Taking Purpose Into Account

[Etan Isar]

What are the major purposes of writing something that should be taken into account when giving critique?

I can think of(in no particular order; and with the understanding that there can be and is significant cross-over):

1. For Publication- to get something published for any reason

2. For Exploration- to explore a theme, the conseuqences of technological or social change, a possible reality

3. For Expression- to express a sentiment, a feeling, an image, a moment

4. For Therapy- to deal with mental or emotional issues

5. For Information- to inform others of pertinent information on any topic

6. For Persuasion- to persuade someone to adopt an opinion, whether religious, scientific, moral, or other

7. For Entertainment- to give enjoyment to a reader

Does anybody have any other major purpose for writing? Does anyone take the purpose of the author into account when critiquing a piece of writing?

[Rawiya]

Honestly I think number seven should have two parts. I often write for entertainment but for the most part its *my* entertainment.

To answer your other question, yes. I think that in order to give a well-formed opinion you must take the purpose into account. For instance, I hate romance. But if someone just got into a relationship or, sadly, out of one and writes a sappy, clingy, gross romance (I'm not biased >.>) then my critique will be a little bit more understanding if I know that.

[ParanormalWriter]

Hi, Etan. Sure, if I know a writer is scribbling something just for self expression, I review with a different eye than if I thought they were planning to submit somewhere. I understand people who write just for personal enjoyment or exploration are still interested in growing. Otherwise, they wouldn't be posting their work up for review. Still, publishers are going to be more exacting in terms of what they're looking for than we are, so I'm more likely to point out mistakes for someone who's preparing something to send off to an agent or publisher.

On your first question, I can't really think of any other reasons to write, besides the one's you list. For me, it's a combination of the publishing and the entertainment goal that keeps me writing.

[Chanelley]

I guess I write what I want to read myself. However, I do make sure to add in things that I know generally the readers would want. But I won't do it if I hate the idea. So I guess my purpose would be to share a story in my mind with others who will enjoy it too.

[Cogito]

But from a critiquing standpoint, the only value in writing what you think the writer's purpose was is as a checkpoint. It can be a way to confirm that what the author was trying to convey is what you understood it to be.

I believe Etan's point in this thread, though, was that some people will echo back what they think the story is saying, and call that a critique. But the only time that kind of "review" is useful to the author is if it, quite accidentally, reveals a very different interpretation than the author intended, due to ambiguous writing.

[Etan Isar]

Well, it's been awhile since I posted this, but if I remember rightly, your answer was a major part of it, Cog.