I have a love/hate relationship with giving and receiving writing critiques. Regardless, I feel a writer should not write in a vacuum. I've been a member of a writing group for years (and years and years) and have learned a lot about the writing process through the input of my peers. I've also listened to so many critiques of my own work, I've picked up a few tricks to help me when critiquing other writers.

Done right, the critique process can be a lovely give and take that benefits both parties.

Tips for Giving Critiques

• Be positive. First and foremost, we're here to help each other.
• Use the sandwich method. Start with what you like. Sprinkle in some constructive criticism. End with something else you like. 
• Own your opinion. Say “I thought chapter two was boring” rather than “Chapter two was boring.” If you're not willing to stand behind your opinion, then you probably shouldn't offer it. Keep in mind, too, the writer does not have to agree with you.
• Be specific. If you found chapter two boring, explain why. Too slow? Not descriptive enough? Not enough action? Why? Why? Why?
• Offer solutions. If possible, offer solutions to problem areas, being careful not to change the fabric of the writer’s tone, point of view, perspective, etc.
• Back off. If you feel a change should be made (and possibly it should), recognize the writer has final say over his or her work. You’ve given your opinion. Sometimes an opinion is dismissed. Don't keep circling back around to why you are right. It's not worth an argument, and it's not your project. Let it go.
• Be kind. Even if you hate the writing, the writer has invested his or her time and has shown vulnerability by allowing you to be part of the process. This is a brave and often scary act with unknown outcomes. Be polite and respectful. Phrase your suggestions in a way that wouldn’t offend you if you were on the receiving end.
  

Tips for Receiving Critiques

• No draft is perfect. Whether the first or 50th draft, it might still need improvement. Don't panic if a critique forces you to rethink and revise. Fresh eyes tend to catch problems you never noticed.
• Don’t take it personally. Criticism of your work does not equal criticism of you as a person. You sought an opinion. He or she gave it. That does not mean you have to make changes. If you don’t agree with someone’s critique, let it go.
  
• Clarify. If someone’s critique raises questions, don't hesitate to clarify. Although this may well resolve the issue, it may also throw a serious spotlight on any holes in your story. That’s good. Filling those holes will raise the level of your writing. 
• Recognize the majority. If more than one critique partner has the same concern about your content, it's probably time to take a hard look at what you’ve written. Consistent comments may equal necessary changes.
• Everyone has an opinion. You might think it’s perfect. Another may think it’s too long. Another may think it’s too short. Keep in mind what your end goal is when wading through all those opinions.
• Be open-minded. The ultimate decision is yours, but don’t dismiss suggestions that seem harsh or difficult to implement. Listen to the point behind the criticism. Look at your work from a distance, gaining perspective through the eyes of other readers. Sometimes the hardest advice to hear can be the most worth following.
• Wait. After receiving a critique, let your project sit for a day or week or more, before revising. Only make those changes that still ring true to you after you have the chance to "sleep on it."

Remember, your work is your own. Listen to what critique partners feel does not work, and then figure out how (OR IF) you want to make changes. It’s your work, your choice, your decision ... until it makes it onto an editor's desk, but that's a whole different blog post:).

Happy critiquing, my writerly friends!

Artwork by Michelle Haas https://www.instagram.com/mhaas_art/

#amediting #WIP #writingtips #writingtip #SCBWI

When I first tell someone I'm a writer, their initial reaction usually includes a glimmer of doubt and a smidgen of "cool" and perhaps a fleeting “I wish I could do that” then I see them catch up with their thoughts and suddenly they give me that hesitant, weird side-eye and I can tell they are thinking "is she a delusional-starving-artist or someone-famous-I-don’t-recognize?" and they really want to ask but hesitate to ask but really, really want to ask but don't want to be rude if the answer is "no" and, and, and …
 
That’s when I usually blurt out "unpublished" just to get that over with, because, well, I don't like to make other people uncomfortable.

Like I am, in that moment.

Uncomfortable.

I can’t yet tell this new acquaintance what they expect to hear. Some people—many people—seem to think a writer is a novelist who can pull a published book, with a cover and title and "by Brenda A. Haas" and bound and everything, from the depths of a very large purse (which is overflowing with multiple spare copies and also holds a high-quality writing utensil in case someone wants an autographed first edition on the spot).
 
Some people—many people—seem to think a book-signing event is going to break out at any moment.

That's what a real writer is, right? An author with a published book? And book-signing events?
 
Yeah. Not always.

I'm a writer. A real writer. But I am not what one traditionally thinks of as a real writer.
 
For about five years, I worked as a staff writer for a Pittsburgh newspaper. Before that, my personal essays had been published a number of times in various Pittsburgh papers and a North Carolina magazine. I also owned my own communications business, for a time, handling public relations and marketing for a number of non-profits and small businesses in the Pittsburgh and DC metropolitan area. The work was steady and relatively lucrative.
 
With the exception of the news writing, for which I produced hundreds of articles under my byline, much of the writing I've been paid to do has not had my name anywhere on it.
 
No credit. No book signing. Just $$$.

Currently, I call myself a freelance writer, blogger, and www.powerofpages.com webmaster. A lot of what I do now revolves around web content and social media, but I’ll write whatever comes my way, if I’m able, from home and usually in my pajamas.
 
Over the years, I've paid for vacations with my writing. I've helped put a down payment on a house with my writing. I've put clothes on my children's backs, bought new sheets for my bed, paid a vet bill or two, purchased a college dorm rug, and even bartered a gutter cleaning service for my home ... all with my writing.

Yes, most of the writing I do—the writing that has actually seen print and garnered that $$$—is not what many people consider “real” writing. I'm not a published author, folks. Not yet, anyway (and for no lack of trying). I'm a marketing/advertising/public relations/news writing/essay slinging/web content Girl Friday who knows how to make non-writers look good in the public eye. And THAT'S how I earn my paychecks on any given day.

While I write for others, I also work on my own fiction projects, any of which might see print someday. Or not. Who’s to say?
 
Still, I'm a writer.
 
Perhaps not a famous-ish, bestselling, book-on-a-Barnes-&-Noble-shelf-autograph-signing type of writer, but a real writer.
 
—And maybe a little uncomfortable.

Follow me!
Facebook writing account: @writerbrendahaas
Twitter: @haasbren
Instagram: writerbrendahaas

Artwork by Michelle Haas https://www.instagram.com/mhaas_art/
 
#MotivationMonday #MarketingMonday #MindfulMonday #WIP #amwriting #writingtip #writinglife #SCBWI #writer #writingcommunity
 
 

Sometimes it's nearly impossible to find "the end."

The FINAL draft — re-named "2019 Final Draft" or "Final Draft 2" or "The Other Final Draft" or "Final Final Final Draft" or whatever you choose to call it when you save the thing again after making yet more changes — can keep coming back around like that bean soup you had for dinner.

Honestly. A final draft can practically clear the room. Toot. Toot.

I'm notorious for never quite calling a project officially "done." Even when I've worked for a newspaper, and had to stop self-editing and hand over my completed articles to make weekly print deadlines, I would read the published version three days later and make minor changes in my head.

Some would say I'm a little obsessed. I would say I'm thorough.

Yeah. Hate to break it to you, but that final draft might still not be the final draft. And, like the soup, it might give you a hearty case of gas.

Is the inability to commit, to formally remove all those final versions and leave just one, shining FINAL draft in your desktop folder, a good thing or a bad thing?

Let's discuss.

For me, final is never quite final, and that is a good thing. Although I do a ton of editing to my work, I am always open to the input of others. As much as I may think my writing is polished, many eyes are better than just my two. Let's be honest, if any of you reading this blog are on your game, I'm sure you'll find a mistake in here somewhere (even though I edited this a gazillion times before posting).

I also take full advantage of being a member of a critique group and always try to have more than one beta reader give me substantive input at the final draft stage. Are my characters believable? Are there plot holes? How is the pace? Done right, this process takes time, something many writers don't want to allow themselves. Be patient. Take that time. It's soooo worth it in the end.

My goal is to present the cleanest finished product possible, so checking and checking and re-checking my grammar and punctuation is a must. When I step away from a "final" draft, and come back to it months later, I am always surprised (and a little annoyed) when I notice something I'd like to change for the betterment of the writing ... again. Still, I make those changes.

Ultimately, I strive to perfect each sentence and each paragraph and each chapter. I also strive to present "error-free" work. That is what is expected during the submission process.

For me, final is never quite final, and that is a bad thing. Not truly considering one's work to be "finished" can be a serious problem if the goal is to see a 300-page manuscript make it to print. One of my biggest goals for 2019 is to get past my need to keep editing. At some point, a manuscript must be ready (enough) to put it out there. It simply cannot sell itself while sitting in a folder on my desktop.

There is also the fear that editing and editing and editing might remove some of what gives the words, strung together in just my voice, the personality I wish to convey in the first place. A manuscript could become a sterile, lifeless thing if stripped down too much.

Furthermore, never putting a manuscript to bed—never saying "I'm done"—makes it next to impossible to move on and fully commit to a new project.

So, about my current "final draft" --

My young adult mystery, "Something Strange at Water's Edge," has been a journey. I won't say just how long I tinkered with the manuscript (way too @!% long), but it was my first novel ... my first foray into fiction. I cut my teeth on those first 67,000 words and learned just about everything I could from the dozen or so "final drafts" I saved over the years. That's not to mention how much time I put in on the early drafts.

While returning, again and again, to that final draft, I did manage to move on.

I have two completed picture books ready for submission. My WIPs include two other picture books, and I'm about 150 pages into a YA dystopian novel, 100 pages into a literary fiction project set in a summer camp in the 1980s, 200 pages into a women's novel centered around father/daughter relationships and Alzheimer's Disease, and 50 pages into a follow up YA mystery using my "Something Strange at Water's Edge" characters.

That's a lot of WIPs. I'm hoping to finish first drafts on two by spring. Final drafts? Eventually. I AM much faster now at the entire process. Loads of practice.

Hopefully less gas.

In 2019, I WILL submit. Sample chapters of my YA are currently with an awesome lit agent from an agency I covet and an interested publisher, both of whom requested during the Dec. #PitMad, a Twitter pitch event. Of course, before I sent those first few sample chapters, I had to re-read the entire manuscript (again) and made just a few minor changes (again).

Yeah. I did.

That final draft you've got sitting on your desktop? You're probably not done yet. Sometimes it's nearly impossible to find "the end."

You might need a Final Final Final Draft. The manuscript will be better for it.

Would you like some bean soup with that? Toot. Toot.

Artwork by Michelle Storm Haas.

#amediting #amwriting #WIP #SCBWI #WednesdayWisdom #writer