This ever happen to you?

What you stated above is the reason why I very rarely critique. And if I do, it's because I feel that person can handle the good with the bad.

One thing you could do on that writer's board: State that you took two hours to read and critique that piece. And let it go at that. You said others came to your defense, which is good.

That's never happened to me, but I'm a softy. I may tell it like it is, but I couch it with praise that softens the criticism.

I rarely crit in a public forum and your experience is one reason why I don't. If I don't know the people I'm critting, I don't know how they'll take what I have to say. So I stick to crit partners I already have a repoire with.

People with paper-thin skin who have knee jerk reactions to constructive criticism are wandering down a lonely path strewn with disappointment. *shakes head*

hi Shea,

I'm pretty selective in my crits. As for other forums, this is the first online writing forum i've ever been a part of. Since this site is pretty awesome, i haven't cheated on her with another site

But, I have critted people in the past that did not appreciate the time and effort of my crit. As a result, I've learned to be more selective in my crits and look for certain things.

Biggest thing I look for is if they have some posts, 100 is a decent enough number for me to feel like my efforts will not be wasted.

I also look for any preambles like "Please rip to shreds, need help, etc"

Occasionally, (about 1 out of 10 crits) I will give a newbie a quick summary crit. But I no longer do line by line for newbies unless I get a really really good vibe from them.

In terms of his response. He's an asshole. Doesn't really want your help, just wants you to tell him how good it is. There is some poetic justice here, since he doesn't appreciate your help, it is probable that he will not improve and thus won't get published. Or, he will spend the next few years figuring out the errors that you pointed out to him, and thus, if he just listened to you and opened his mind/eyes, he'd have saved himself literally years worth of time.

In short, he was an asshole, don't waste another second worrying about him. Also, don't let it discourage you from critting others.

just my two cents

Mel...

I could never understand people who put their work out for criticism, expecting only praise. Sorry that happened to you, shea. But hey, maybe this will make you feel better: I spent DAYS working on a critique of a full novel, wrote up six single-spaced pages of notes for the author, and when I handed him the critique (yes, this was IN PERSON), he said, "Oh, that? I already submitted it."

*headdesk*

I had the material for a week! A week, I tell you! GAH!

Siddow said:

I could never understand people who put their work out for criticism, expecting only praise.

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Ditto. Never fails to amaze me. This is why I hang around the query forum if I have time to do a crit. It's short and painless (for me anyway), and people are less likely to get upset because most people assume their queries stink. Sorry that happened to you, Shea!

There is certainly no excuse for responding in the manner that you described. However, let me add my 2 dollars, err, I mean cents.

Some writers just aren't used to criticism. Take me for example. I'd been hearing for years in school how I was such a great writer, how teachers could see me as an author, or a journalist, etc, etc.

So it was a harsh dose of reality to submit the first draft of my novel to an editor and find that - surprise, surprise, there were things wrong with it. Some awkward wording, telling rather than showing, plot inconsistencies, etc.

And although I was never rude, and I always appreciated his comments, I was a little argumentative at times. Not because I was trying to be ungrateful or anything, but simply because criticism, or rather, so much of it, was not something I was used to. I was used to having my writing fawned over. The only time I ever got rejected was when I submitted a short story to my school's literary magazine and it got turned down because it was "too political."

My point is, it takes a little time to develop thick skin.

And I'll be perfectly honest with you. I like AbsoluteWrite a lot, and the posters here, generally speaking, seem to post pretty fair critiques.

In other places though, I've seen people only point out the bad. And that, personally, REALLY annoys me. Even if you're not in love with the piece, there must be something an author did that you liked, or appreciated. Learning is not just about fixing the things you're doing wrong, but about realizing what you're doing right as well.

So when, for instance, one poster told me my piece started with a cliche and continued on in the same vein, I was confused. I honestly thought I'd done something original. He didn't even explain what cliches I used until I prompted him. Now, I'm not ungrateful to him. He took the time to read and comment. But he could have been a little more helpful.

Another poster told me (regarding the fact that waving a wand is apparently a cliche) that I should always strive to be original.

While I agree with her to an extent, the simple fact is that there are only so many variations of a word to signify casting a spell with a wand.

So I would say that in this instance, the comment was a bit unrealistic.

I'm not trying to defend anyone. But I am saying that it does go both ways, and if a critter makes it clear he's just being honest and makes sure to talk about both the good and the bad, then there'll be a lot less to worry about (that's not to say you didn't do that, I'm not directing this at anyone in particular. Just sort of ranting.)

It really is frustrating to submit a 2,000 word chapter and get a one sentence response.

So yea.

So when, for instance, one poster told me my piece started with a cliche and continued on in the same vein, I was confused. I honestly thought I'd done something original. He didn't even explain what cliches I used until I prompted him. Now, I'm not ungrateful to him. He took the time to read and comment. But he could have been a little more helpful.

Another poster told me (regarding the fact that waving a wand is apparently a cliche) that I should always strive to be original.

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Mr. Anon, when you get more experienced with critique (both giving and receiving) it will be easier to determine which crits to ignore and which ones to pay attention to. And anyone that only offers a few words of criticism without an explanation are reviewing, not critiquing. There's a place for review (like Online Writers Workshop) and a place for critique, and I personally feel the latter is far more valuable. It doesn't matter to me much if someone thinks this or that doesn't work, but it will matter a lot more if that person explains why, and even better if suggestions are offered as to how to make the fix.

I'm a die-hard critter with my crit group, have been doing it for over ten years, and this is how I crit. I haven't done many here at AW. I can spend hours on a crit, so it's import to me to have a personal relationship with whoever I'm critting.

Don't take it personally. Some people are very set in what they believe. With luck, at some point, this writer will understand that they are only hurting themselves by being 1) rude and 2) close-minded.

You can do your part, and hope that it's for the best. Though, I admit I'm coming from this as a high school teacher-- I spend a lot of time trying to NOT think about how little of what I'm saying and teaching is actually sinking into their brains. If I worried about that, I'd have given up long before now. It's not because I'm a bad teacher, but because they are bad learners. (At least some of them. =)

Go find your decadent treat of delight, comfort yourself, and find someone who appreciates you to balance it out. =)

Yeah that kind of rudeness sucks, esp. when you spend your time on what someone asked for--a pair of sharp eyes and a a willingness for improvement.

I've had some rough crits but I know they're on the work, not me, and I thanked the critiquer. Some things were wrong, some were personal opinion, no matter the person looking is investing in your story. If the critiquer goes after you--ignore them, or tell 'em to f-off. If the critiquee gets nasty--they can f--off too!

The reverse happened to me. A friend of mine posted a link to some non-fiction I'd written somewhere and the resident Little Miss Grumpy started ranting about how childish, trite and cliched the whole thing was and that she couldn't read beyond the first paragraph.

Then she added in some sneering remarks about amateurs trying to write and how they should leave it to the experts! I got the thread removed because it linked to my actual name, but she thought I was piqued at her comments and ranted some more.

I wasn't, because she hadn't a clue what she was talking about.

sheadakota said:

But I no longer feel like taking the time to review or comment on other people's work for fear of recieving the same type of reaction- I have been reviewing for a number of years now and have been told my reviews are too soft and I should toughen them up- well I did and this was what happened.

I have recieved reviews and comments just as harsh and have been grateful for the help- I guess I assumed other writers would be as well.

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I sympathize with how you feel. That has happened to me. I spent a lot of time on a crit because I honestly felt the young writer had a lot of talent. As a mature person who's been writing for years and had the benefit of advice from people in the industry, I genuinely wanted to try and help this girl by passing on stuff I'd learned.

Even though I explained I was being a bit harsh because I felt she was talented and deserved honesty, she slated me on a message board. A fellow forum member, who I had a lot of respect for, had also taken a lot of time to give a critique similar to mine and was also verbally attacked. It hurts.

Sure, I should have just shrugged it off, but it was a while before I did any more crits. But it was the many people who had thanked me and appreciated my input that won me back. Those are the majority, and the other sort are rare.

Some peole you just can't help, but there are others who want you to. I hope you'll get back to critting soon.

qwerty said:

Some peole you just can't help, but there are others who want you to. I hope you'll get back to critting soon.

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True. There are people like me who have no other way to know their faults and improve their work and we need people like you.

Yeah. If someone has taken the time and energy to do a thorough job of filleting your piece and you respond rudely and get your knickers in a knot, then seriously don't bother trying to be a writer - you're wasting your time and everyone else's.

I just had a story put through the wringer on a website but the guy made some good points and did a really detailed review. I appreciate the time and energy he put into that. That in its own way is a compliment.

Mr. Anonymous said:

It really is frustrating to submit a 2,000 word chapter and get a one sentence response.

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If I ever do that, I explain my reason for it. Usually it's that the work is unreadable. It's boring. Too much inane dialogue. Or it's overboard on the descriptives. So I skip over most of it and don't do a paragraph-by-paragraph critique. But I do state why.

And whoever is on the receiving end of the critique should realize that every person's reaction to a ms. is different, just as one editor might love a story and another at the same magazine hates it. (Happened to me.) The writer should read every critique, think about it, put it aside, then revisit it and use what he or she finds useful and helpful in making that ms. so much better.