like the ones I've critiqued so far have been relatively newish. But if I want to write here and have my own stuff critiqued I have to abide by the whole 2 for 1 rule and for some reason I just feel like its going to be strange once I have to start critiquing ones from like 2021.
If you want my advice, don't worry about critiques until you're done writing your project and have done a complete edit or two to the thing. You know, when you're closer to the finish line. Otherwise, you get feedback on stuff you end up tossing or changing anyway. A better approach, if you're trying to help your own writing, is to read tons of published works by authors in your genre and mimic their pace, format, style, etc. You learn some by critiquing, but most of the stuff is total horse BS. I can't get two lines into it before I foam at the mouth. If you need extra help, befriend someone here and they'd likely be happy to give some tips and pointer, maybe read a few paragraphs.
It would be good if we had a bit more members to make the workshop more alive. I usually only read sci-fi and have a similar problem. But if you read all the genres, you will have more opportunities to critique newer works. One solution that I have thought about is for newer members to be able to post one story for free, then every story after that will require a 2 for 1. Just a thought. But I do see other issues with such a solution. Such as the workshop getting swamped with low quality stories that have been rushed out.
Getting feedback on your work is important -- hugely important -- but it is just part of the journey. As @trevorD says, you will get more useful feedback if you have honed the work to the best of your ability. I generally wouldn't bother critting something that is full of obvious errors and looks very first-draft, it isn't worth it. Critique isn't a free editing service. As for critting older pieces; don't worry about that at all. The author may well have moved on, but adding to the thread will bring it up the lists and get more eyes on it. Your response is as valid to casual readers as it is to the original creator, and anyway critique is very much a two-way street. Looking analytically at a piece of work helps you to look analytically at your own, and learn to "read like a writer". Think of giving critique as being for the pleasure of it and the learning opportunity rather than to earn your spurs to have your own work examined. (and as for this post being in the lounge, I am happy to leave it here if you're happy. We will be more tolerant of flippant replies in the lounge than the more workmanlike sub-fora as it's generally a place for levity)
Stamping on "fly-by" posters who come rushing in with bright, enthusiastic eyes, their tails fluffy and proud, and clutching their magnum opus in an eager hand is part of modding that I probably like the least, but we do it to try to keep more of a community feel about the place. The members who offer of themselves and get involved in discussion before asking for something back are generally more herd-friendly. I usually lock first posts in the workshop until the crit-criteria are met, but most of the time the poster doesn't bother to come back; also the first-post-in-the-workshop members tend to be the ones who respond the least well to any non-favourable critique, almost as if they are seeking praise and approval rather than constructive feedback...
Thank you all for your feedback! I'm glad I've found a place like this where I can finally have some of the bigger questions that have been floating about in my head cleared. As for this topic specifically, I've already critiqued twice lmao, so your sentiments about waiting till I finish before critiquing other works will have to wait for the next time. You were all very kind to give me help and I appreciate every last bit of it, thank you.
Yeah, this place is really slow lately, isn't it? I guess because it's summer and people are touching grass and doing actual things. Getting and giving, and also reading critique on other people's stories. I've learned immensely from all of it. I've been here about four and a half years now, and it's been like a massive education. But it's the kind of thing where you get out of it what you put in. I've used the message board to help me find some excellent books and videos on writing, as well as all the critiquing. It's true that critques aren't always on target, but they can show you where the issues are in your writing, even if the proposed answer isn't right. Often the people giving the critique have accurately identified a problem, but maybe not given the right solution. Still it's valuable to know where the problems are, and what they are. And after reading and writing a bunch of critiques you'll know a lot more about writing than you did when you got here. The important thing is to be in a group of people who are all trying to learn and improve, and take part in the discussions. If you approach it with the desire and aim to learn, then that's what will happen. And much of the learning will be things you aren't aware of at the time, but later you'll realize you picked up quite a bit more than you knew about.
This post got me thinking. I have a surplus of workshop credits that I haven't used, but when I post something for critique, it still feels like I am taking, somehow. I don't know why, exactly, just some complex I developed from childhood or something. Anyway, would my posting more stories for critique actually be benefitting the community, rather than taking? It'd be much more useful for newer members to crit current stories from active members, I would think. I do have a handful of stories that I think are decent, but I am having trouble selling them, so it would probably benefit me to get more feedback on what might not be working (or I'm just unlucky this year!).
Okay, so here's my humble opinion. You're a bonafide legit gifted writer. When you post material for critique, it's not so much about your spag or pov (writing 101 stuff), you totally nail that stuff. You need more of a narrative review. I'd find a friend or two on here you trust and maybe have them eyeball an entire scene and give feedback/ suggestions. I did the Fiverr beta thing twice on my work and both really were brutal and ruthless on my stuff, which I found helpful. Everyone knows mine is a vampire novel, he said the bloody horror action scenes (I thought were great) for him were only okay, but lacked the punch he'd hoped to see. TBH I don't know how to rectify that, but he's probably right. I'm not sure I feel comfortable putting that scene on the site for a critique, however, but I could use someone's help on it. But back to you, you're like the finance and economics student from Northwestern who just needs that big break to land his first job at graduation. After that, with a publication under your belt, you can focus more on generative writing and creativity. I'm about 95% done with this 8-year horrifically over-long writing project i'm working on and I'll be in the same boat soon. Honestly, I'm dreading that part. We could both probably use a mentor rather than a critique at this point. Anyways, sorry long written diarrhea. Anything I can do to help, feel free. Td
Thank you for the confidence boost! I've gotten better at writing reasonably clean first drafts. Once one gets past the basics, I think there's still some valuable feedback that can come from critiques. I still struggle in some areas, like, what is enough description? I tend to write a lot of dialogue, and sometimes I wonder if the narrator needs to be tossing more bits in, even though that tends to add more telling than showing. I also still wonder things like, "is this boring," "is this funny," "is the MC relatable," and most importantly, "is this entertaining/enjoyable?" I think I'll post a short story soon, just not quite sure which one. At the very least it would be nice to get a vibes check, and maybe a story isn't quite as polished as I think it is. Congrats on nearing the conclusion of your long project! I'm fine with sharing flash and shorts here for critique, but not so much for novel chapters. If you want to do a chapter swap, I would be up for it. Maybe the first 10K words or something, or whichever chapters you'd like some more eyes on!
