tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post8939853252612196872..comments2023-10-25T05:30:54.507-04:00Comments on Oh Get A Grip!: Many HatsAshe Barkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03390519279886657608noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-28601271298688936172010-06-01T13:54:51.371-04:002010-06-01T13:54:51.371-04:00Lisabet,
Thank you. I keep forgetting that there...Lisabet,<br /><br />Thank you. I keep forgetting that there are many different hats to the roles we take on. Whether it's writing, editing, critiquing or reviewing, the focus is on writing - although the perspective is often quite different. Good advice and beautifully summarised.<br /><br />Best,<br /><br />AshAshley Listerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11997769708965362938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-26791866573160631882010-05-30T22:53:16.586-04:002010-05-30T22:53:16.586-04:00Wow, great comments, everyone! Thank you for shari...Wow, great comments, everyone! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.<br /><br />Nina- I agree, different CPs focus on different aspects of the product and that's all to the good. Like you, I'll try to find a CP for particular story who I know will focus on the aspects I'm most unsure of.<br /><br />Margaret - Maybe you and I could exchange crits some time. Although I'm probably much further away than your old CP!<br /><br />Hi, Ginger! You're right about not listening to everyone. It's not just that some critters don't know their a** from their elbow--some readers just don't get what you're trying to do in a story, or are so turned off by the subject matter that they cannot approach your work objectively. I don't ask my husband to crit my BDSM stories (he's not a writer but he's very good at crits) because they make him uncomfortable.<br /><br />And about reviews--I recently declined a requested review because the book was so pedestrian and cliched, I gave up after two chapters. What's the point of making someone miserable by highlighting his or her foibles? <br /><br />Greetings, Mary--I agree that I learn a lot through the process of critiquing. I probably was more sensitive to many issues when I was doing it more regularly.<br /><br />Thanks again to all of you for visiting.<br /><br />Best,<br />LisabetLisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-34788720052068411572010-05-30T14:43:09.904-04:002010-05-30T14:43:09.904-04:00Lisabet - I have learned so much about all aspects...Lisabet - I have learned so much about all aspects of writing being connected on all these social networks to you. I always wish I had the perfect critigue partner, but these days I just don't have the time. I have to put all my writing efforts into finishing my novel and Guest Blogging as much as I can. When I started a writer's group and was doing critiquing on a weekly basis, I was much more the big picture girl - how the story moved me and why, where I saw gaps or lapsed connections, where I saw better starting points. I'm a good editor I have a side biz helping kids write their college essays and I really can help them to have a really, really good product. Like you, I think I operate from an intuitive base. I probably drove the line-by-line crtiquers in my writer's group crazy, I'm sure. <br />For the past decade I've been a judge in a writer's contest where I read about 300 manuscripts to pick <br />1st, 2nd, 3rd and HM winners. My categories have changed from short story, to literary non-fiction, to memoirist, to humour and next year the prose poem.You start to see how the first paragraph and sadly, even the first sentence, must really grab the reader or the manuscript gets tossed on the floor.<br />I'm much less hard on myself as a writer b/c of this. I realize we all have topics and styles that move us that may have little to do with the actual writing.<br />ANYWAY, hope ur healing well. Loved the topic, your insights and just being connected...Mary Kennedy Eastham, Author, The Shadow of a Dog I Can't Forget and the upcoming novel Night SurfingWord Actresshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04041865850513656748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-927092973335733282010-05-30T12:23:39.868-04:002010-05-30T12:23:39.868-04:00No matter which hat you wear, I admire the person ...No matter which hat you wear, I admire the person beneath the brim. :)<br /><br />I like in-depth critiques rather than those who just skim for missing commas and misspellings. I belonged to a crit group for a few years, and I probably enraged some because I do a line-by-line, and I offer suggestions. The only way I can do that is show how else the sentence might be written...but I do preface my critiques with the fact that the words I use are mine and I expect the author to use their own voice and style. <br /><br />Yes, there often is a lot of red, but critiquing has helped me learn what to avoid and how to improve my own writing. The fact that a few of the authors still seek my help since I left the group tells my efforts were appreciated. It's most time-consuming to crit in that manner. <br /><br />I caution authors NOT to listen to everyone, because there are people out there who may not have learned as much as you have, and you should only apply what works within your "knowledge base." Critique groups can be confusing because you're bound to run into conflicting suggestions. :) <br /><br />As for reviews, I've also done those for a number of years, and I always try to be positive, but I'm honest. If something is continually off during the story, I'm going to point it out. I recently returned a manuscript to an author and told her that I felt no review was better than the one I would have to do on her work. It was self-published, obviously not edited, and really, really hard to follow because she jumped from first to third person every other paragraph. If she would've been in a good critique group, the story might have been awesome, but I couldn't even get into it.<br /><br />Thanks for the interesting topic, Lisabet.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09683064637626718318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-34698297866880624092010-05-30T09:56:10.806-04:002010-05-30T09:56:10.806-04:00Good critiquing is a definite art form. Not everyo...Good critiquing is a definite art form. Not everyone can do it well. I have a couple of CP's and use them for different aspects of my writing because they each have their own strengths and weaknesses.<br /><br />I do different kinds of critiquing as well depending on what my CPs are looking for.Nina Piercehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14548896481430215466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-10975549932319393432010-05-30T09:47:48.458-04:002010-05-30T09:47:48.458-04:00I had the same CP for 5 years. But she's emigr...I had the same CP for 5 years. But she's emigrated now and I miss her insights so much. There is nothing more valuable than a good CP. I'm still looking for my next one. Great blog.Margaret Westhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13771552615505635250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-66237607607726630852010-05-30T08:31:05.228-04:002010-05-30T08:31:05.228-04:00Hi, Garce,
Actually I have learned a lot about cr...Hi, Garce,<br /><br />Actually I have learned a lot about critiquing from working with you. And the crits you've done of my stories have been invaluable.<br /><br />Greetings, Ed,<br /><br />I think that many people confuse critting and editing. That's okay. Both are necessary. Furthermore, it's a good thing that some people focus on the "nits" that I might not even see.<br /><br />On Storytime, if you were lucky, you'd get several crits. This could be really useful in homing in on what needed to be changed.Lisabet Saraihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05162514190572269660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-60003029595167205262010-05-30T08:19:30.855-04:002010-05-30T08:19:30.855-04:00I like the way you distinguish editing from critiq...I like the way you distinguish editing from critiquing. I'm not much of an editor at the sentence/word level but my author friends have found me very valuable in finding plot holes, unrealistic character actions, and pacing problems. As a result, it's frustrating when they send me a piece when they're under deadline. If I think of that as 'editing', it'll help.Big Ed Magussonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00470692461167173003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9156334464585894857.post-40619299747689564352010-05-30T08:12:21.087-04:002010-05-30T08:12:21.087-04:00Morning Lisabet!
Just want to say thank you for a...Morning Lisabet!<br /><br />Just want to say thank you for all the crits you've done for me and hopefully many more to come. Also hope your hip is doing well. You'll always be the hippest critter I know.<br /><br />GarceGarceushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11160407485298015371noreply@blogger.com