Confession: if I'm not interested in a story, my attention drifts and I don't make it far enough to make a well-considered critique. The only exception is if it's a student's work and it is my job to plow my way through the manuscript.
I can see how that could be useful. At the same time (and maybe this a hangover from the early days of word processing) I remember a couple times when I "lost" a document and had to re-construct it; I was convinced then and I'll always be convinced that the lost original was better, though perhaps that's just a trick of the mind.
I dislike practically everything I read now I could literally state ‘Not for me but …’ for all but one critique I have given for story writing. Even that one instance it was not a story I would likely read to completion but it was very well out together and sticks with me to this day. Generally I try to discern who is passionate and give them something to further their passion. Nearly everything ever written is complete trash. That is just the way it is and reason why the ‘good stuff’ sticks out. Note: Also, very few people are naturally good at reading … myself included! It is a hard skill to learn and sometimes quite painful to hone to sharpness after any kind of break.
Think of it like being a ‘good listener’. Anyone can ‘hear’ words and anyone can ‘read’ words, but being skilled at either takes time, patience and persistence. Many people read to ‘turn off’ or ‘escape’ … others read to think and try and improve how they read.
Yep. Story checks out. Unfortunately not an exaggeration. https://www.thinkimpact.com/literacy-statistics/ My first thought was: well if it's not their first language they would be expected to have a hard time with literacy, but that only accounts for a chunk of them: https://abclifeliteracy.ca/literacy-at-a-glance/#:~:text=Adult Literacy in Canada,and in their personal lives. https://takenote.co/illiteracy-in-todays-britain/
Having benefited critiques from members of this site and being truly thankful for the help. I will only say that for me to offer insight to another writers work, the story line has to at least interest me. I have limited skills in the technical side of things so can only offer help in the area of, 'is there a better way to tell this' type of story. There is a big difference between poor writing and poor storytelling skills. The technical things can be fixed, the concept and direction and final outcome much more difficult. There are many great wordsmiths that can't craft a story, others with a great story to tell by lack the skills to make it read well. A truly gifted writer can make paint drying interesting. What most new writers do not understand when posting on a writing forum, is how important the hook is in getting someone to read your work. " I need help" "What do you think of this?" "is there a hole in this story or plot." or a truly catchy title that sucks them in as a reader, not just a critic.
That is why when I critic a work, I focus on what gets my interest and what looses my interest. X was a great idea for a story, but the hook didn't work. Or this scene, detail, or whatever lost my suspension of disbelief.
