For Writers—Giving Criticism

by Henry McLaughlin @Riverbendsagas

A look at 5 areas to take into account when criticizing.

There have been a ton of articles and blog posts on how to receive criticism. Receiving criticism is hard for everyone. It’s difficult to not view criticism of our work as personal criticism of ourselves.

I don’t recall too many posts on how to give criticism, whether it’s in a critique group or one-on-one. Today, I’d like to look at five areas the person giving the criticism should take into account.

Source

Do I know the person well enough to make my criticism something they would listen to? If I’m reviewing their work for the first time, I may need to hold back until I get more of a feel for them and their writing. See how they respond to feedback from others. Are they defensive or open? At first, I may want to focus on giving positive feedback until our relationship is stronger. Seek ways to help them develop the necessary thick skin so they can assess and process criticism to make their writing better.

Consider knowledge.

Knowledge

Do I have enough knowledge about the industry and the writer’s genre to give meaningful feedback? If someone is writing a thriller—which I don’t write but I enjoy reading—I will point to thriller authors I like such as Steven James and Brandilyn Collins for examples of how to handle things like maintaining tension and suspense over several chapters. My knowledge of Amish is very limited because I don’t read it, so my criticism will be more generally craft related.

Content

Sometimes how I deliver my criticism will negate the good my actual words may contain, especially if I don’t know the writer that well. I try to listen as I give feedback in a group and I re-read comments if I’m doing an online or hard copy critique. I watch the writer for nonverbals that tell me how I’m being received it. Am I coming across arrogant, prideful, condescending? Are my attempts at humor falling flat? Can I see the writer closing down, pulling into a shell? If I see that, I’ll try to find out if it’s the content or the delivery that is causing them problems.

Consider your relationship

Relationship

This has been a theme through the previous three points. In many ways, it’s easier to give criticism to a friend because we know them, we know how they receive criticism, and we’ve learned, over time, how to phrase our feedback to be its most effective. When new writers enter our group or ask our help, take the time to get to know them. Ask what they write and why. Let them tell you about themselves, their experiences, their testimonies. Before you critique, explain your usual style and then modify that style as needed while you build the relationship.

An additional area we need to consider is Motivation.

Why am I giving this criticism? Am I speaking just to hear my voice? Do I have something different or unique to offer? Do I have this person’s best interests at heart? Or, am I trying to show how much better I am? Am I bragging or showing off?

What have you learned about giving criticism? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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Henry’s debut novel, Journey to Riverbend, won the 2009 Operation First Novel contest. He serves as Associate Director of North Texas Christian Writers. Henry edits novels, leads critique groups, and teaches at conferences and workshops. He enjoys mentoring and coaching individual writers. Connect with Henry on his blog, Twitter and Facebook.