Caroline Starr Rose

picture book and middle-grade author

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Critique Honesty

28 Comments

How honest are you when you critique other writer’s work? How honest do you really want your critique partners to be?

I don’t think I’ve ever been dishonest, though I know there are things I’ve kept to myself for the sake of the author’s feelings. Now I’m not so sure this was the best way to go.

The longer I write, the more honesty I crave. It is good to have a trusted reader point out what’s not working. It’s good to have someone pick apart a story and expose its flaws. A good critique partner/group is like a friend who cares about you enough to tell you there’s spinach stuck in your teeth. A good critique partner/group is both safety net and filter for your work before it faces the big, bad world.

Thank you Bonnie, Dayle, Denise, and Natalie. I owe a lot to your insight and honesty.

**I just came across this interview with Maggie Stiefvater on Myra McEntire’s blog. It’s a nice tie in to our discussion today. Notice members’ brutal honesty stems from their relationships with one another and a fearless belief in the power of revision.

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Filed Under: the writing life

Comments

  1. salarsenッ says

    April 28, 2010 at 10:23 am

    Agreed. It’s so wonderful to have people like that in our lives. It only makes us better writers and people in general. Hopefully, we can reciprocate.

    Reply
  2. Liesl says

    April 28, 2010 at 11:30 am

    I like honesty, but I appreciate insight even more, deep understanding of not just when something is not working, but why it is not working.

    And sometimes it’s not what is said, but the way it is said. Critique bedside manner? It’s a skill which some possess more of than others.

    Reply
  3. Tabitha Bird says

    April 28, 2010 at 11:39 am

    I want honesty. Brutal if need be. I have a good relationship aside from the critiquing with my crit partners so I can handle the honesty and they in turn handle it from me. Like you, the longer I write the more real I want to feedback.

    Reply
  4. M. Gray says

    April 28, 2010 at 12:18 pm

    Oh, I completely agree with this post. I used to just need positive comments and a few kind general negatives but now I need them all to come! I now have the confidence in myself that I should keep writing no matter what, but I also only want to send out the best cuz that’s what readers expect and crave. I’m afraid I was a bit too brutally honest in the workshop I attended a few days ago. Hugely successful David Farland said the same things I did but he was infinitely more kind than I was. I want to be like him when I grow up.

    I’m glad you’ve found great critique partners!

    Reply
  5. Jody Hedlund says

    April 28, 2010 at 12:18 pm

    You’re exactly right. The longer we’re in this, the more we desire truly honest feedback. Our skin gets tougher and we know it will only help us. But it’s hard to give the feedback that way, because like you said, we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or crush their writing spirit. I guess we need to know if they’re truly ready for it before we give it.

    Reply
  6. Heather Sunseri says

    April 28, 2010 at 12:19 pm

    I’m working to get better at this, because you are so right. We need honest feedback in order to improve, and we aren’t being fair to our friends/partners if we’re not honest back.

    Reply
  7. Natalie Aguirre says

    April 28, 2010 at 12:31 pm

    Yes, honest critiques showing you the problems with your work is best. But I think it’s important to balance this with some positive comments. Because there is always something good in the manuscript and it’s harder to accept the problems when you don’t feel your critique partner appreciates the positive in your work. I love my critique partners.

    Reply
  8. gabi says

    April 28, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    I’m a firm believer in “tough love” critiques (both in giving and receiving) but it takes a while to build that kind of trust. I think in some situations (i.e. writing classes) people get caught up in “sounding smart” and they do that by ripping on another person’s work and that’s just not helpful.

    The important thing when giving critique is remembering who’s supposed to benefit from it. If the person giving the critique is the one benefiting then it’s not a worthy critique but if the critique is being given with the writer’s best interest at heart, then that’s the best kind of critique there is.

    Reply
  9. Shannon O'Donnell says

    April 28, 2010 at 3:46 pm

    The best critique is one that is brutally honest, yet encouraging. 🙂

    Reply
  10. T. Anne says

    April 28, 2010 at 3:48 pm

    I need the honesty. Although I’m a lousy crit partner because I never see any huge flaws. Yeah, my crit partners are really that good! Me on the other hand, I need to re-write till oblivion.

    Reply
  11. HH says

    April 28, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    It depends on who I’m critiquing. If it’s someone amongst my Lit friends from college – I’m brutally honest, as are they with me. We’ve learned how to take it.

    However, ALL of my friends just LOVE to show me what they are writing. Everyone’s an author and because I’m in publishing, they think I’m the expert. Most of the time – it’s just terrible. And I don’t tell them.

    Reply
  12. Roni @ FictionGroupie says

    April 28, 2010 at 4:09 pm

    Lots of people blogging about this topic today (including me, lol). I think honesty is vital. My crit partners are very tough, but all the feedback is delivered with love, so it works.

    Reply
  13. laurapauling says

    April 28, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    I’m as honest as I can be. Especially if they aren’t beginners. But I don’t tell beginners the honest truth b/c sometimes you can’t handle everythign at once. I try to slowly point things out over time. B/c no one can ingest everything at once. And I love honestly, no matter how much it hurts.

    Reply
  14. laurapauling says

    April 28, 2010 at 5:35 pm

    I’m as honest as I can be. Especially if they aren’t beginners. But I don’t tell beginners the honest truth b/c sometimes you can’t handle everythign at once. I try to slowly point things out over time. B/c no one can ingest everything at once. And I love honestly, no matter how much it hurts.

    Reply
  15. Priya Parmar says

    April 28, 2010 at 6:08 pm

    when i edit professionally i am always utterly honest–once. i will put it all out there (in writing) but if i cannot make an author hear what he or she refuses to hear then i let it go. when i edit for friends i ask very specifically how honest they want me to be. i am lucky enough to be edited by my mom (who was a professional editor) and she is unsparingly, brutally honest. it is wonderful because now working with my editor at simon and schuster she can just tell me the absolute truth. honesty is tough but essential!

    Reply
  16. Faith E. Hough says

    April 28, 2010 at 6:10 pm

    Very good post, and some really good comments too.
    Personally, I crave honesty like chocolate. But I don’t want it shoved in my face. But, really, who wouldn’t rather hear a friend tell them nicely that something isn’t working (and hopefully why) than wait to hear it from the mouth of an impatient editor?
    I am blessed to be the member of a critique group whose members are at once honest, kind, and insightful. I am really glad I read this post today because it reminded me that I should thank them for being so amazing!

    Reply
  17. Susan Kaye Quinn says

    April 28, 2010 at 6:58 pm

    Honest critiques, focused on the work, not the person, are like gold for writers. But I try to deliver them with love and gentleness, so that the writer can hear the criticism without pain (or as little as possible). Not just because I like to be nice (:)) but because that is the most effective way to help authors see outside of their own work. And I always point out that this is just my opinion – their mileage may vary with other critiquers – and that they need to take what works for them as a writer, and discard the rest.

    Great topic! 🙂

    Reply
  18. Julie Dao says

    April 28, 2010 at 7:16 pm

    I always try to be honest, but my first priority is to be kind. I think sharing your work takes a lot of courage and a desire to improve, two qualities that should be commended. I give constructive criticism but I try hard to give it with praise.

    Reply
  19. Natalie says

    April 28, 2010 at 7:29 pm

    I think I’m more honest than I should be sometimes. I’m pretty sure I’ve hurt people’s feelings in the past and I REALLY don’t like doing that. I try to give enough praise to soften the critique though–I’m not sure I always succeed.

    I do love getting an honest critique though. A honest but nice critique is the only way to make the writing better. I don’t get better when people tell me “it’s great.”

    Reply
  20. Karen Strong says

    April 28, 2010 at 8:55 pm

    I like honesty too. I think the longer you forge a relationship with a critique partner, the more honesty you get — not that they were lying the whole time, but you know, they really get to understand you plus they know when you can do better.

    Thanks for the Maggie link! She always has good posts. Off to read…

    Reply
  21. Sarah Skilton says

    April 28, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    I like honest critiques that explain why something doesn’t work and suggest potential fixes. And I like knowing if a scene or a line worked well for the reader, too, so I can learn what’s effective.

    Reply
  22. Solvang Sherrie says

    April 29, 2010 at 5:05 am

    I hope my critique partners aren’t holding back on me! Only with honest input can you get better.

    Reply
  23. Elana Johnson says

    April 29, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    Ah, yes. Honesty. I think I was called “hardcore” at the conference last week, because yeah, I don’t hold anything back. Even when I try. I’m working on it.

    And I totally agree that personal relationships are important to have with your CP’s. That way they know your honesty is out of love and not hurt.

    Reply
  24. Wendy Sparrow says

    April 29, 2010 at 6:39 pm

    I want kind and constructive honesty. If you think my book sucks… I doubt that any critique will help. So, I won’t critique a book I didn’t like and can’t say 80% good things about… and I’d like the same of any partner of mine. The best critiques are on your side and helping to improve.

    Reply
  25. Stephanie Cheryl says

    April 29, 2010 at 7:57 pm

    I’m one of those people who craves as much honestly as one can give, whether it be brutal or in the kindest way possible, and I’m lucky to have an amazing critique partner who falls into the kind category:)

    P.S. I’m so embarrassed you watched that video on FB! ahahha:) That’s pretty much what I do in my spare time.

    Reply
  26. Lisa and Laura says

    April 30, 2010 at 4:19 am

    We’ve learned that honesty is the best policy when it comes to giving critiques. It all comes down to this: If one of your friends had their skirt tucked into their underwear, would you tell them?

    We’re careful to choose critique partners that will not only tell us if our skirts are out of whack, but will also let us know the really awkward stuff (like you need to wax your mustache).

    Reply
  27. Karen Amanda Hooper says

    May 1, 2010 at 4:13 am

    My writing gals know to be brutally honest. And I think they do a great job of balancing the good and bad (if you can call it bad) critique.

    There’s a big difference between constructive criticism and being mean or too harsh.

    Thankfully I found CPs who are awesome at critique. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

    Reply
  28. Missed Periods says

    May 1, 2010 at 6:14 pm

    The more I write, the more I want my writer’s group to tear my piece apart. But, I must admit, in the beginning, the critiques weren’t easy to take.

    Reply

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