Blast from the past?
Dec. 7th, 2013 03:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redwoodalchanSo, recently I've run across this little page again, for the second time since I uncovered it two or so years ago.
For what it's worth, I don't actually think I agree with everything the man who wrote it said. I don't think you have to be sickeningly polite, or phrase everything as an opinion, for the person you're critiquing to get it. But I think he's right to say that critique is not and never should be about venting, and that it is possible to come on too strong, even if what you say is factually correct (and he's absolutely right to say that there's a middle ground between "brutal honesty" and only saying nice things).
I also like that he draws a distinction between critiquers, whose purpose is to help a writer improve his/her work, and critics, whose job it is to convince an audience whether a work is worth their money or not.
If I ever write a fantasy series, I may put it through that site before I do anything else with it.
For what it's worth, I don't actually think I agree with everything the man who wrote it said. I don't think you have to be sickeningly polite, or phrase everything as an opinion, for the person you're critiquing to get it. But I think he's right to say that critique is not and never should be about venting, and that it is possible to come on too strong, even if what you say is factually correct (and he's absolutely right to say that there's a middle ground between "brutal honesty" and only saying nice things).
I also like that he draws a distinction between critiquers, whose purpose is to help a writer improve his/her work, and critics, whose job it is to convince an audience whether a work is worth their money or not.
If I ever write a fantasy series, I may put it through that site before I do anything else with it.
