Hi all, How do I earn posting privileges for the workshop, or how do I post a story for critique? Thanks in advance. Hugo
Hi Hugo, and welcome to the forum! @Earp kindly linked you to the correct page, so indeed, you have to meet a few requirements before posting, namely: You must be registered for 14 days You must make 20 posts forum-wide You must post 2 constructive reviews for each piece of writing you post Do have a look at our New Member Quick Start as well for more information about the ins and outs of the forum. -Kat
My question dovetails on this one. Today marks my 14th day (I registered 25 August 2017). I'm looking forward to offering critiques (and eventually getting some), but do I have to wait until the time I registered? In other words, do I have to wait 336 hours (14 days exactly) from the minute I registered, or is it sufficient to wait until midnight of the 14th day? If I can confuse you further by my awkward phrasing, let me know. I aim to please.
I don't actually know how it is implemented, but I would expect it to be based on the time you registered, rather than just the date. I guess you'll just have to check the Workshop and see when the "Post new thread" button appears.
its worth noting you can offer critiques before the time limit is up - you just can't post work for critique
So it is down to the minute, assuming all other requirements are met. Just in case anyone else is curious.
"They", being the moderators, can look at your profile. Someone who posts their work without posting critiques sticks out like a sore thumb, and other members will soon call attention to you. Ultimately, it goes by an honour system, but if you don't give, you won't get in return. People will remember when you give critiques and will be more inclined to give you one (a critique, that is...) in return. "I really like this story, I wanna read more" is not a critique.
first time out the forum software will automatically know that you've written two reviews... after that we keep an eye on the ratio manually but we're not constantly checking... as nao says it's mostly done on trust (currently you've written 1) the other thing to be aware of is that reviewing other peoples work makes you a better writer, so it shouldnt be a case of writing critiques because you need xyz number, write as many as you can because a) it helps you, and b) this is a community where we all help each other - the more you help people the more they'll help you incidentally katri isnt around much any more - these days the active moderators are Jannert, Iain Aschendale, EF Mingo and myself, with Komposten as the admin
And, there's a diff between doing critiques and being a beta reader. Sigh. At some point I got the idea they were the same thing, so I'm behind my quota for critiques while I've done several beta reads (which I really enjoyed) but it did put me behind on critiques in here. I'll be correcting that pretty soon. Nobody's jumped down my throat about posting work for critique when I don't have the required critiques done so I think people are pretty easy-going in here. Scott
thing is you've only posted two items for critique... i'm not going to read 324 posts to see if you've done 4 crits - that's what i mean about it being on trust (If you haven't now you've owned up to it, you need to catch up ) we're more concerned with people who've posted like 30 for crit but done just the mandatory two, and like that.... when a minority of people operate in bad faith sooner or late bad karma (spelled where's my ban hammer) is going to catch up with them...
Well it sure is convenient that this thread was right at the top; it is something I was wondering myself. I have some mixed feelings about this requirement to critique peoples works before you post one of your own. I mean, I get it, the site needs to encourage people to read and critique others' works or else we don't get critiques. But at the same time, I think... The whole reason I was thinking of posting here is because I don't feel like I have a solid-enough grasp on what good writing is. I was hoping to find some guidance and correction on my prose because I'm not that good at it. Which leads me to think: what good are my critiques going to be? I've only barely realized how terrible my writing is, how am I supposed to find the bad writing in someone else's work? I'd probably write a long critique going after the wrong thing.
Your critiques don't need to be on technical issues or anything, just say what you like or don't like and some idea of why. I was discussing with someone recently that we all seem to be much better at spotting problems in other people's work than our own, and to suggest what they should do about it. It's just a lot easier to see it because the stakes aren't so personal, and their problems won't fall into your personal blind spots the way your own do. As for learning at this point, read a lot of threads in the workshop and see how other people give critiques. some have specific lists of things they check, some just wing it. All the methods are good.
if you read you can point out what works and what doesnt... if i post for critique i want to know what the problems are, i don't need the critiquer to tell me how to fix them theres also the point that reading others work with an eye for detail will help you improve your own work by internalizing what works and what doesnt
Obviously not everyone who joins the forum will be a world-class critic. Because of this we don't expect or demand that our members give super-detailed critiques in the Workshop. The important part is that you contribute to the community, do your best, and learn from the experience. Read through a few Workshop stories until you find something that fits your style, and then think about what the author did well and what didn't work. You could bring up something general like "The world you've built here is missing something. Because of X and Y I can't immerse myself in it," or something very specific like "The way this character said this thing doesn't feel right. It's too straight compared to how they usually speak." Just keep in mind that you don't need to think about everything. Just focus on a couple of things. If you still don't feel ready yet, you can take a look at the Constructive Critiques tips from Cogito. You could also read something in the Workshop, try to think of things you did like and did not like, and then read some of the critiques after it to see how other members have thought (but if you thought something can be improved but no one else has mentioned that thing, that doesn't mean that you are wrong! You might just bring a new perspective, or have seen something the others missed). Just keep in mind that posts like "I liked the story" will never be counted as critique. Don't just say why you liked (or disliked) the story, try to explain why. Something that worked for me in the beginning was to try to always find a good point ("I loved how you wrote this part. The way you...") and something to improve ("This part pulled me out of the story a bit. It doesn't fit that...") in every story you read, and use that as a baseline for your critique. Good luck!
Yeah, what all the others have been saying. You don't need to be an expert writer to give a critique. The writer is mostly looking for honest reaction from readers. The important thing is that a critique is not a vote, as @Komposten pointed out. I liked it, I didn't like it, The End. You do need to take a bit of time to figure out why you did or didn't like it. That's really all that's needed, for a basic critique. Just what you did or didn't like ...and why. As you're doing critiques, think, 'What kinds of things would it be helpful for me to hear about my own work?' Then try to do the same for others. Of course you don't have to critique everything you come across here. If you read somebody's work and can't think of anything to say about it, just pass on to something else. Don't be too quick to dismiss works, though. Dig in a bit. In other words, give these pieces the kind of attention you hope others will give yours! One thing to note: Do try to choose works that are fairly recent. There is no point in offering critique to something that was posted here 5 years ago! That writer has either moved on to something else, or may not even be around the forum any more at all. It's very true what @big soft moose said. It's surprising how much you learn about your own work, when you analyze the work of others.
Keep in mind, the author doesn't have to do anything. They may not agree with what you had to say - fine. They may realize there's an issue that needs attention. Up to them what they do with the feedback. Scott