I hope everyone is having a great week so far. Last week we did a post on Constructive Criticism. I received so many great responses, I decided it was better to break it up and do two posts rather than the single one that I originally had planned. Today, we're looking at the final five author's answers to the question: What is constructive criticism? Enjoy!

To me, constructive criticism is any critical criticism that is clear. Ideally, I'd like suggestions on how to fix a problem, but simply having a problem clearly defined is good enough for me.

 

For example, being told that "Your teens sound like university professors. Very few teens would used indomitably. You've got five different teens using that word." would, to me, be constructive criticism. After the initial broad statement, they've given an example of what they mean, so there's concrete evidence to back up their statement. The first statement by itself would be a valid criticism, but it's not constructive because it doesn't explain why the reader thinks that.

I want to know what the readers really think, be it good or bad...BUT there are different ways to communicate these views. Not all criticism should be done in public. I enjoy connecting with readers who are passionate about the stories I create. If it is something as simple as grammatical error or something missed in the plot that can be a quick fix. Some errors still make it to finished story no matter how many eyes proof it beforehand. I have purchased books from famous writers and still found errrors in them, it happens.

 

Some stories stir-up more extreme emotions than others. I've had some readers tell me that they hated a particular story, they HATED it from page 1 all the way through to the end....my response was: Why the hell did you continue reading??? If I hate a story, I don't continue reading. It's just that simple. There are so many stories out there, if someone doesn't connect with mine, that's okay with me. I know it won't please everyone, but I love when I get those messages from readers that truly enjoyed my creation. That's when I feel like a real writer!!

Constructive criticism is anything a reader points out where errors were made that make the reading harder for them. For example – I was reading your story and you changed the character’s name from Bill to Tony. Was that a mistake or a new character? That is constructive. I can go back and fix that. Or all your characters sound the same, you don’t even use contractions, and your eighty year old woman sounds like the twelve year old kid. Again very direct and something I can make sure I work on and correct.

 

However , telling me – Your story sucks, or, I hate your writing. Well that gives me nothing to work on. I have no idea where I failed to reach the reader. Did the story seem unbelievable? Was it that there were too many mistakes left in the final piece that made the reader feel they couldn’t go on with my story?

 

I read every comment left to me. While it is nice hearing, I loved your work, or this was great, it is just as important to learn where I have gone wrong. Constructive criticism shows the problem without attacking the writer and allows them to grow.

For me, it has two forms:
1. Purely technical details like spelling, punctuation or phrasing;
2. Suggestions on how to improve a story by judicious additions or subtractions, or suggesting alternate ways of saying something to make it clearer.

 

For the second option, I am quite open to how to change text, so long as it is done in a nice way--a rant or something similar will get ignored by me, as will that person's suggestion, however valid it might be.

In the most general sense, it is the type of criticism that helps the person to improve his/her work. This is oppose to "destructive criticism" which is aimed to put someone down (for whatever the purpose).

 

Perhaps your question is about how to deliver a constructive criticism, which is an art that some of us are constantly trying to master. While I believe the criticism must be honest to be helpful, however, I see a lot of instances where people confuse hurtful comments with honesty (and I try to avoid that myself). Tactfully delivered, the receiver of the message will get the message, without neither party got sidetracked by personal feeling. Before bed time is a great time to think this type of stuff through (and it helps me sleep).

 

It can be a bit tricky on the balance issue. Sometimes I wonder if my critique is too mild that the message was being brushed off, when it is in fact, a key issue that requires delicate treatment.

 

It also depends on the person who is receiving the message. I usually deliver very harsh criticism in steps (observe their reactions as I go), so the receiver doesn't get so shocked. People are just built differently. Some people can turn a destructive criticism into constructive one themselves. However, I do avoid browning people's noses as it might discourage new writers (who needs encouragement the most). And that well-intended message soon would deteriorate into a destructive criticism. If that happens, sleep on it, and try it another day using another way.

 

Another thing that's slightly off-tangent, but also important is asking for confirmation. When the listener is busy, a lot of time they are only listening to keywords and completely taking things out of context. Using a parenting technique, ask the listener to repeat the message, and see if the repeated message matched the original one we had tried to send across. We usually don't want to treat people like children, so it does take some creative effort to deliver it. Sometimes it might require the message sender (i.e., us) to repeat the message a lot (and sometimes the receiver might get annoyed and think we're being dumb, but it's our job to be helpful, and not be afraid to be called names).

 

And one thing learned in business school: praise publicly, criticize privately.

So there you have it, the final five! Now, I have a question for all of you! Do you have a question you would like to put to all the authors, site wide? Maybe you have a question you'd like to put to all the readers, or the editors? Maybe even the beta readers! I'm always looking for new ideas for blog articles. If you have an idea for a question for me to pose to the site members, send me a PM!