you are working on, a real critique will assess your writing on a number of elements. They’ll look at the tone and style, find the strong points, and the weak points, and then report back to you.

Unlike someone you know well who’ll say something like, “I love it,” or “it was great,” real critique will point out everything. It’s terrifying, to say the least and it doesn’t matter what they tell you, your brain will automatically focus on the negative and it stings. Big time.

You could receive a great critique that says, “I really enjoyed your story. It reads well, you have an excellent command of language and I was able to feel the emotion in your story. I felt as if I was there.”

How are you feeling so far?

I bet you’re on cloud nine.

Let’s continue with the sample critique.

“The pacing of your story is great, but….” This is where the brain stops. This is where your heart sinks and tears prick your eyes. You don’t see anything else for a few minutes. That one word has deflated you. You close the message and commit to being a failure. Yes, I’ve done this and still do each and every time I receive critique.

What I have learned though is to take a deep breath and continue reading. Let it sting, let it hurt, but read it. Let’s continue with our example from the word but.

“I felt detached from your characters and their surroundings. I would have liked to know more about them, what they looked like, where they were. You tell a great story and whilst I enjoyed it, I think adding more description would make it shine.”

Okay, so we’ve read to the end of the critique. A short example, but I just wanted to give you the gist of what it can say. Overall, it is a positive critique and with experience, you will see this, but that takes time. What the person is saying isn’t bad, it’s constructive. Without description or letting the reader know what your characters look like, you keep them at arm’s length from the story. The reviewer has enjoyed the story but would have enjoyed it more if this were added.

How to Use Critique To Improve Your Writing

There are a number of tips for using critique. The first and most important is to read it and then let it sit. Critique stings no matter how proficient a writer you are. It’s someone else judging your baby. It’s never nice. It does however help. If you read it and let it sit and then come back to it in a day or two when the sting is gone, you’ll see this for yourself. In the sample critique, the writer will come back and see all the good points of the critique and not just what was written after the “but”. They’ll be able to re-read their story with this in mind and pinpoint exactly where they need to improve the story. They’ll take themselves out of writer mode and into reader mode and see if the critique was right.

It’s also very important to remember, that no matter what, not everyone is going to love your story the way you do. You’ve nurtured it, watched it grow from the very first word to the last. It’s always going to be special to you, but if you want it to succeed in the big bad writing world, you need to make it the best it can be and the only way to do this is to get feedback and critique. You don’t have to accept everything that is said, but you do need to be objective.

Where to Get Critique For Your Writing

There are lots of places to get critique. There are private forums, Facebook groups, writing groups, and more. If you are working on a novel, I highly recommend checking out The Opening Lines. This is a website run by a professional editor and you can submit the first 1,000 words of your manuscript anonymously. Your work is then assessed and looked at from the perspective of an agent. This feedback is invaluable and offers a great insight into what is working and what isn’t. The website awards different feedback – Rejected, Silver Star and Gold Star. It’s worth browsing the site and reading all the pieces on it along with the feedback offered. You can read the submissions by genre, by problem, and by the rating.

If you are ready to send your work out into the word this is a great place to start, but remember, critique stings when you first read it. You have to read it, have your little meltdown and poor me moment, and then walk away. Give it a day or two and come back to it with fresh eyes. It will make a lot more sense and you’ll be able to see the value of it.

The bottom line is that critique and feedback are essential to writers and if you want to succeed it’s something you need to do.

Until next time,

Keep Writing,

Amanda