https://wordswordswords.quora.com/genre-vs-literary-fiction
How do I provide constructive criticism for my close friend’s book before its publication? What kind of comments should I say and what should I keep to myself in order to help him edit his book before publishing? This question previously had details. They are now in a comment. Profile photo for Marcus Geduld Marcus Geduld , Published author, lifelong reader. Answered Aug 2, 2013 Originally Answered: A person very close to me recently wrote a book and I would like to make some useful comments. What kind of comments should I say and what should I keep to myself in order to help him edit his book before publishing? Make sure you are crystal clear on what sort of book your friend is trying to write. If you’re at all confused about that, ask questions. Even if you are sure, it doesn’t hurt to ask: “Before I comment, can you tell me a little about your goals? It seems to me like you’re writing a sci-fi novel about the effects of overpopulation, and you’d like the reader to understand that our rising birth rates are causing problems. Is that right?”
Then only make comments that you think will help your friend better achieve his goals. Make sure none of your comments address the goals themselves and don’t push him towards different goals.
I’m not a fan of didactic (moralistic or idea-based) novels. In fact, I think they’re worthless. However, if I realized a friend’s goal was to write something like “The Fountainhead,” I’d either forgo commenting on it, or, if I did comment, I’d with the intent of helping him write a well-crafted didactic book. I would even help him make it more didactic if I thought that was in line with his goal.
If your friend is under a tight, unmovable deadline, don’t make comments that would involve weeks of work, like “You need to totally rewrite the first five chapters.”
Don’t psychoanalyze him in your comments. Say, “I wasn’t satisfied by Chapter Five’s sex scene,” not “I wasn’t satisfied by Chapter Five’s sex scene, and I think that’s because you’re uncomfortable writing about sex.”
Don’t say anything just to “have an opinion.” (Yikes I can’t think of anything to say, and I feel stupid saying nothing, so… “I think Chapter Three is a little slow.”)
Make sure all your comments are specific in at least one of two ways: either explain exactly what’s wrong with (or what could be improved about) some aspect or explain your reaction in a detailed way. (Or both.) In other words, it’s not helpful for you to say, “There was something about Chapter Nine that didn’t satisfy me, but I’m not sure what.” Rather, say, “I wasn’t satisfied by the fight in Chapter Nine. I wanted Peter to win, and he didn’t.”
If something works, say so. It’s hard for most people to swallow a river of negativity.
Finally, I am in complete agreement with Claire J. Vannette. Her suggestion is wise for anyone critiquing anything.
It’s very unfortunate that kids aren’t taught how to critique in most schools. I once wondered why most people are bad at it, and then I realized, “Of course they are! Why would they be good at it. It takes practice and a set of principles. Are people supposed to get all that by magic?”
If I taught a creative-writing class—or any sort of class where students critiqued each-other’s work—I’d start by giving them this assignment:
Pick a story not written by someone in this class and critique it. Your critique must be rigorous, detailed, helpful, but never rude or insulting. (Lots of people don’t know how to be exacting without being rude. They they the only options are rudeness or some kind of love-fest where anything goes.)
And I wouldn’t unleash the students on each other until they’d mastered this.
My favorite approach for critique is to be completely, transparently subjective. Throw out the idea that you can tell the writer the “correct” way to write. Throw out the idea that the writer “should” do certain things. Instead, describe your reactions to the writing.
“I was confused during chapter seven. I didn’t understand Jane’s motivations.”
“I thought that sex scene was really hot.”
“I got bored during the long descriptions of scenery.”
“I love the dialogue because it reminds me of people I really know.”
“I found your complex sentences difficult to follow.”
“I was excited to find out who the killer was!”
Then the writer can figure out if those are the reactions they wanted to inspire. Did they want the long sentences to slow you down and aggravate you? Maybe they did! Maybe that was an artistic choice. Or maybe it was accidental, and they’d like to change it.
This is the only type of critique I will give. I refuse to answer questions like, “Was it good?” or “What should I do about this plot point?” I’m not the writer, and I’m not representative of all readers. All I can do is share my subjective impressions of the work.
23 March 2019