The Importance of Critique.

    I have often heard in the world of “art,” whether it be a painting, a song, a poem or a fictional story; that everyone is their own worst critic.

    I have also heard many times, that part of the writing process, is well, Rewriting!   I’ve also read more than once, as I wrote my  book, that I should step away from my work for a couple weeks, or even a month.

     I know this can be difficult, when you are really excited about a great manuscript, and are already picturing an amazing book cover! Lol. I know waiting is difficult!

    I know the last thing I wanted to do at the time was slow down.

But, I feel this step is however very important... When I took space from my work, it often gave me a fresh perspective on things, and the ability to see mistakes I had sort of glazed over before.

I’ve found it is very easy to miss typos when you practically have everything you have written memorized.

However, this method is only going to take most people so far.

What is one of the most important “tools” you can have at your disposal?

      A) beta reader.

    Alright, so speaking from experience I know this can be a little tough for a few reasons.

Personally, I didn’t have anyone in my personal life to help me read all the way through my manuscript.

I had to do it all on my own, so things did tend to take longer.

    To this day, the only other person who has read through my entire book is my editor from BookFuel. I hope that will change soon though!

    A fresh pair of eyes can really be an asset! However, my advice is to find someone outside of your friends and family to do this job for you.

    From my experience, unless you really know that person is capable of speaking critically of your work, you are not going to get much, if any help.

    Compliments are nice, they made me feel great! But, the truth of the matter is that only constructive criticism is going to help your book.

    Sure, it's nice to know what works in the book, but you also have to know what doesn’t. And, an outside perspective can lend aid in that task.

    There are several FREE resources on the net for writers to check out, for free writing critiques.

Various websites have writing groups, like Scriggler.com

(click the banner to access my profile)

 Scriggler offers a place to post stories, poems and opinions (etc.)

The site is free, and very supportive of its members. I have gotten so much free advertising for my writing on the site via its owner.  And I didn’t even ask, they just want to help.

    Another resource on the net for writers looking for feedback are websites that offer free editing samples.  Each website is different and offer various levels of feedback, and word counts.

Granted these are samples, and if you go for a full edit, it ISN’T CHEAP.

    However, even a sample edit is helpful. Because a lot of writers tend to fall into bad writing habits, myself included!

(note: please highlight the following txt to read it. I don't know why my blog is messing up at the moment, but I will fix it! Thanks

    The best critique I ever got about my writing was from www.novelgazing.org 

@novel_gazing

I submitted my prologue and most of my first chapter, and received two files back in return.

   The guy I worked with was Jim Dempsey, and he was incredibly helpful! I think he was the Associate editor of the company. If you can, request him!

    Alright, so, Jim sent me two files back.

(I honestly don’t think you have to wait long to get your work back. Some places get back to you in 24 hours, some a few days.)

   The first file from Jim was my manuscript with his amazing editors notes in red, the second file had an explanation for every edit.

    He didn’t only tell me what didn’t work, but included constructive feedback on why it didn’t, and how I could improve it.

    Don’t get me wrong, the guy didn’t completely destroy my work. He pointed out things that were good and parts he liked, but at the same time, he gave me what I really needed, which wasn’t a handful of compliments, but a few simple truths.

    I know a lot of writers are very protective of their work, personally, I feel I’m not much of an exception. Although, going into the editing process, I checked my ego at the door.

I felt I had taken my manuscript as far as I could on my own! And the advice I had received from Jim seemed to reinvigorate me, and I was able to edit a lot of the things that would have most likely held the book back from being a success.

   Back to one of my earlier points about finding someone to help you. I had asked someone to read my stuff for feedback, and they were very nice about it, yet never really gave me any constructive comments.

   People that are close to you are usually too worried about offending or discouraging you from writing more. So, they won’t really make a good beta reader.

I believe the importance of critique is vital to every writer. If you seek constructive feedback in the right places, it isn't an insult against your work, but a chance to gain a new perspective; and to truly grow as a writer.

How do you edit your work? Where do you get critiques?

Thanks for reading my blog! 

This is a very personal one due to my current publishing experience.

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