Critiquing At Your Peril

As a rule, I rarely volunteer to critique work. Partly due to a post Maya Reynolds once wrote about her experience when she kindly agreed to critique a couple of people's work, and partly because time is precious. I'd hate to go through all the trouble of reviewing something and then find out all the crittee wanted was a cheerleader.

My cheerleader days are over and my pom-poms are retired. Sorry.

Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, or maybe it was the way the two requests came along that I broke my rule and offered to review their works in progress.

I try to be kind, but I'm better at blunt. (ask any of my current CPs)

It is very, very hard to read a critical analysis of your work. When I review I don't think of friendship, reciprocity, or sympathy. I think: What will make this sellable?

I still remember the first critique I ever got from a well respected author/editor. She pinpointed my inadequacies with alarming precision. Her words stung for months. But it also changed me. Once I got over my bruised ego, I took another look at that manuscript and for the first time read it with the eyes of a stone-cold editor.

It was liberating, and it gave me a sense of renewed purpose and direction. The very next piece I wrote startled my regular CPs. They couldn't believe it was my work. My voice was confident. My style was bolder. And for the first time, even the 'VIP' authors took a peek at my work and commented.

I had stumbled onto the next level of writing proficiency and people were beginning to notice.

After that aha moment, I concentrated on critique partners who knew how to give thoughtful analysis. Then I spent several months analyzing my weaknesses.

Little by little, I chipped away at my issues until the narrative was fluid and the story thumped without life support.

Growth takes time, but it helps that my DNA is intertwined with mule chromosomes.

Every time I reached a benchmark, no matter how minor, I raised the bar. I found tougher critique partners. I studied good stories and bad ones. I critiqued a LOT of other writers' work. This helped me identify not only their weak spots, but also my own.

In short, I never stopped stretching myself. Even when it hurt.

I am glad I critiqued those two manuscripts. And I'm glad they're still talking to me. :grin: It helps to step out and sample other work, and to ask the questions that I need to raise about my own work as well.

Unlike poor Maya, neither of the people whose work I critiqued copped an attitude or tried to 'explain' their writing to me. (a pet peeve of mine) They said 'thank you' and moved on, which is the only thing I expected in return for my time.

Writers, how about you? Will you critique a new writer or only peers? What's been your experience while critting--or being critted?