READ THIS FIRST: Critique & Swap Guidelines

Dragonchilde — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:30:28 +0200

Welcome to the Novel Swaps and Critiques Forum This is long, but please read it over before joining in the fray. Note: Please don't post threads asking for novels to read or critique... there are tons of novels posted here, so you can just read through those already posted to find what you're looking for. On to the good stuff! We are not creating individual threads for novels this year; all reader requests should go in the corresponding genre thread. You CAN put your request in multiple threads, but we ask that you please not cross-post to more than two or three threads, as anything else is just spamming. Think of this forum like a dating site for novels and readers. You've got a novel and you want some feedback, so this is the place to put up a personal ad to find someone who'd like give it a test drive. You may also want to read some other novels and give feedback. There is no obligation to share your novel if you're just here giving feedback. Please limit your posting of your work to 5 pages or 1,500 words, whichever is less. Be sure to carefully read over what you post BEFORE you hit submit... because you CANNOT edit original posts. Please note that explicit sexual material is not permitted anywhere on our forums as per our Terms and Conditions and will be removed. How to Find a Reader Pick the genre thread that best approximates your novel. Then create a "personal ad" for it, be sure to include these basic specs, which are basically the most commonly asked questions readers would have when selecting your novel. We ask you not to create individual threads for your work; just use one of the existing genre or excerpt threads to post your material for critique, and you'll receive feedback privately. Title Length, Draft and Language Brief Summary (not more than 300 words) Sub Genre & Keywords - just in case someone's looking for a novel that deals with "genetic engineering", "parable" or "elections" Known Issues - let the readers know the weaknesses you're aware of that they don't need to comment on. This is not an apology, and shouldn't be longer than the summary! (You can include more with the draft.) Critique Requested - what do you want feedback on? Plot, a pass at the structure, tone, POV, grammar, character development, continuity? Critique Tolerance - do you just want broad strokes and all the positive things or can you tolerate some of the more stark realities? Experience & Goals - Is this your first novel? Are you looking to publish? Have you sent it out already and it just isn't clicking with publishers? What are your plans? (Be brief but help people understand what sort of critique would be helpful at this juncture.) Method of Communication - do you want to email? Chat? Send snail mail versions of marked up manuscripts? (Don't post your email address directly on the forums unmangled... our forums are trolled by spammers, and your email will be harvested and spammed as a result.) Anything else? Disclaimers (violence, strong language, graphic sex, etc.) Mention turnaround time for feedback if you have any deadlines. How to Find a Novel Browse the listings for the novels. Pick one or more that interest you. Send a NaNoMail note to the person and continue from there! Don't promise more than you can deliver. Posting Material for Critiques The preferred method for seeking feedback is the above draft swapping. However, you may have smaller bits you're looking for more informal critiques on. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Clearly label your genre in your subject line as the first thing in brackets and ALL CAPS [FANTASY] or [ROMANCE], follow that with your title whatever your request is. Please do not post full drafts in the forums. They will be removed. Please limit your posting of your work to 5 pages or 1,500 words, whichever is less. Be specific with what sort of feedback you want. Be strong and don't take it personally. They're critiquing only what they've read on the screen. Giving Critiques Tell them what you see. Sometimes the strongest feedback a writer can get is knowing what you got out of it. Parrot what you think the themes or style is like. Critique the writing, not the writer Don't give critiques on material you know you would never like Don't tell the writer how to write, just how to accomplish their goals Some overall tips: reading and reviewing makes you better and editing your own work. So if you're stuck in your own process, take some time off and check in with other writers. You'd be amazed at how it can open you up to new possibilities in your own writing. So, you've put yourself out there, you're waiting to hear from someone, and you're dying to know what they have to say. What should you expect from your critiques? Honesty, criticism, and insight from someone not in your head. Beyond that, the more important question is what not to expect. What NOT to expect from this forum:

Immediate, enthusiastic response - There is no way to force someone to read your work, and there will always be more people wanting critiques than those willing to give them. I know that during the NaNo season, it isn't unreasonable to expect fast turnarounds on anything, but this is the off season. Response will be slower, or nonexistent. Don't be disappointed if you get no nibbles.
Consistently positive feedback - when you do get feedback, be prepared for the fact that it may not be what you want to hear. It may be harsher than you expected, or a little too honest. This is double true if you haven't been clear about what sort of feedback you're looking for.
Professional input - Most people here are novices, and if you do get someone to critique your work, they may not be as skilled as others. That's okay, and don't be upset if this happens. This is a learning process for everyone involved, and the BEST way to learn about writing is to critique someone else's work. If your critique was lackluster, have no fear; maybe next time it will be better.

What can you do to improve your chances? **Hook us! Think of this as a practice run for publishers... use this opportunity to hone your hook, bait your readers, and build interest. You've got a few seconds at best to snag someone's interest... use it wisely. If you can't be enthusiastic about your own work, how can you expect us to be? **Be patient. Even if someone agrees to critique your work, it will take time to do so, and nagging won't help. And constantly bumping the topic and posting in multiple places won't help. If you have any questions about this forum, or your topic, or whatever.. don't hesitate to ask the moderators. :) We're here to help! If you have a thread or comment that you would like removed, please send a note to the forum moderator to have it removed, or you can also "flag" the post with the report button with a request to have it removed.

When critiquing a piece

Dragonchilde — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:31:58 +0200

These are intended as optional guidelines and starting point to be used when critiquing someone’s novel. General suggestions: Not every question will be relevant to every story, and some stories will have specific questions that apply. Wherever possible, be specific in examples and give page references if you can so that the writer can see exactly what you mean. Be constructive but honest. Don’t just say that you don’t like something- explain why and give suggestions to improve it if you can. Don’t give someone terrible feedback just because you don’t like the genre and take into account that if you are being asked to critique something it is a work in progress and will not be perfect. Try to be as thorough as you can- it is very brave to show an unfinished work to someone and even if you don’t like it, be nice and help them out. Try not to parrot ‘golden rules’ of writing (you must write every day, you must never use the second person point of view, you must never ever use a cliché) because everyone works differently and a skilled writer can generally make just about any technique work. Most importantly, tell the person the things that you like as well as the things you didn’t like. That way they know what they are striving for. Now- on to the questions! General points

Did you enjoy the book overall?
Would you recommend it to a friend?
What genre would you class it as (Comedy, Horror, Young Adult etc)?
Which character did you most sympathise with?
Which character was the most interesting to read about?
Was the plot line easy to follow? Was it confusing or predictable?
Do you think the book was too long or short?
What were the main themes of the book?
Do you think the author was trying to make a point/emphasise a particular message or set of values?
Did it keep you interested?
The beginning
Did the first paragraph grab your attention?
Did the first page want you to read on?
Did anything confuse you in the first chapter?

Characters

Did any of the characters act in ways that didn’t seem to fit their personality?
Did the relationships between the characters seem realistic?
Did the characters seem well rounded and interesting? Could you imagine them being real people?
Were the characters distinct from each other, or did many of them seem very similar?
Is there anything that could improve any of the characters?
Who was the main character? Did you care about what happened to them?

Dialogue

Did the speech sound natural and realistic?
Did any of the characters have accents or distinct patterns of speech?
Were the conversations believable?
Was dialogue ever used for obvious plot exposition?
Was any of the dialogue inappropriate for the characters and the setting? (Using modern slang in a historical novel, characters speaking in ways that don’t suit their age/social background)
Did all of the dialogue either advance the storyline or teach us about the characters?

Description

Was there enough description to understand the storyline?
Did any of the description seem unnecessary or out of place? (For example a long chunk of description of clothing interrupting an action scene)
Can you picture the characters and settings in your head?
Was any of the description particularly effective? (Giving a good understanding of a character’s personality or setting the atmosphere well?)

Point of View

Was the story written in first, second, or third person?
Were you able to sympathise with the point of view characters?
If the point of view changed at any point, was it clear that this was happening or was it confusing? (For example by changing point of view mid-scene)
Do you think the story worked well from this point of view or should it be changed?
Did the narrator have a distinctive voice?
Was it written in a way that was easy to understand, or did it make it hard for the reader to follow? (Such as too many long words or using too many fancy writing devices which distract from the plot?)

Plot

Did you think there was a strong storyline running through the novel?
Were there any subplots? Do you think they added to the story?
Was there enough action? Did you feel there were parts where very little happened, or parts where too much was crammed into a small space?
Did everything in the plot seem believable and/or logical within the story, or did anything seem out of place?
What was your favourite part?
Were there any parts that should be missed out?
Does anything need more explanation?

Factual Accuracy

Did you notice any factual errors in the piece?
Was everything in keeping with the setting? (No modern technology in the middle ages, no one wearing kimonos in 1840s England etc)

This is a great list to pass on to anyone you ask to do a critique of your work, especially if they have never done one before. You can tweak it and make it more specific to your book. It's quite lengthy but obviously you don't need to answer every question and it should get you thinking along the write lines. Originally compiled by The Why Bird