Greetings Travelers, I am planning to post a short story for critique, but I'm a bit confused about the appropriate word count. I saw a post somewhere encouraging to keep a story for critique below 1,500 word count. My short story is 3,676 words. So my question is; do I risk not receiving much feedback because this story is too long? Should I split it into more manageable, less wordy blocks in replies? Or post as is and hope for the best? Thank you in advance! P.S. I'm sorry if this is not the right category for this kind of thread, I wasn't entirely sure where to post it
Hi @Mish - I think opinions vary as to what critique actually is. Some people want an idea of how the whole story works (in which case the whole story would be necessary), some an idea of whether their use of language is appropriate, some pointers towards style, some need help with spelling and grammer ("SPaG"). Personally I see critique as trying to give pointers based on a section of work - t0o many adverbs, problems with commas, too much exposition, not enough explanation, shallow characters etc. etc. - and for that 1-1,500 is more than enough. Other members are more generous, but I would certainly not crit nearly 4,000, and, yeah, I would be put off doing that (especially for a relative newb who hasn't given much of themselves if I'm brutally honest) although I would probably read the whole thing and try to offer my opinion on a portion.
I think short stories are meant to be read in one go. Reading a smaller portion of a short story really doesn't give someone much of an idea if the story works. If it's engaging, the length won't matter much, I would think. That said, if it's not engaging, readers could stop after the first sentence of two regardless of how much you've put up for critique. I don't post work here, but I have traded short stories for feedback with several other members. I would not be interested in reading a small section of a short story nor do I think feedback on a section of a short story would be all that helpful.
Hi @Hammer , Thank you for your honesty, I appreciate it! I understand where you are coming from and I appreciate it that you would try to read the whole story even though offering critique only on a portion.
Hi @deadrats , Thank you for your honest feedback, I appreciate it! To be honest, I feel the same way. Would you be interested to read mine and offer critique if I PM you?
Being the record holder of posting the longest short (7K+), it really falls upon the reader and what they are willing to read in terms of length. But yeah, must prefer to look at smaller works up to about 3k. So you should be fine in posting your short in the Workshop. (You have to understand, most people don't see it as a short when it is quite long, but not long enough to be a novella.)
Thanks Cave Troll, It's good to know that you have a record by the word count twice as big as I am planning to post. It's reassuring. Did you receive a good amount of feedback for it?
You can really post as much as you want. How engaging your story is is often told by the feedback. No feedback or critiques is often a sign of the story not being engaging enough to provide an edit for or review. Sometimes newer folk find large posts intimidating to edit. Do not split your story. I've done a few reviews for split stories on here, and find it impossible to really get a rounded feel for what the author was trying to do. But I also realize that any story shared on here is truly sacrificed because it is open to the public. I still have posted many experiments on here and other sites for good practice and reactions, but it likelyisnt the place for your best work. That can be done through collaboration and private messaging with people you trusta little more. Just fair warning. This site is still an excellent learning tool. I've put stories on here of around 6000 words, and have received good feedback from multiple individuals. Also, the more you review of others work, the more they are willing to look at yours. I refuse to review work of those who don't put out a worthwhile effort to help others.
