I don't see that implication in the post you quoted at all. It's just an observation that no matter what you write, someone will hate it, which is true. That conversation wasn't even about critique, it was about how there are no universal rules in writing. I'm also not quite sure why you think that narcissism is somehow something that's more ubiquitous in this time than it was in the past. Did the world powers get together some time in the 90's and decide that from then on we'd be a whole lot more narcissistic?
It's not just an observation when there is a conclusion attached, that being that you should "just write." It's a half glass full half empty type thing. It doesn't matter whether someone is guaranteed to hate your work. That's a cop out. You want to write to impress SOMEONE. So don't "just write." Write to impress someone.
Now we're straying from the original topic, but I would say "honest + well supported = good criticism." Politeness, while nice, is not a basic necessity.
There isn't really such thing as well supported in art, only opinions. If you want well supported, study science.
Writing isn't just art, it's a craft. "I thought your story was boring," is not well supported. "I thought your story was boring, because it is almost an exact replica of such and such," is a supported statement.
If you say so, but then we have to refer back to what I was saying about being polite. A polite person wouldn't just state, it was boring, would they? To be honest, both statements are perfectly valuable pieces of criticism, but they are poorly communicated, which only supports that politeness plays a lot stronger role in valued criticism. On a psychological level, an author is going to be more accepting and evaluating about criticism that is conveyed politely, as opposed to someone saying, 'it was boring, because...' After all, what's the value of criticism if it's not accepted through poor communication.
Impolite doesn't mean poor communication. The message is clear. I told you how I felt about the work, and I pointed to what specifically about the work made me feel that way.
You're right. The message is clear -- a haughty and arrogant critic revelling in ones self importance. I tend to find the ones that are eager to bang the drums are the ones who feel they have something to prove. Besides, this shouldn't even be called criticism -- it's feedback. Criticism is what failed authors working for magazines do to boost sales.
I'm not saying you're wrong, because elaboration on feedback is important, but on a forum of mostly amateurs, it's not good to lay down blunt criticism. Some people can take it, but others can't, and it's unfair if someone being unnecessarily impolite is bashing away and destroying their confidence. After all, students don't like strict teachers, even if they do know their shit.
Aaaand back to the topic... In my first book I never specifically described my main character, but at the very beginning I wrote about how members of his tribe look in general. Somewhere in the middle of the book, I described his father, which is really a description of my mc, since the two look a like a lot. The description fits his tribesmen's general appereance, so I don't think I cheated the reader with the description which would go too far from what he might have imagined earlier. Except the eye colour; the two have very specific and unique eye color, which I reveal in the middle of the book. At the same time, I gave a very detailed description of my female protagonist, as seen trough the mc's eyes.
I'd be careful with this approach. Let the description evolve with the story. The safest way to 'describe' a character is to do it through another character's eyes. What does your point of view character notice about this other character? The way he walks? Some aspect of his face? How his serious expression is suddenly transformed by a smile, making him look like a little boy again? Does the POV character thinks this guy needs a haircut? Etc. Just a single detail like one of these will have more impact, and will stick with a reader more strongly than: "He was build like a wrestler, 5 feet 10 inches tall with black hair and blue eyes, and had a mole on his cheek."
This is a conversation I have had repeatedly with my wife/editor. She wants to know everything about the character down to and including whether he would try and pick her up at a bar. I, however, tend to skip such descriptions when I read. No matter how you go about it, someone will always be unhappy. However, for the sake of writing as a craft, I have found it best to include fairly detailed description (which is incredibly tedious for me) and then whittle it down on editing and rewriting until it flows with the narrative and doesn't interrupt it.
I don't agree with this. Read the "Mad Men" pilot script; the descriptions of the characters couldn't be more vague or general, and I feel the actors that were casted embody perfectly what the script, based on their actions and dialogue, described. If you're going to write an average man, people are going to picture an average man. The same with a mean man or a shy woman.
No no no, there is well supported and there is opinion and sometimes both. If your opinion is based on a well founded rationale, it goes beyond opinion.
You can be polite with a sandwich: This is good, this is what I have an issue with and why, this is another good thing.
Back to the description issue, ask yourself, is there a reason, or is it you doubt your skill to write a good description? In my book (OMG it's actually a book, not just a story, not finished yet of course), I am purposely leaving some of the main character's description out. I may change that but at the moment, the reason is she belongs to a group that is discriminated against. I didn't want to make her stereotypically black or brown. I was concerned the readers might imagine her as 'other' and not be able to identify with the discrimination experience personally. You need to think about the reason you are leaving the description out. If you have a reason, it makes sense. If your reason is, you are concerned about your writing skill, teach yourself the skill.
