Not Listening to Critique
I have been a naughty girl. I realized I have been a bad critiquee. Yes, I always say please and thank you. No, I wasn't picking feedback fights. I just wasn't listening. (And
this after my recent post on the value of critique groups.)
It wasn't on purpose. I swear.
Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye. (geesh, that's morbid. Why do kids say that?)
Here's what happened. I was diligently accepting the line edits and
other simple suggestions, but I was totally
missing the real critique. "Make
more room for the illustrator." "Focus on creating scenes." "Dialogue will help you avoid
telling." It was there all along...
The ridiculous thing is I feared someone was taking the line edits from my critiques and thinking it was
ready to go. Was my
subconscious banging its head on a wall trying to alert me?
Since my naiveté is tired of
being picked on, I blame my process.
Even though a manuscript may have been sitting for awhile, I always give
it a fresh edit before a critique. I'm
still too close to the story when the critique comes. When I
read older critiques now, the real feedback is obvious.
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| "Oh horsefeathers!" by Andreas Blum via sxc.hu |
New process starting today: I will
read critiques and make line edit adjustments immediately. Then the
manuscript and critiques go into deep freeze for a month. No matter how much the story cries, I will
not open the door and send it to a publisher.
At the end of the month, I will
read the story and crits again. I will
say "Oh horsefeathers!" or something worse when I realize how much
opportunity there it is. Then the editing
really starts.
Do you have a process for reviewing
critiques? Where do you start? Any recommended resources?
P.S. Do not for any reason ever google images for "stick a needle in my eye." However, I do recommend "silly horse."
Whenever I get feedback I have to consciously tell myself to be open to it. It's not that I think I'm a perfect writer (or anything, for that matter) but my mind immediately shuts down when I know someone is going to say something I may not like. Maybe it's a defense mechanism...
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it is probably just human nature. I'm just so happy I am going back to read the critiques now. I would have missed so much important texture.
DeleteYpu crack me up! Now every time I get a critique, I may want to say, "horsefeathers" too! And the needle in the eye thing....uh, I am going to try my best not to Ggogle it no matter how tempting it is.
ReplyDeleteI am blaming my errors on this darn iPad!
DeleteThe iPad can be blamed for an infinite number of errors. That and kids screaming at you!
DeleteHi Lauri, great post. I feel the same way when I look at old critiques and just nod my head in agreement.
ReplyDeleteMy process for reviewing a critique is typical... (fyi- it's over exaggerated just a tad)
- I stare at it like a deer in head lights
- disagree with every comment
- If I do agree with them I end up thinking, "I am the worst. Writer. EVER! AHAHA! Ugh!!"
- Finally, after I complain to my spouse a little I'll go back and correct all the mistakes right away until I'm sick of looking at my ms."
Lastly, I think it's good to put it away for about a month. Then when I peak at it again I can be totally impressed with my work and even question if I was the one who wrote it.
Jennifer - your process looks sound to me. If you don't go deer in head lights, then clearly there is nothing of interest in the critique, right?
DeleteI appreciate your point 3. My inner monologue is usually this: "Why won't anyone just tell me this sucks and instruct me to throw it away? Clearly these edits are just putting some zit cream on a teenage boy before prom. This can't be saved."
Good idea to put the manuscript in the deepfreeze Lauri. I usually take a painting, trun it upside down and walk away for a while. When I come back into the studio and see it upside down I see it thru my brain and I understand the criticism better than when I was looking at it with my heart. Guess you can't read a manuscript upsiode down though. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, you know they do say to read the ms backwards sentence by sentence so your mind can't trick you. Maybe I will try reading critique backwards since often a criticism is couched between nice things.
DeleteSuch a good post. I think I'm guilty of this at times too.
ReplyDeleteI just hope I can do better now that I am aware I have the problem. I'm still a little scared to pull out some of the old crits for fear they clearly say "this sucks balls!" (apparently a 13 year old boy is doing my critiques now)
Delete