I am Young Adult and Middle Grade author Barbara Binns, writer of contemporary and realistic fiction for adolescents and teens. As my tagline says, I write Stories of Real Boys Growing Into Real Men - and the people who love them.
Praise is a wonderful thing. In fact, let me admit, I like -- no, I love -- praise as much as anyone. But praise along does not move me any closer to my goal of becoming a better writer. That sometimes requires cold, hard truth.
I recently sent off a manuscript to my agent. A month later I received back a six page, single spaced letter. SIX pages. I can almost visualize my agent and the reader she engaged bending over trying to craft the right words to use in their criticism. They did not want to hurt my feelings.
Well, six pages was enough of a "cut direct" as they say in Regency novels. At first glance I wanted to cry. There was no way to make that kind, I should tell them not to bother. Like any other piece of
They had some real points. I do have multiple main characters, one with no arc to speak of. The chit-chat between the characters is sometimes just that, idle talk that, while fun and realistic, does nothing to move the story forward. Ditto for my villain, he's just there, not really being as bad as he could be.
All that, and more, could have been shared in far fewer pages. In fact, I got an excellent reader report from a 7th grader who read the manuscript and told me, in a terse but perfect fashion, which of my chapter had no real reason for existing. It happens, even to \multi-published writers, we can get long-winded, and enjoy writing a section so much that we forget to murder our darlings. it's nice that the 7th grader was able to express things better than the industry professional adults.
There are five primary things I tell them:
- Multiple criticizers can overwhelm you with contradictory advice
- Always remember, it is your work and your voice
- No one likes everything
- Someone will hate even the best work out there
- Take your time before deciding how to respond. Lots and lots of time.
Number 1 is often the easiest to handle. I always look first at places where those giving me feedback agree. I remember back when a group was critiquing the opening chapter of my first YA novel, Pull. There was a passage in there that brought out the big difference in opinion. 1/3 of the group felt that passage took them out of the story. 1/3 felt that passage was well written and they enjoyed having it. The final third barely noticed it, they didn't care one way or another. My first thought was simple, only a third were bothered by it, so it was going to stay in. Then I slept on it. A few days later I had a different realization. I was taking one third of my audience out of the story. Was that really a good move? The rest of the audience might like it, but would never notice if it weren't there. The passage of time made it simple, as much as I loved my great turn of phrase, I was not going to take people out of the story. Now, years later, I barely remember the passage at all, just that it was once in the first chapter and I once considered it essential.
Number 2 was taught to me by my first editor, who handled Pull as a matter of fact. I was looking at her changes to the manuscript and came across something that altered the meaning significantly. With great trepidation I called her to explain why that part could not be changed. She said fine, agreeing so easily I was stunned. Then she reminded me, in the end, this was my work, my voice. And my name would be listed as author. I therefore needed to either agree on any proposed changed, or push back as I had done. Hearing that from the woman who sent me a check in exchange for the right to publish my book made a big difference in how I handled editorial and review comments from then on.
Number 3 and 4 go together. No one likes every book, motion picture, poem, piece of art, etc. I have a friend who writes poetry and keeps asking me to review her stuff. We have a running joke, because I admit I don't get poetry. My comments are always surface level comments, because I wouldn't know good from bad, and I really only ever read hers. There are best-sellers that I still have no idea how anyone enjoyed them and think the writer needs to go back to school. And books that barely made a splash that I found unforgettable and that hit all the right marks. In other words, many critiques are personal opinion.
Number 5 is the most important. If you are in a critique session, smile and say absolutely nothing unless asked a direct question. Never try to tell the person they are wrong. First, because that will only discourage them from being honest. And second, if your mind is busy coming up with a response, it can't also be listening for the real issues that may exist. Just listen. You do not have to agree. Then sleep on the problem. For a day, two days, even a week. Then, relook at the issues raised without anger or judgement. Look for anything that makes sense. Only act on things that make sense to you and that fit within your voice.
As I said, I look for multiple critiques. When I entered contests, I never did one unless there were three judges, I needed that best two out of three opinions. I also divide comments into three types:
- first - things I totally agree with. I often have a subliminal feeling something is not right. If the comments hit that bell, I accept there is a problem immediately.
- second - things I totally disagree with. Especially ones where a "solution" has been included. These I usually reject right away. Too often these are from writers saying, "I wouldn't do it that way" and their solutions are, in fact, their voice, not mine.
- third - things that make me think. These are the ones I put away for a day or two, then look at again. That 6-page letter had a number of these, some I am still digesting. The good news is they did not waste time trying to tell me how to fix the problems, they simply pointed out the weak areas. By taking time, in this case a week, before trying to attack anything, I've given my own subconscious time to examine these issues. There are significant weaknesses. I'm glad they, and my 7th grader, pointed out the problems to me.
A good critique, done by someone who has no axe to grind or no intent on changing your style, can be worth its weight in anything, including gold. But it depends on what you do with the information. Like a shopkeeper whose customers want different items and brands, you have to decide which fits your journey, your goal. That's what I'm trying to work on with my mentees, to help them use critiques to their greater benefit.
I would also love to hear any additional tips on how you deal with receiving critiques to your writing. It always helps to share.
3 comments:
Good post, B. A.! I agree with your tips for handling critiques. I would emphasize your point to always sleep on it before responding to critiques or making revisions. And I add to choose your critiquers carefully. Like with your poet friend, it's not as helpful to have someone that doesn't read your genre or doesn't "get" what you do.
Good information B.A. When I first started writing I was in a critique group and after every meeting I spent hours trying to rework my story to fit how the other people would tell it. Then one day (not actually "1" day), I stopped. I'd heard someone talk in a workshop I attended about claiming your story, your voice. What was the story I wanted to tell? When I lined up the comments (not criticisms but comments), the ones that helped me tell my story better were the ones I paid attention to (or to which I paid attention).
Excellent post, Barbara. I agree with Lynn about choosing your critiquers carefully. Even subgenres have their own expectations that someone who writes in a different subgenre(of romance, for ex.), may not be aware of. Things like amount of description, pacing and setting may vary.
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