When Constructive Criticism Isn’t…

The writing group I belong to was recently swapping stories about critiques we’ve received as well as given. What became very obvious in the discussion were the varying interpretations of the term “constructive criticism” and what specifically differentiates constructive from destructive comments.

I think that perhaps the real questions should be:
Why did you choose a particular person to read your work and offer comments?
What do you hope to gain from their critique?
Why are you writing in the first place?

There may be a variety of reasons you chose someone to read your manuscript. I am just going to focus on the most obvious – whether or not the reader likes the book. Since you are looking for a general opinion on the book’s appeal, then wouldn’t it make sense to inquire whether the genre is something that person would buy in the first place? One can argue that good writing is good writing regardless of the genre but I think that also assumes a certain amount of sophistication in the average reader that may not exist. I have a dear friend who has no interest in reading paranormal romances (the genre of my soon to be published novel) so asking her to read my novel and provide a critique is unlikely to provide me with any insight on whether to story would interest my target market. She is an excellent business and technical writer so perhaps asking her to serve as an editor would be better but if she can’t stand the genre then there is a risk of her not being as focused or engaged in the process as I need her to be.

Perhaps my viewpoint is more business oriented than creative but in essence you are performing market/consumer research when you ask people to review your work. If you aren’t taking the samples from a population of your targeted consumers, then the information has little use in determining whether your book will have market appeal.

Critiques, constructive or otherwise, are valuable to an author. Even a comment like “this sucks, try again” conveys insight on your work. No, it doesn’t mean toss the manuscript in the nearest shredder or drop the reviewer from your Christmas card list. What this statement means is that the reader did not like the book and you should either follow-up with the person to determine why – if possible – or widen your sample population to see if this comment is an outlier or indicative of a problem you may be too close to see.

I like to have someone read my story to find the technical problems (grammar, punctuation, typos, etc.) and a different person to read for the creative aspects. Can one person do both? Sure, they are called professional editors. Your friends, family, and other writers might be able to do that for you but it may be more effective to split the purposes.

The last question, why you write in the first place, will also help you determine who to ask for critiques. If you write to entertain others then your focus for critiques will be different than if you write to educate or to enlighten. Writing to entertain is more or less writing for others even though you may also be writing to quiet those pesky voices within. (See last blog entry.) Thus, your focus should be more on what is going to appeal to your readers. Writing to entertain does not require quite the level of technical finesse and wordsmithing as say a piece geared towards a peer-reviewed journal. There are a number of very popular authors whose grasp of the basics in sentence structure and punctuation leaves much to be desired but their readers either don’t mind or don’t notice because they enjoy the stories.

So, when does constructive criticism cross the line into an attack on your story or your craft? When you let it - until then it is simply feedback.

Silencing the voices within - aka character development

Sounds like a rant on multiple personality disorder doesn't it? Some of my other writing pals and I were discussing the way that characters can take on a life of their own within the recesses of your mind. My husband's take on the whole situation was, "Don't they have medication for that?" Very funny sweatheart, now why don't you go take a nap? [evil grin and manical laughter as I contemplate his knife roll.]

No, it is all good, but in all seriousness - as crazy as this sounds, sometimes a character just won't shut up and leave you alone. As they "talk" to you, the process becomes much akin to meeting a new friend. (or not depending on the character who is doing the talking.)

Maybe this is a struggle for the newbie as a writer and the authors who have a number of best-sellers under their belts just breeze through the process. I don't know - I would love to find out! (translation - hope my book sells, a lot of copies.) In my case, the process goes something like this: initially I sketch out what the character looks like in very rough dimensions, gender, coloring, height, hair and eye color; then I start filling in the specifics and checking facts like geography, time period, etc.; finally, I work on their backstory - most of which may never make it into the story but it helps me listen to what the character "tells" me with the right context.

After this somewhat logical approach, things take a less than rational turn. Night-time is the worst. As I snuggle up to sleep, scenes unfold, dialogue develops and I know its time to forget about shut eye. I have a laptop and my husband bought me a substantial bed rest pillow when I was carrying our second child so I am good to go until my muse decides to give it a rest. (Or my normally tolerant husband points out that being sleep deprived and handling knives isn't so good for retaining his digits.)

Some writers keep a pen and notepad by the bed, others use the mini-recorder devices but I think the main point is that the voices won't let you rest until you listen. And take notes.

The challenges of finding time to write

As a wife, mother of two young sons, full-time career-woman, and in charge of stemming the tide of disarray in our home, finding a little bit of "me" time - much less an hour to let my muse out for a run - is a challenge. I had thought that perhaps it was a function of the age of my kids (toddler and kindergarten age) but in conversations with other authors at Second Wind Publishing, age doesn't appear to be the factor. In fact, my children being in the age group that naps means I actually have at least one hour more than most do! (Sadly, it also means that sometimes I am the one who really needs the nap.)

Lucky for me that I find inspiration for new stories or plot developments from my dreams.

Carving out time to write involves a bit of creativity, an ability to multi-task, and a laptop. Weekends are typically the best time for me to get some serious writing or editing in. I frequently wake up before the guys and will take my laptop and a carafe of coffee onto our back porch to write until the family wakes. If the day is pleasant, I can get the kids dressed and turn them loose in the yard while I stay on the porch writing. If the day is rainy or otherwise unpleasant, the kids play inside or watch their shows on Noggin. As long as no one is bleeding I can typically tune out the vapid songs on the TV or the sounds of two children under the age of 6 working out their sharing and caring issues.

Weeknights are a totally different issue. With a 40+ hour work-week, I carry a fair amount of "mommy guilt" about spending family time doing anything but family activities. So, from the time we get home from daycare/after school care until the children go down for the night, it is all about them. As luck would have it, sometimes that is also when my muse or my characters start clamoring for my attention as well. After the kids are down, it is my husband's turn to have my mostly undivided attention. Finally, around 10 or so, I can sit down to write, answer e-mails or IM with friends, and pursue my interests. That pesky need for sleep impacts how long I can spend writing. I bought a book light that allows me to write without disturbing hubby's sleep too much but depending on how long my nails have gotten, the clicking of fingernails on the keyboard tends to make him a bit grumpy. (Of course, it also means that I can go get a mani-pedi without any flak from him about watching the kids!)

Next to the laptop, the invention of the jump or flash drive is perhaps the best thing for my ability to finish a chapter, no less a book! During my day job, I can carve out a lunch hour at least 3 days a week to write or edit. My advice to anyone struggling to find time to write is invest in a laptop, an extra battery, and a flash drive. Then, get really creative about carving out the time.