How to Critique

How to Critique: Honestly and brutally.

Critique--and this will sound terrible--as though the writer has no feelings. As though there is no writer, just this story, and you have to tell it how it needs to be fixed.

Only, you know, try to be kinda nice about it. XD

Seriously though, the purpose of a critique is to improve the other person's writing. It is not to make them feel good about themselves or their writing. Nor is it to make them feel like crap. But let's be honest, most of us, even those of us who've been doing this very seriously for a long time, still feel like **** when we're told a story isn't working. Of course we do, we put days and months into something. But if you improve, it's worth a bit of post-critique blues. A good writer gets over it. A bad writer doesn't deserve any more critiques.

So, when critiquing, you need to tell the person what is and isn't working in the story. You should also try to explain why you think it isn't working. If possible, suggest ways to fix this. The last is the most difficult and least important--it's not your job to fix the story, just do what you can to help.

It is quite likely that you see nothing redeeming in a story. In that case, say so. It sounds harsh, I know, but people need to hear this. What often happens is that people, unable to find anything they actually like in a story, will over-compensate and compliment anything they can just to have something nice to say. All this does is further encourage bad writing.

This is not only bad for you, the critiquer--you'll have to read more drek, after all--but it's completely unfair to the person being critiqued.

When you're asked to critique, you're being trusted to tell it to the writer straight. Making things up to spare feelings is a betrayal of that trust.

Many writers, on Gaia and off, don't realize this. They can't take a harsh critique. These folks will either learn to, or they will write badly for all eternity.

Also, when you read a story, read it as you would something in the store. People are sometimes more forgiving of things they read in workshops and things by people they know. They say they like stories that they'd put down in a second if they were reading it at Barnes & Noble. Remember, you're not critiquing the writer, just the story. Forget about the writer.

Don't get upset if some of your suggestions aren't taken. This is a good thing, because it means the writer is thinking, not following you blindly. (Yes, of course you know better, but sometimes it's better to think for yourself and screw up than to do the right thing without understanding why. In writing, anyway.) If you really think it's a problem, mention it and then let the story go. Remember--not your job to fix it. Only the writer can do that.

If none of your suggestions are ever taken, well, maybe you aren't the right critiquer for this person. No need to spend another moment worrying about it, and no need to crit any more of their work. X3

"this is great", "keep it up", "i giv it a 9.9/10" and similar replies can't even be considered poor complimenting. If you think the story is awesome and can't really find the bad aspects to point out, at least do compliment with a reply that is more meaningful and less SPAMmish than that.

If you want to compliment the writer for their good work you're more than allowed to do so; story writers don't have to live on nothing but critiques (which can also be positive), but it's a giant pain in the neck for the writer to check their topic and find something like "i liek it". Honestly, is that the farthest your inteligence goes? Can't you point out what you liked about the story and why? Can't you add anything else to your comment, something constructive, that actually shows that you really read the story?

If you can't, and the mods are in a bad mood, they might as well delete your reply if they feel like. Yes, we're that mean.

Apparanetly my story[s] bites and I've been told to stop writing them.

i even like the mistakes people make it reminds me eveybody here is human instead of machine hmmm

No one here is an automatic grammar-correction writing machine indeed. But some stories here have so many mistakes and are so poorly structured it's inhuman. Even the most forgiving critic can easily spot the grotesque and tell them apart from the average-to-good works. You simply can't like everything, because the amount of trash here is way too great to even pass off as "almost good".