I'm a YA fiction writer. You're the perfect audience to critique my work. So don't let your age get in the way. Read a ton of stuff beyond what school has to offer you! I know plenty of people twice your age that couldn't critique the back of cereal box. Just offer your honest opinion and go for it!
Sometimes I feel like I'm not good enough to even write yet, I'm barely thirteen. But anyway, I have experience, I've been writing since I was nine and reading like a crazy person since I was, heck, whatever age I was. Nobody read as much as me, and I must have flipped through forty books a month. But even with this said, I feel like I'm an amateur still. It's quite depressing, actually, because I love writing. My critique comes out awkward, and frankly, I don't think it's very good. Anyway, anybody have any tips to improve such a critic? Perhaps my age is the cause, though. Hmm.
Start reading the classics. Start reading Jane Austen, Jack London, etc. Read other books by people you've never read --- Dave Eggers, Abrahm Verghese, etc. Expand your reading knowledge. That will help out a lot. And don't exaggerate. Just say that you read a lot and let people ask and figure it out for themselves. There's no way you can read 40 books a month. I read about a book every 3 - 4 days because running my own business gives me the freedom to do so. And if you really are reading that many books a month then I'd start reading longer ones. Slow down while you are reading. Don't flip through. Take notes. Analyze syntax. Highlight the things you love. Read the books like you listen to classical music. Take a moment after each chapter to digest what you read and let it sink in. Be the ball so to speak.
I did at that age, at least during school vacations. Admittedly it was all light reading (lots of space opera and whodunnits), books tended to be shorter than they are now, and I wasn't reading critically. Good advice, but remember to still read for fun sometimes too.
I do read classics, and I read some back then. And the books were mostly paperbacks, but some long novels, but hey, I was eight. That was before, I don't read as much now but I still read a lot when I can find a book.
Well, in one sense, you are too young to be the great writer that you want to be. There's a reason that you'll find a lot of math prodigies but almost no writing prodigies - good writing requires some life experience. Yeah, you are an amateur. Most of us are. You almost certainly have a lot of room to improve. Lucky for you, writing is one field where you really can substantially improve. Write as often you can, and as has been said, read. Read the classics, but don't discount more contemporary works. Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is the novel that really got me writing. I'm eighteen right now - by no means do I think I've reached the peak of my abilities. But when I look back at how I wrote even a year ago, I'm astounded by how much I've improved.
I guess for me the analyzing can be fun. You discover WHY you love a book which really can add to it. And I guess I wasn't counting novella's or short books as '40 novels'. I used to read Animorphs like CRAZY when I was a kid, lol, and I'd read a Goosebumps book or two in one day. I read treasure island when I was 8 in 4 days. And Moby Dick right after. It's important to have variety! It's the spice and what not.
Analysing is fun, and for the past six months, I didn't read anything without doing a comprehensive analysis But then, the other day, I read a book for fun, and it was amazing! It was surprisingly invigorating, which I guess was in part because I hadn't done it for so long. So yeah, I agree with what the others have said. Read lots, for both fun and learning purposes.
My understanding is that the whole point of the workshop and reviews on this forum is to improve yourself. Both as a writer and a critic. You may be inexperienced at both but the only way to improve is to practice. Write your story, write your critique and don't worry about whether or not either is any good. You will get better, the more you do of both.
"Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson We all have useful insight just be genuine in your critique I suppose, that's all that can really be asked.
Age is nothing but a number. I know plenty of adults who are incapable of creating a proper sentence. In fact, there are writers out there who have barely hit puberty(although this is a rarity, of course). It all depends on experience and ability, which has nothing to do with age.
I can't believe this thread is still alive. Every time I see the topic on the main page, the grammar nazi in me cringes...
*rubs back of neck and looks away as she is OP of thread* Well...about that... Anyway, I think this thread is still useful because there's young members joining all the time and probably think the same thing at one point~
lol, sorry, didn't mean to put anyone down. Yeah, the thread is probably useful to many people, as so many write in it.
I was a little older than you when I was paid to edit my first novel. My high school English teacher approached me while I was in college and asked if I could give her feedback on her novel. I asked what credibility I had. She asked if I liked reading. I said, "Well, of course!" Her response has stuck with me all these years: "Flora, good readers are good writers." Do not ever let anybody tell you that you are too young to be useful, dear. Where you might be lacking in grammar and experience outside of your high school, you make up for elsewhere. One of my students once asked me how I could critique a short story of hers that was more-or-less a romance novella. I've read countless romance novels (and written a few short stories.) Have I experienced anything in the novels? Not exactly, but I feel that I can still write and offer advice in the genre. As a teacher, I give you credit for taking enough initiative to join this sort of writing community at your age. That is a sign of your maturity. All the best, Sister Flora PS: In response to your post, JackElliott, experiences does, of course, come with age. There are adults, however, who cannot form proper sentences without help. I know this all too well (some of them have been in my classes.)
If you have an opinion to offer, why shouldn't you? Your advice doesn't have to followed, it may not relate to all aspects of the writing and it will, of course, be limited to your experience and views, (just like the rest of us regardless of age) but if someone is posting work for others to feedback on then why not you? Age can give the benefit of wisdom, varied life experiences and perhaps even enhanced education but these are not the only things that qualify an opinion as useful. An extreme example perhaps but if I were writing for a four year old, who would the best reviewer be? Probably a four year old! They usually have minimal reading skills and most probably can't read but read them the story and they would have opinions on it Back to the point, you may have been writing longer than someone twice your age, you may have read three times as many books and you may even have more of an education.... if you didn't mention your age would people even know how old you were? You go get 'em. All the best.
When I was young no one could tell me anything. Because I knew it all. But with the passing of years and the acceleration of experiences, now at my present stage, I realize I know nothing at all. So in my opinion, age is relative.
Actually, the worst critique you can get as a writer is none at all. I'd say, every critique is valuable. Yours is especially valuable if you think of writers aiming exactly at your age group.
You know what I think? HAPPY BIRTHDAY! That's what I think. Maybe you'd be more comfortable letting people know you are inexperienced when you critic. But actually criticizing other people's work can help you to write better. It gives you a better ability to see you own work from a broader perspective.
At 14 (almost 15! ), you might not have the vocabulary of a college-educated adult; but that doesn't mean your thoughts and feelings on a work are any less important or valuable than your older peers. Right now, being in the midst of your adolensence, you actually can provide a unique and invaluable perspective on the world. You're at an age that many of us are far removed from. So when we go to write teen characters, we can only get so far bouncing our work off one another. The young adult market is huge and it's growing every day. YOU, as a teen, can give fantastic feedback. As far as your ability to write goes, part of that skill comes from life experiences. You learn by reading and growing and maturing. It's a never-ending journey and you shouldn't downplay your capabilities just because you're at the beginning of that journey. I have read works that were beautifully written but boring as heck because the author lacked their own voice, their own way of telling their story (and sometimes the story itself is lacking); and because of that the book fell flat. Something to keep in mind as well is that one of the best ways for you to develop critical thinking skills (which will be very important as you further your education) is to critique another's work. As Jonalexher said, the critique could be very straightforward. It doesn't have to look or sound fancy-- just get your point across. And as with anything, the more you do it, the more comfortable you'll get with it.
No age shouldn't matter. The writer is writing this book because they want YOU to read it. They want real readers who read that type of story and is genuine. I'm younger than you and I review the stories on here. They want your opinion. Go for it.
Personally, I do not believe age has anything to do with it as such, more though the more reading and writing you have done. It's about knowledge, not age in my opinion.
