Monday, July 23, 2012

Critique Corner is Now Open!




PLEASE NOTE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, Writing North Idaho has discontinued the Critique Corner. The email account has never been accessed due to technical issues. If you submitted any stories for critique, nobody has seen them and they are not accessible to anybody. We hope this has not caused any inconveniences. 

                                            ***CRITIQUE CORNER ***
Writing North Idaho is excited to announce that a new page of our blog is "open for business." The Critique Corner bar access is found at the top of this page along with other sections of our blog. Click on it to read complete instructions on how to submit a piece for evaluation and how to submit critique of others' work. Anybody may submit a work for critique. Anybody may critique another's work but then must submit in the future one of their own pieces for comments. All names and email addresses are known only to the CC administrator and will not be revealed. Submissions and comments will be published under user names. There are no fees.

Quick Tips for Critiquing Written Works

1. Give helpful, constructive suggestions.  Do not just say, "I didn't like paragraph two" or "I didn't like your main character. " Why didn't you like them? What could be a possible improvement? Offer several solutions if you can.

2. Pair your negative comments with positive ones.

3. Critique only what the author is asking.

4. Look for: a strong opening paragraph or "hook"; correct grammar, well-defined story line; conflicts clear and appropriate; satisfying conclusion; consistent point of view; strong, believable characters; good construction; and a good balance between dialogue and description.

5. Critique the work not the author.

6. Tell the author if this genre is not your favorite but you felt x-y-z after reading the story. A fresh eye sometimes picks up inconsistencies or unclear content.

7. Write a critique as if you were reading a critique of your work. How would you feel reading the words and phrases used?

8.  Apply what you learned from critiquing others' works to your own writing.

3 comments:

Elizabeth Smythe Brinton said...

I can't wait to start reading. Thank you for making the guidelines very clear. This is not American Idol and I do not care for mean spirited criticism.

Jennifer Rova said...

We hope this service will enhance writers' enjoyment of Writing North Idaho and help them in the enjoyment of their writing efforts. There is a tendency for people to be unkind when responding anonymously but within WNICC there is a stop gap measure to ensure those who critique give helpful suggestions if needed and praise where warranted. I am confident others will benefit from your writing experience via this critique forum. Thanks!

Jan Cline said...

Great idea...it's nice to have a place to get encouragement and feedback. Thanks!