What Would Happen?

[Teresa]

There's a broad spectrum of talent and subject matter at 6S and writers receive feedback in the form of comments, but these comments pertain to specific pieces.  What would happen if writers received a general review?  What if you've always wanted to tell a writer one or two things that would make a huge difference in his/her overall writing but are afraid to hurt his/her feelings?  (Doesn't that last sentence read awkwardly?).

 

I received a private comment once, an eye-opener, "I like some of your pieces but you need to work on your grammar." 

 

I bought two "Idiot's Guide" books to assess/fix this.  What if we're making the same damn mistakes over and over again and don't know it?  It's like walking around with toilet paper on our shoes or leaving our flies open and nobody says a thing.

 

I've caught some of my mistakes long after hitting "Publish" and cringed at the thought of all the eyes tripping over the errors before I realized they existed.  That's bad enough, but the idea of unwittingly repeating the same mistakes creates an ugly paranoia in me.  I'm constantly checking my shoes, so much so that otherwise promising stories remain hidden in the bathroom.

 

If the range of problems runs from A to Z, I'll hang up the craft (not).  But please, tell me about my toilet paper and open fly.  I don't expect constant deep editing, but a once-and-for-all spoonful of constructive criticism can't hurt.  I trust my "friends".  Who knows?  A deep cleansing review might just mesh with some suspicions we already have about ourselves and our writing.

 

Would this be a good or bad thing for us all?  Can we separate opinion from fact critiques?  

 

It's worth a discussion.   

[Marion Mitchell]

I agree. I seek constructive criticism to help me to improve my writing skills and specific pieces of writing shared on 6S.

[Robert Crisman]

That's a tricky one. Some people use "critiques" as a means of going one-up. Others don't appear to know what they're talking about. Other times it's a matter of not knowing how to frame a well-meant, balanced critique.
Also, and this is a big one, there are folks who might say they want critiques, but they sure don't, and then you've gotten yourself into a mess, with hurt feelings and all the rest of it. I once lost a girlfriend behind this very thing and--never again unless someone pays me.
I think there's only one rule: if you absolutely hate a piece, leave it the hell alone; it's not our business to make people feel bad.

[Teresa]

You're just askin' for a spankin' aren't ya? Your response had 8...;-)

There are six to ten 6ers around here who actually have the experience and expertise to give a respectable critique. Others who aren't or don't feel qualified might just say, "I feel ____ when I read your pieces and that turns me off." Or a person can say, "I'm no expert, but your sentences seem too long" or "You're always talking about YOU" (gee, who could that be?). And you know what? If someone asks for it, they'll have to prepare to get it. I'm asking for it.

And Fly, that girlfriend wasn't much to walk away so easily. Friends help friends. And btw, you can't "lose" a Bug.

[jkdavies]

We have at work the 360° feedback method, where we would invite a number of people (supervisors/employees/peers) to comment anonymously. You get to choose the people you invite but you don't know who writes what (although sometimes you can guess from the style of the writing)
There must be some neat techy way of doing this for the sixers too - I'm wondering if a short-lived co-authored blog would be the right solution but not sure about being able to ensure anonymity?

[Teresa]

We could create temporary new identities - new avatars, and critique other writers anonymously in a new discussion. We would have to disguise ourselves in country twangs or with British accents, or maybe skip any flowing prose at all (because most of us have very recognizable "voices") and critique in short bullets.

POW!

[Teresa]

We could also set a structure for the critiques that has to be followed, a 1-2-3 of the things you think could improve with possible suggestions and, a 1-2-3 of what you like most about the writing, always ending on a postivie note.

[jkdavies]

don't f off, please?

[Teresa]

Gita, your expertise is always welcome on any of my blogs, but I know you've been editing/teaching your brains out and editing is the last thing you feel like doing in your off time. I respect you as a writer and "get" you, your no-nonsense linear approach as opposed to my spiral flower-child self. You're one of the rare writers who, in my humble opinion, doesn't make any mistakes. My mistakes will be, for the most part, invisible to me. That's what I'm asking for help with - the mistakes I miss because I can't see them. You edit for a living. I'm a high school graduate with a tiny AAS degree which enables me to take x-rays but didn't teach me much about writing. All I know about writing is from reading, high school and a ridiculously lame English class at Houston Community College. What's easy for you is a struggle for me, sometimes an embarrassing struggle.

[Teresa]

Amen to that! The two of you share that high perch, Gita.

[Sal Moreno]

I think a little constructive criticism can't hurt. Personally, I welcome it. We're all here not only to express ourselves, but to do it well. And, it has become abundantly clear to me, that I roam among giants. I'll holler about the crust in your eye, if you point out the booger hangin' out my nose. Keep writing. ;-)

[Teresa]

That's a sweet way to put it, and a way my Fort Worth upbringing can relate to... By the way, I need a shower right now. I'm glad you can't smell me.

[Mike Handley]

Not to sound like a broken record, but I write for 6S to both entertain and for the challenge of crafting a story within the constraint of six sentences. Conversely, I read to be entertained and to see how well others have risen to the challenge. Usually, I try not to wear my editor's hat because Rob is correct: A lot of people aren't ready for the red ink, even if they claim otherwise. And I hate to burn bridges.

On the craft itself, I tell students and budding writers that the most important thing is to be able to tell a good story. The mechanics take a back seat, and we never stop learning and refining them. There are writers here who are gifted storytellers, although they need lots of work in structuring sentences. Others might possess all the tools, but they often cannot tell a story or articulate exactly what they want to say. I'll leave a comment for the former and rarely for the latter.

To what extent should an editor comment on a six-sentence piece that might never see the light of day beyond this site?
Because of the sentence constraint here, a lot of people write in a style they wouldn't ordinarily use in conventional writing. Thus, commenting on the awkwardness of construction seems irrelevant.

Shit, now I'm sounding more like a pipe-smoking academic. Sorry.

To wrap it up, I'll just say that I'll happily take a look at a particular piece -- as an editor -- if someone asks. Otherwise, I don't want to come off as anal (I've tried that a couple of times and didn't like the way I felt afterward). And if I read something that gives me hives, I'll probably avoid that writer. An example: Just the other day, a blogger on this site used the word "right" for "write." I've had angry red splotches for a week.

Last thought: If folks truly want to become masters of the six-sentence realm, they (1) shouldn't employ run-on sentences, (2) should use semicolons and elipses sparingly, and (3) learn the proper way to use dashes. And if that doesn't matter to ya, just go for it and have fun.