John Sandwolf on Nostr: #WritersCoffeeClub 24. Do you criticize other writers? Okay, often I try and stay to ...
#WritersCoffeeClub 24. Do you criticize other writers?
Okay, often I try and stay to the lighter side of answering these daily questions. But this one is important. I mentor writers, and part of that mentoring is criticism. But, and this is what is most important, it should be constructive by offering alternatives and other ways of writing better. To only criticize is destructive and helps no one. Besides, my writing is not perfect, and my style may not be liked by everyone.
When I beta read for someone, my goal is to help them improve their WIP. Not to knock them down and feel bad. I once asked a person I knew to beta read my first novel. Was it bad? Sure! It was my first novel. But what I needed was to know why and guidance on how to fix it and make it better. My "friend" didn't do that. I believe the response I got in an email was, "You should just start completely over and forget you wrote the first version." I never spoke to her after that. I didn't trash the first version, I worked through and fixed it. Whether it was grammar, spelling, or the story itself, I'll never know, and frankly, I don't give a shit. She's never been published.
Okay, often I try and stay to the lighter side of answering these daily questions. But this one is important. I mentor writers, and part of that mentoring is criticism. But, and this is what is most important, it should be constructive by offering alternatives and other ways of writing better. To only criticize is destructive and helps no one. Besides, my writing is not perfect, and my style may not be liked by everyone.
When I beta read for someone, my goal is to help them improve their WIP. Not to knock them down and feel bad. I once asked a person I knew to beta read my first novel. Was it bad? Sure! It was my first novel. But what I needed was to know why and guidance on how to fix it and make it better. My "friend" didn't do that. I believe the response I got in an email was, "You should just start completely over and forget you wrote the first version." I never spoke to her after that. I didn't trash the first version, I worked through and fixed it. Whether it was grammar, spelling, or the story itself, I'll never know, and frankly, I don't give a shit. She's never been published.