Good vs Evil!

Have you ever gotten slammed in the name of “Positive Critiques?”  Has someone ever beat you with a verbal bat over your story so badly you wanted to crawl in a corner and nurse your bruises? We’ve all gone through those days!

The worst part about those type of critiques, (or “crits,”) is the fact they can leave you writer’s blocked for ages.

So here are some helpful hints to recognize when a crit is a “Good” crit….or an Evil one!

Also: It’s important to remember book reviews are NOT crits.  Some people add crits in their book reviews, which can be helpful, but most of the time they are not very helpful for improving your work.

So, how do you recognize a Good Crit? Read on, my writerly friend!

  1. Good crits mention something positive about your writing. Even if it’s something very small- something positive should be said. The reason why is you have to put something IN the cookie jar before you can take cookies OUT!
  2. Good crits make suggestions, not commands. Anyone doing a crit of someone else’s work should remember this: You are critiquing SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK! It is NOT yours! You don’t have author rights over the story- you aren’t even writing the story! Any crits you make are suggestions the author can choose to use- or not- and should be phrased in just that way.
  3. Good crits show options. It’s not enough to say, “Your writing is crappy, you should cease and desist NOW!” No. Show different ways the writing can be altered so the author can utilize those tools in their future writing. All writers (hopefully,) want to improve their work. Showing them how gives them the tools to do so.
  4. Good crits explain what they mean. If you are reading a story and it is making absolutely NO SENSE to you as the reader/critter, point out the areas and show why you are having difficulty understanding. It is not enough to just say: “I can’t understand any of your writing, it’s bulll#$%@!!!”
“So,” you say, “How do I recognize an Evil crit?”   Well, my dear friend, I will tell you!
  1. Evil crits lambast your writing all the way through with out giving one positive mention whatsoever!
  2. Evil  crits demand you change what you’ve written!
  3. Evil crits don’t explain why they hate what you’ve written!
  4. Evil crits don’t show how you can improve your writing!
  5. Evil crits don’t explain why they hate your work- they’re just stated because the “critter” wants to empty vitriol on the writer!
Now, I know NONE of you have ever written an Evil crit 🙂 So, go out there and crit with goodness!
Write on!

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Comments

  1. The way you define and evil crit, I wouldn't even call it crit but evil bashing. And I'll humbly bow my head to anyone sending me constructive criticism without even one praise sprinkled in. 😉

  2. @Edith I have to agree with the description you give- and it always gives the worse case of writer's block :-/

  3. Sonnet Fitzgerald

    Frankly, if someone can't write well enough to even develop a proper, decent crit? I decide I have zero respect for them as a writer anyway so ignore anything they say.

    This is, of course, my brave face. Inside I think we all know what getting those crits feels like, and it bites. Thanks for posting this.

  4. Don McCandless

    I received an evil crit this past week, overt in its intent. Devoid of constructive criticism, I wrote a brief thank you and moved on. Later, when the evil one leveled a veiled threat at another recipient of his venom, I wrote a response. This is an excerpt of that note:
    —————————————————————-
    The courage required to place one's writing on public display and ask
    for critical assistance is considerable. To work within another
    author's voice in an attempt to strengthen that voice requires even
    more, like an actor who steps out of his comfort zone to play a role against-type. To comment on someone else's writing in a manner that demeans without offering tangible aid requires no courage at all.
    —————————————————————-
    People who write critiques that bash another’s work are obvious. The more dangerous malefactors are subtle in their quest for power. They’ll caress your insecurities with an ‘I don’t understand this’ without explaining why. They will squelch your voice with demands that you conform. They’ll elevate the Chicago Book of Style to Biblical status and require convention over invention. Members of this ‘flat earth society’ of writers can do more harm to a writer’s ability to develop, and simply write, than any bully could ever do.

  5. @Don "Members of this 'flat earth society' of writers can do more harm to a writer's ability to develop, and simply write, than any bully could ever do."

    Extremely apt point. Sometimes we forget that bullies are everywhere.

  6. I'm evil. Guess I won't critique any longer.

    5. A good critique focuses on the work; the writer is invisible.

  7. @Rick lol

    And that's a good one- wish I'd added that one to the article :-/

  8. I'm glad I've never suffered writer's block because of an evil crit. Hopefully, I never will.

    Evil crits usually make me laugh.

    Writers of evil crits certainly aren't invisible. Evil crits usually say so much about them.

  9. @Jonathan "Evil crits usually say so much about them."

    I have to agree. Mainly that they're self-aggrandizing bullies.

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