tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post4249277130314527679..comments2024-03-11T16:14:49.158-07:00Comments on Don't pet me, I'm writing: Critique partner cage fightTAWNA FENSKEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11468819219529035563noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-66013920903816244472011-02-17T08:17:31.312-08:002011-02-17T08:17:31.312-08:00I'm with Claire on this. Listen to your target...I'm with Claire on this. Listen to your target demographic. <br /><br />I got lots of feedback on SEND but it wasn't until I talked to other teenagers that I made the biggest changes.Patty Blounthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11928111057602279792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-45662761122072325082011-02-15T21:55:45.091-08:002011-02-15T21:55:45.091-08:00I guess I'd reread the bit and go with what my...I guess I'd reread the bit and go with what my gut told me. The truth is that I'm not often blindsided by ppl's opinions. If I already felt my heroine was a little apologetic, I'd know that might be the problem. <br /><br />Another thing is to consider the ppl doing the critique. If you're writing YA, and one's a teen and one's a 400 yr old. And the teen says tone it down, I'd listen to the teen.Claire Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14354840714847021685noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-80540496473494219972011-02-15T19:43:30.694-08:002011-02-15T19:43:30.694-08:00My best friend in high school had three nipples, s...My best friend in high school had three nipples, swear to god. The third was vestigial, directly below her left breast. <br /><br />Funny, because I blogged on this same topic last week. Ultimately I think it comes down to trusting your gut. If everyone sees the problem, then yeah, there's a problem. If they disagree? Only the writer knows. And maybe the Shadow.Jeffe Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04779020656676094853noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-27584508329602897532011-02-15T09:59:57.670-08:002011-02-15T09:59:57.670-08:00I don't know why I held out so long before get...I don't know why I held out so long before getting my own critique partner. Been kicking myself up and down the stairs ever since because the feedback from another writer just cannot be compared to the other options (friends & family). I wish I'd had it sooner. <br /><br />I can only imagine how much stronger a novel gets with more than one critique partner!Steph Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00975939582442193113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-16350826435361032932011-02-15T09:59:27.588-08:002011-02-15T09:59:27.588-08:00When two of my readers disagree, I make them have ...When two of my readers disagree, I make them have a battle of wits, <i>Princess Bride</i> style. Only instead of iocane powder we use roofies. Along with the initial entertainment, it's always fun to hear the inevitable "Dammit!" from the other room, when one of them comes to hours later and realizes they lost.<br /><br />(Also, for true balance, you may have to include at least one instance of the phrase "sorry hand-job.")Nate Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09690171790664252309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-572733632200536902011-02-15T09:33:39.622-08:002011-02-15T09:33:39.622-08:00I've been there! I usually take a moment to br...I've been there! I usually take a moment to breathe, step back, and take a look at what the crits might have in common beneath the surface. How can I make both of them happy?<br /><br />Sometimes, it is a matter of compromise, but you have to be sure it's the best decison for you and your book. That's when the gut comes in.<br /><br />Great post!Tere Kirklandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13562750950130316280noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-62626435975932255092011-02-15T09:33:04.228-08:002011-02-15T09:33:04.228-08:00I adore my CPs. There's so much they can do to...I adore my CPs. There's so much they can do to help your work. And although I'm a romance author, I try to get at least one man to crit my work. The insights are gold!<br />Now I have 2 men reading project. After 2 chapters, one says says, "The premise seems to be that the guy wants to f*** her." Well...yeah.<br />The other guy says I have some comma splices but he can't wait to see what happens next. <br />YAY!Brooklyn Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11285434689426722832noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-38137703914529627362011-02-15T09:24:24.015-08:002011-02-15T09:24:24.015-08:00I approached critique reader selection in a differ...I approached critique reader selection in a different way, choosing friends that have strengths in different areas:<br /><br />1\ University English Professor<br />2\ A Financial analyst<br />3\ A comedian <br />4\ A publisher <br /><br />The University Professor concentrated of the writing and became a puntuation obsessed fiend, made a bit worse by sharing the book with her colleagues chiming in as she shared the book with them. They send e-mails and call the house from time to time.<br /><br />The Financial analyst just looked at numbers, then gave the book to his wife, who shared the book with her friends resulting in long e-mails from my friend's wife... and her friends. (I did get a few dates out of this one)<br /><br />The comedian made joke suggestions, lots of them. When I asked what he thought of a character, he said: Who? So he gave the book the book to a few friends around Hollywood. I get e-mails occasionally from people I have never met.<br /><br />The Publisher was actually the first person to read the book. A friend of the family, who enjoyed it. He made suggestions and edit cuts. Then he gave the book to his son, who works in the movies business, who gave it to a few of his colleagues. I received a number of e-mails from people I've never heard of, a few those I still get confused by when I re-read them.<br /><br /> My only thought in all of this is: The next time I ask people to read my book, I will include a note not to "share" my book with people I don't know or at the very least don't share my e-mail address.<br /><br /> 168 days till...:-)<br /><br />DougThe Novel Roadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13296020285839996248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-47657670369052113362011-02-15T08:15:41.420-08:002011-02-15T08:15:41.420-08:00I just recently joined a critique group so I don&#...I just recently joined a critique group so I don't have a lot of experience with them yet. So far it's already been very helpful. I do think, however, that as important as it is to listen to the critique, it's as important to follow your gut feeling and not lose your voice in all the revisions. It's especially true if the critique is contradicting each other. Chances are you'll agree to one more than the other because that will be your gut feeling. But you'll probably be able to take away something from both.Yelena Casalehttp://www.yelenacasale.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-49493924918368651502011-02-15T07:54:32.441-08:002011-02-15T07:54:32.441-08:00My CPs are always moving and other such things, an...My CPs are always moving and other such things, and I rarely see more than one opinion at a time. But when I've actually managed to have several at once, conflicting opinions did happen, and it was funny if I didn't let it utterly frustrate me.Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05536293384635588296noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-39389262217545771442011-02-15T07:36:25.019-08:002011-02-15T07:36:25.019-08:00I've had conflicting CPs as well. I just take ...I've had conflicting CPs as well. I just take a step back, read through the book again now knowing their thoughts and opinions and then decide for myself. Sometimes what I decide it right in the middle of them. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-48416320552728658842011-02-15T07:26:39.166-08:002011-02-15T07:26:39.166-08:00Great post! When my cp's disagree, I spend a l...Great post! When my cp's disagree, I spend a little time analyzing their comments. One will usually strike me as being correct for my book. You bring up a good point--every reader will respond differently to our words.Jill Kemererhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07865493609868329393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-19215593155200366582011-02-15T07:17:43.376-08:002011-02-15T07:17:43.376-08:00I've actually tried the cage match. It was ver...I've actually tried the cage match. It was very entertaining.Tina Lynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05914428134837892539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-90950657078631242142011-02-15T06:56:22.348-08:002011-02-15T06:56:22.348-08:00I recently traded chapters with someone who hadn&#...I recently traded chapters with someone who hadn't read any of my stuff before, and she made one comment -- almost an aside -- that explained the problem I'd been having with one scene. I simply couldn't figure out why the flow seemed wrong.<br /><br />All it took as a pair of new eyes.Sarah Whttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13265589529909793312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-87702642932296427262011-02-15T06:43:42.296-08:002011-02-15T06:43:42.296-08:00Critque partnerships are relationships first. Tric...Critque partnerships are relationships first. Tricky relationships, because you're baring your creative soul with someone and asking them to do the same, and then you're sometimes telling each other how bad your writing looks in its bikini ;o)<br /><br />I like the idea of taking a time out and breathing. I also typically only critique with one person at time. Mostly because my partners are all published, too, and we're looking for quick turnarounds on reads and brainstorming and coordinating multiple people can make that really hard. One-on-one, there's often less chance of something being misheard or misunderstood, so the emotional component isn't as much of a factor (as long as you choose that one person carefully ;o)<br /><br />Even with the occasional difficulties, I'd miss my critique buddies if we didn't work together any more. They're part of my process, and I root for their success as strongly as they cheer for mine. We're truly a team when it comes to helping each other become and stay successful. I guess you could say they'r part of my writing heart ;o)Anna DeStefanohttp://www.annawrites.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-61582768618974176442011-02-15T05:58:31.119-08:002011-02-15T05:58:31.119-08:00Okay, I've been struggling with my current WIP...Okay, I've been struggling with my current WIP since November. NOVEMBER! I told my CP the bare bones of the story and she was like "that is so not romantic". But I was like yes it is!! So I told my agent about it and though she was sweet, she almost said the same thing. I ignored both of their suggestions and soldiered on with my original plot idea. Except I kept getting stuck and couldn't write it. Because it wasn't romantic! And they told me so, but I didn't listen. I scrapped the original plot and am starting over from scratch, but it's so much better now. <br /><br />I think sometimes writers get so caught up in the "vision" of our work, that we forget the practicalities. That's what your CPs, agents, and beta readers are for.Danica Avethttp://danicaavet.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-6146060171731000752011-02-15T05:31:09.152-08:002011-02-15T05:31:09.152-08:00I'm just concerned how many of those "sor...I'm just concerned how many of those "sorrys" occur during the hand jobs.Patrick Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01121337008453549441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-40409313064879532362011-02-15T04:50:08.663-08:002011-02-15T04:50:08.663-08:00Crap. I just left that other comment on the wrong ...Crap. I just left that other comment on the wrong post. Oh well, I had intended to comment twice anyway. Ignore that last one, it was just for cheap laughs anyway.<br /><br />I'm not nearly experienced enough as a writer to offer a definitive opinion about this, but I will say that you have to trust your own vision for your story. Sure, if you get consistent feedback from several sources about an issue, you should probably consider changing it, but how you change it is always up to you.<br /><br />Like the hand-jobs. You could just simply toss a bunch more in, or you could mix it up, go with a few foot-jobs here and there.Matthew MacNishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03264738483763244969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-422555164465305734.post-72450699948403217812011-02-15T04:37:42.107-08:002011-02-15T04:37:42.107-08:00Wait...you mean you're NOT paying me? Darn.
...Wait...you mean you're NOT paying me? Darn. <br /><br />Seriously, you more than "pay" me when you critique my stuff for me. You've got a great eye. :)<br /><br />Also, I think I only counted six hand-jobs. *off to search for a hand-job*Linda G.https://www.blogger.com/profile/04576828490765434497noreply@blogger.com