SYW Critiquers and Avoiding "Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen"

[TylerXavier]

Hopefully this is the right forum to post in. I thought this is the right forum because a) my question is related to the community itself and b) I don't have enough posts to make my own thread in the SYW forums.

So, I want to make critiques on the SYW forums. Trouble is, when I go onto the forums I'm interested in, most of the posts already have at least three or four people giving comments and critiques. If it were me receiving critique, I would feel a little overwhelmed by more than four or so comments at the same time. Too many cooks in the kitchen and all that. Because of that, I hold off from giving critiques because I don't want to create a confusing situation in which the one receiving critique is hearing a lot of the same thing or getting overwhelmed and having a difficult time juggling the various ideas thrown around.

That said, is there an average expectation of how many people should be critiquing a given post or some kind of unwritten rule?

If I see a post with 0 replies on one of my forums of interest, I'll jump right on that, but so far, that hasn't happened.

 

[Introversion]

If you think you have something new or different to contribute, it shouldn't matter that others have already critiqued, especially since you're being kind to the author.

 

[mpack]

Knowing another writer agrees with a given crit can have a lot of value even if it doesn't seem to add anything new. Sometimes a new voice saying the same idea in a different way can help quite a bit, imo.

 

[mrsmig]

People critique when they have an opinion they wish to share. Some posts get a dozen critiques; some get none. There is no rule and no average expectation.

It doesn't matter if a critter shares the same opinion as another. Consensus can help highlight problem areas. And it doesn't matter if there are differing opinions, either. A variety of viewpoints can be equally helpful. It's up to the poster to absorb and analyze the crits, implement what's useful and discard what isn't.

Yes, there are some posters who are confused or even upset by conflicting crits. However, I've never seen anyone complain about getting too many, whereas there's a long-standing thread where members whose material hasn't received any/enough crits can ask for additional opinions.

My advice is to stop worrying about what other critters say. People in SYW want opinions (well, some are looking for validation, but that's a whole 'nother issue). Your opinion could be just what they need to hear.

 

[rohstod]

Actually, I think it's pretty important to get a lot of different respondents, even if they're saying the same things. One person pointing out an issue might just mean that one person didn't like something. If everyone who reads it notes the same problem, you most likely have a problem. So I'd say the feedback is valuable even if you say, "I agree with [x] about [y issue]."

I wish the feedback were hidden, though. Sometimes I think people read the reviews of others and this changes the responses they give. I like the system on critique circle better for that reason. There are, however, a lot of terrific readers here.

 

[marialou]

I haven't worked my way up to posting in SYW yet either. I totally get what you're asking, because I've been hesitant to comment, fearing I'm just going to repeat what five other people have said. But, then I realized, if five people all have the same opinion, that's pretty valuable to the writer.

I don't know if you've worked with betas before, but one of the most frustrating times for me was when one beta hated a character or scene and when I asked the others, they assured me it was great. Sorting through conflicting advice and trying to decide what to actually change is the hardest part. So if you can add your voice to the others, you might make it a little easier for the writer.

 

[Roxxsmom]

I don't understand the argument that one should only mention something if it hasn't already come up in a crit. As a writer, getting four different critiques that say four different (and possibly conflicting) things is confusing. Getting five that say more or less the same thing and three that say different things gives me more of a clue about what might be problematic for most readers.

 

[Justin K]

In my experience, my posts never receive enough critiques, I usually get 3 or 4 for each piece unless it's a query. If fifty people critiqued my chapter, I would in fact read all fifty. You have to keep in mind that a lot of people who critique are doing it for themselves, because reading others' work is a tool to help us in our own writing. Also, I usually ignore a significant portion of what gets said, but I usually find some very valuable insights through each person who takes time to respond, and it always helps my polish up not just for that piece, but for how I write altogether.

 

[InsomniaShark]

I wish the feedback were hidden, though. Sometimes I think people read the reviews of others and this changes the responses they give. I like the system on critique circle better for that reason. There are, however, a lot of terrific readers here.

I'm trying to remember to not to read previous responses so they won't influence me.

Maybe the admin could add a spoiler tag for us to hide our critiques in so we wouldn't be as temped to read others' critiques until we write our own.

 

[VeryBigBeard]

Each person brings a different approach to the crit. Even if you're just agreeing, you'll often agree in different ways or for different reasons. Say so. It's pretty rare I see anyone post in SYW who just says, "I agree." And even that's useful, as people have said.

We all start somewhere as critters. It's completely okay--desirable even--to just dive in and give your candid reactions as you read the thing. That's how people read in bookstores, and that's why the writer needs to know.

 

[Myrealana]

Just like you can't expect your idea to be 100% original, you shouldn't expect your critiques to be unique.

I've heard it said many times that what one critic says can be ignored, what many critics say has merit.

Myself, I like to give my initial reactions without reading the previous critiques, but I do read through them before I make my final post. I like to add my voice without making it feel like I'm dog-piling on a single issue. If we have a growing consensus about an aspect I've already mentioned, I might delete that particular part from my critique and just mention I agree with other posters.

I think part of the growth of a writer is realizing that your words have value, even when they aren't a part of a story, book or article. I've said the same thing about posting here. If you think people will want to read what you have to say in your stories, then why wouldn't you think people want to read your posts or crits?

 

[mrsmig]

Myself, I like to give my initial reactions without reading the previous critiques, but I do read through them before I make my final post. I like to add my voice without making it feel like I'm dog-piling on a single issue. If we have a growing consensus about an aspect I've already mentioned, I might delete that particular part from my critique and just mention I agree with other posters.

I do this as well, for the very same reason - to avoid piling on. It can be overwhelming for the OP, particularly in cases where the OP's familiarity with AW is limited to the time s/he took to reach the requisite 50 posts.

 

[Southpaw]

I've been on both sides (query). Getting a lot of crits can be overwhelming, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It took me a while to get the hang of processing the different viewpoints, but it sooo helpful when several (I mean quite a few) pointed out the same problem. I found in the critters who critted my stuff, some said the same thing, but in different way with different thoughts, and that helped me and sparked stuff in the brain department.

When I crit, I take a quick look to see how many folk have critted. A few, I don't read, just crit and then go back and read the crits. Maybe even edit mine if I have a different take on it. If there are a lot, I read the crits first then do more of an overview type of crit type of thing. And as Myrealana and mrsmig do, I read the piece first so I have my own reaction to it.