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brothejr
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PostSubject: Guides To Improvement   Guides To Improvement Icon_minitimeFri May 11, 2012 11:20 am

Lately I've been reading that no one wants to give constructive criticism. How it has died out over the years. Also how at one point it turned into a flame fest.

So I've dug up some stuff from all the way back to my college days from some of the literary classes I've taken and quickly whipped up this guide for constructive criticism. This isn't by any means the end all be all, but if at least you follow some of the points within this guide, you'll never go wrong. Plus, your criticism will be well received by the writer:



This guide was written to help people give good helpful criticism (I.E. constructive criticism) to writers. Helpful criticism should be neither negative nor positive. Instead, it should be an outside look at the writers work. It's there to show them where their writing has issues, but also where they did something right which they can reuse in futre writings. Also, criticism should not be written with the expectation that writer has to go back to fix the issues within the story. (It may be suggested that they might.) Instead, criticism should be written to help the writer see what they did right and wrong so they can then use that to help them write better future stories.

First let's get this out of the way: the difference between constructive criticism and an opinion.

Opinions are a person's views of the story: (I hate this, I don't think it was written well, this story is one big logical fallacy, I love this, this is the best story written yet, etc.) People are entitled to their opinions of the story and they should give them. However, it should be noted that opinions are not overly helpful to the writer, nor do they help the writer improve their writing. Give them if you like, but don't expect the writer to get much out of them.

A constructive criticism on the other hand, is a well thought out lengthy response. It should be no less than three lengthy paragraphs long. (It doesn't have to be that long, but in most cases, longer and more detailed is better.) It also should look at all aspects of the story. It must also include examples of specific things within the story that you are talking about. For example:

"While your over all story was very strong, it suffered from structural problems that seemed to take away from your main goal."

While that was a valid point of criticism, it needs to include an example to be helpful to the writer. For example:

"While your over all story was very strong, it suffered from structural problems that seemed to take away from your main goal. As an example: the section where your character rushes into the cave, while powerful and important, should be moved a couple paragraphs down. In its old place, you should include a sentence or paragraph showing the cave in a such a way in that it does not become a surprise to the reader that the character darted into it later on."

That is a valid constructive criticism that cites an example. Plus, it helps the writer both fix the issue if they want to, but also to learn something and not repeat it later on in another story.

Now here are few guidelines/points to think about/comment on when criticizing someone's work:

  • How is the structure of the story? Is it a strong structure or a weak structure? Does the story flow right? Are there times within the story where something pops out completely unexpected to the reader. Things that should have been explained before the writer used them. (For instance, how did he get that wrench in his hand when there was no mention of a wrench in the first place? Where did that wrench come from?)
  • Is the writer going into too much detail? (Yes writers can over explain something.) Conversely, is the writer using too little detail? Do they need to explain something more?
  • Is there consistency problems? (For example: the main character is shown to be wearing a white t-shirt before getting into the taxi. Then later on the story while the main character is racing away from the bad guy, somehow during that time the character's shirt goes from white to red?)
  • Also how does the character act? Is that character's actions explained or within their personality? (For example: a mousy character who never speaks up. Then later on in the story and completely out of the blue, this same character takes a bold action with no explanation to the reader why they did that.)
  • Editing issues. Does the author consistently miss editing problems. (If you are a grammar Nazi: make sure you know the proper grammar rules and when they apply and don't apply in fiction writing. Sometimes grammar in fiction writing may look wrong, yet in reality it's not wrong.)
  • Over used words: Is the writer using a word too much?
  • Vague paragraphs/sentences: is the writer not making their point. Are they too vague?

These are just some of the myriad of things to look for/comment on if needed. Remember to point out things that the writer did really well. For example: if the writer had a really strong grasp on story structure, point that out with some examples. Make sure they are aware of that so they can repeat it in later stories.

Also remember to make sure you are not forcing your own viewpoints on the writer. One of the biggest and most common mistakes a criticizer makes, is assuming their own view points are the only right way to go. That anyone else's, including the writer's, are completely wrong or incorrect. This is neither helpful to the writer nor the community at large.

Follow this guide a bit and you'll always write constructive criticism that is helpful to the writer.


Last edited by brothejr on Sun May 13, 2012 3:38 am; edited 1 time in total
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brothejr
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PostSubject: Guides to Improvement   Guides To Improvement Icon_minitimeFri May 11, 2012 11:36 am

While it would be great to get someone to edit your stuff and if you can get someone to do it, I suggest you do. However, if you can't get an editor here are some helpful editing suggestion that really work:

  • Once you are finished writing (It doesn't matter if it's a story, term paper, essay, etc) walk away. Don't think about it, don't look at it, do something else to take your mind off of it.
  • After a minimum of two hours, (Though a day or more is better.) go back and read through your writings on your computer screen. Look at how it flows, how it sounds, spelling and grammar errors. Are there places where it doesn't sound right to you. Places that didn't work out the way you wanted to?
  • Once you've completely read through your writing and made the changes you wanted, walk away again. Try to give it at least a minimum of a day.
  • After a day or so has passed, go back and read your writing again. Just like before, look for any problems including how it flows, characters, etc.
  • Again give it some time, the more time the better, then come back and print the writing out. Make sure that it is double spaced. Also use a red pen as that will make your written corrections easier to read. Go some place where your computer is not, someplace comfortable. Sit down and read your writings again. Use the red pen to make any issues/corrections you want to make. Once you've done that, go back to your computer and make your corrections.
  • (Optional) Another proven method above and beyond the steps I just suggested that really helps find problems in your writing is by reading it out loud. It may look and sound stupid, but it really works.


If you follow those steps above, you'll catch a lot of the problems in your writing. But make especially sure you put some time and distance between each editing session. You will find the more time that has past since you wrote it, the easier it is to find problems. (It's a mind/thought thing that can create blind spots and keep you from seeing your problems.)

Just some helpful self editing suggestions.


Last edited by brothejr on Sat May 12, 2012 3:22 am; edited 4 times in total
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parameciumkid
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PostSubject: Re: Guides To Improvement   Guides To Improvement Icon_minitimeFri May 11, 2012 11:39 am

This actually sounds like something I would say, I agree so much. I hope lots of people read and follow this.
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Ilceren
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PostSubject: Re: Guides To Improvement   Guides To Improvement Icon_minitimeSat May 12, 2012 12:03 pm

Your second post is soooo true. I can almost effortlessly point out bad phrasing and spelling mistakes in other person's writing, but no matter how much I try, I am normally unable to find them in mine. However, I noticed one day that I could find them just okay in a story a few years old that I dug up from the depths of my computer. It's true, if you keep your mind away from your story for a while, you'll find it much easier to point out your own mistakes.

On the critique part, I noticed I'm not that good at it, but your tips may help me do better.
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Thirteen
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PostSubject: Re: Guides To Improvement   Guides To Improvement Icon_minitimeSat Mar 09, 2013 8:45 pm

So I'm not the only one with this problem? That a slight relief, I was really beginning to think my writing was THAT awful.
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Ilceren
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PostSubject: Re: Guides To Improvement   Guides To Improvement Icon_minitimeSat Jul 13, 2013 6:11 pm

I think this thread deserves a bump, maybe even its own post-it or sticky.
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PostSubject: Re: Guides To Improvement   Guides To Improvement Icon_minitime

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