Post by Charlie Allison on Sept 17, 2016 22:37:28 GMT
Gentlemen (and women! And those who identify differently!)
Just a quick reminder about posting feedback on people's work. Since we're a writer's forum first and foremost, how we give feedback matters tremendously. Ideally, useful feedback will cross off the following traits:
-Tell the author what you liked (duh) and if you're feeling peppy, why you liked it. Specifics! Gotta love them!
-Tell the author when you felt 'taken out of the story'--an abrupt transition, character going against form, a twist ending that didn't quite stick to the dartboard of immersion...
-which dovetails nicely to my next point: offer suggestions to things that put you off your reader game. We aren't doing anyone any good if we only criticize or only praise--the two are linked and rightly so: both are needed for a first draft to progress to a second draft and forward into a final. I'm kinda preaching to the choir here, but if we're shooting for maximum return on significant efforts (and all rough drafts take time, sweat and a copious amount of inventive profanity in most cases) then it behooves those of us who leave feedback to do our best in turn.
-Another dovetail (Damn bird metaphors, get me my metaphorical steam-powered net gun!) into the next point: line notes! Love them or hate them, they are damned useful when the author goes for round 2--when possible attach line notes in either .doc or .pdf form--which leads me to my next point:
--ask open ended questions so that other people who've commented on the same story will want to chime in! have a discussion--possible influences, primary sources, other styles of writing that mimic what the author is trying to achieve, etc.
Well, hopefully that didn't eat up too much time you'll never get back!
Now post, post my erudite friends and foes!
*You've gotta go full ham when writing ground rules, really. No other way to do it*
Charlie
Just a quick reminder about posting feedback on people's work. Since we're a writer's forum first and foremost, how we give feedback matters tremendously. Ideally, useful feedback will cross off the following traits:
-Tell the author what you liked (duh) and if you're feeling peppy, why you liked it. Specifics! Gotta love them!
-Tell the author when you felt 'taken out of the story'--an abrupt transition, character going against form, a twist ending that didn't quite stick to the dartboard of immersion...
-which dovetails nicely to my next point: offer suggestions to things that put you off your reader game. We aren't doing anyone any good if we only criticize or only praise--the two are linked and rightly so: both are needed for a first draft to progress to a second draft and forward into a final. I'm kinda preaching to the choir here, but if we're shooting for maximum return on significant efforts (and all rough drafts take time, sweat and a copious amount of inventive profanity in most cases) then it behooves those of us who leave feedback to do our best in turn.
-Another dovetail (Damn bird metaphors, get me my metaphorical steam-powered net gun!) into the next point: line notes! Love them or hate them, they are damned useful when the author goes for round 2--when possible attach line notes in either .doc or .pdf form--which leads me to my next point:
--ask open ended questions so that other people who've commented on the same story will want to chime in! have a discussion--possible influences, primary sources, other styles of writing that mimic what the author is trying to achieve, etc.
Well, hopefully that didn't eat up too much time you'll never get back!
Now post, post my erudite friends and foes!
*You've gotta go full ham when writing ground rules, really. No other way to do it*
Charlie