Today, for What’s Happening Wednesday, I want to cover a FAQ that you may be wondering about, too. It’s regarding the feedback that you leave for others and that others leave for you. I suppose you could call this the Etiquette of Feedback.
The following guidelines were created by Deb Porter, Challenge Coordinator and FaithWriters Do-Everything Gal, and posted on the FaithWriters message boards. You can view all frequently asked questions HERE.
FAQ: Are There Guidelines for Leaving Feedback/Critique?
As a general rule at FaithWriters, we ask members to always be sincere with their feedback, but to be kind in their honesty. We call it the “sandwich” approach. Start with something positive about the article you are reviewing (and there is always something positive), then if you have any constructive comments, mention them briefly (and if you have the ability, even offer to explain further if they contact you), then wrap it all up with with encouragement.
Occasionally we have had people arrive at FaithWriters who have a more worldly concept of critiquing and have been unnecessarily harsh (which is not constructive criticism and achieves nothing). Thankfully, this kind of thing is very rare, and has no place at FaithWriters. There is no room for harsh words when leaving feedback at FaithWriters. You may disagree with the message, or dislike the style, but that should be communicated in a way that is kind. As Christian writers, this should not be too hard to do.
FaithWriters does have certain expectations of members leaving feedback. These guidelines have been posted in the Critique Circle since that area was started a few years ago:
Giving Critiques
Critiquing the work of others requires balance. Being too nice will not help your fellow writers develop their work; being too harsh can crush a writer’s ego (particularly new writers, who tend to be shy about sharing their work). How can you achieve the right balance? Here are some tips:
Take care to point out both what works, and what doesn’t. If you’re new to critiquing, a good hint would be to point out one thing you like (a phrase, a description, an idea) for each thing that bothered you.
Whenever possible, be specific when pointing out things that you didn’t like (don’t just say “I didn’t like this part” or “I’d cut that,” say “I didn’t like this part because…” or “I’d cut that because…”).
Try to offer suggestions when you think a change is needed. Suggestions, even to the point of an offered rewording, can be very helpful; even if the suggestion isn’t exactly right for the author to use, he or she may get a good idea from it, or at least a better understanding of the point you are trying to make.
Be honest and direct, but in a polite and caring way. Holding back your feelings about a piece because you’re afraid to share your thoughts isn’t going to help anyone. Just be mindful of how you share your opinions!
Receiving Critiques
How you handle critiques you receive is just as important as how you give them to others. It’s perfectly natural to want to defend your work, but it isn’t a healthy thing to do in a writers’ group. When receiving a critique, here are a few things to bear in mind:
Don’t argue with someone’s critique of your work. If you don’t like the changes he or she has suggested, just say “Thank you,” and move on. After all, a critique is an opinion, and we’re all entitled to our own opinions.
Feel free to ask questions. Sometimes, asking a person to clarify what he or she has said in a critique will help you to see why that suggestion was made.
You’re the author, and you have the final say. So, remember as you receive critiques that it is your prerogative to accept or reject any suggestions made. This is a useful tip to keep in mind when the group is pretty evenly divided on a particular point (which will likely be most of the time). Don’t feel like you have to change something just because someone in the group didn’t like it; but also don’t make any overly hasty judgments about critiques you receive (sometimes they make more sense when you go back and look at them later).
So there you have it. Great advice, wouldn’t you say? Happy critiquing!
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4 Comments until now.
excellent points ! When you read the comments that far too many “newspapers” allow people to make on stories, you see how far down our manners and just plain consideration have dropped. As Christian writers and authors we are committed to bearing fruit as our goal. Helping one another to do this is essential.I like to usually begin my comments with praise and compliments and then note that I am reading from my own perspective and my comments are meant to gain understanding of what is written and perhaps help the author to think about some additional approaches.
Well said!In addition I think we have to be mindful that we cannot offer a ‘tone of voice’ so something we write may come across as quite harsh, when in truth a critique is as stated no more than one person’s opinion.
Hi Deb:
You are a miracle girl!
Thank you for the helpful hints on critiquing. Gosh! I need to know these at this very moment.
May God bless you, always.
Dorothy
If you can get about eight to ten critiques on each work that you write, it can be very helpful. The key is to look for common threads that run through three or more of the critiques. These criticisms are likely to be valid. You can then toss out the outliers–people who are overly harsh or overly kind.
Be patient. The harsh criticism may come first. For instance, I once submitted a short story to number of magazines. Among the early rejection slips that I received was one from an editor of a well-respected literary magazine. The editor explained to me, in quite some detail, why my short story was not a story at all. Some months later, the identical story was awarded best short story of the year by a national magazine.
Best of all, listen to God. He will lead you in the right direction.