I know how hard it can be to find someone who is willing to read your work and give honest and helpful feedback. Sometimes people are overly critical. Sometimes they are not critical enough. Sometimes the comments are too vague and therefore useless. I would like to read and comment on… well… anything, really. However, I don’t like to do it in a forum setting because 1) everyone sees the comments of everyone else and can be influenced by those comments rather than the actual writing, 2) I’m a private person who doesn’t do well in these kind of public situations… whether online or in person, 3) it’s never clear (to me) what kind of feedback the writer is looking for (I’ll explain more about this in a minute), and 4) I don’t feel I can take the kind of time that I would like to in a forum comment, and I want to feel that my comments are valuable to the writer.
And you might ask why I want to do this, and why I’m approaching it this way. Well, I have no writing “credentials” to speak of. I’m just an average jane who likes to read and dabbles in writing. I thought initially that I might want to exchange writing with someone and receive feedback on my own. But I’m not ready for that. I don’t want to share anything with anyone right now, nor am I particularly inspired to write anything. However, I have been called upon by numerous friends, coworkers, and acquaintances to read, critique, and give perspective on different assignments and pieces, both fiction and nonfiction. I enjoy this a lot. I get to do something I really enjoy, something I think I’m moderately good at, and I get to feel appreciated and needed! Those are my benefits. I don’t know what your benefits may be.
Now, for requirements. I know, it seems silly to have requirements when I’m not an editor or an agent. But I’m not talking about those kinds of requirements. I never know what kind of feedback a person might want. Different writers at different stages or different people with different personalities want to know different things about their writing. And I require that someone tell me what kind of a critique he or she would like. Also, it would be nice if, after I critique your work, you let me know if you thought it was helpful or not. So, as for the kinds of critiques/edits I’ll give you, don’t worry about telling me that you want me to “rip it apart” or “be kind.” These are too vague for me. So I’ve come up with a few options you can select for your personalized critique!! Don’t feel tied to only these options, though. If you have specific questions or ideas about plot, theme, style, punctuation, point of view, or anything else, please ask! I’ll do my best.
I will always be honest with you about your writing. However, it’s always important to keep in mind that my ideas, opinions, or perspectives are probably biased… and you are the writer. You will always make the final decision (with me, that is, perhaps not with a publisher… but I don’t know exactly how that all works). So take it with a grain of salt. And with my disclaimer (again): I have no credentials! I’m just a reader. Anyway, enough rambling… here is your Critique Menu. Feel free to choose as many or as few as you like.
--Positive feedback. I will focus on the strengths of the work. I’ll offer encouragement and let you know what I really like about your writing. I won’t lie about it either.
--Punctuation, spelling, and grammar. I’ll go over basic punctuation and grammar errors that you may need to correct. This is pretty straightforward, basic editing.
--Language and usage. I’ll look at your language and usage, including word choice and phrasing. This kind of editing is a little more subjective than simply noting punctuation, grammar, and spelling.
--Elements of fiction. I’ll let you know what strikes me about your characters, setting, plot, dialogue, point of view, and other story elements. This is definitely subjective and you may or may not agree with what I say. And that’s just fine!
--Opinionated. I won’t be mean. But I’ll let you know if it really bored me to tears or if I couldn’t stop reading it. I’ll give you more of a generalized opinion of the piece… whether I liked it or not and why.
--Simon Cowell. I’ll tell it like I think it is. If it’s not what I’m looking for or what I might consider picking up at a bookstore, expect to be told so. Bluntly. Any tact I may have will be eliminated. (Disclaimer: I’ve never really been mean in regard to critiquing someone’s piece. I could do it though if you asked for it. I am definitely not bereft of opinions. Most people whose work I have looked at have been friends or… worse… creative writing classmates. Keeping my friends was more important than abuse. However, everyone here is a stranger through the magic of the internet. Besides, if you ask for it, I’ll be compelled to keep up my end of the bargain and tell it like it is.) PS—you can’t select “Simon Cowell” and “Positive feedback” for the same piece. If you do, you’ll get the positive feedback. Simon won’t look for the positives when he thinks something is just awful… that’s what Paula is there for. PPS—choosing this option doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll definitely get bad feedback. If you’re good, you’re good. And I’ll say it just as bluntly.
So, I think that about covers things. I realize that maybe this is weird. Why would you trust some random person to give you a valuable critique? How can you be sure I’m being honest and for-real about this? Well… you can’t. But what could it hurt, right? I’m not charging anyone for this. I’m not looking for story ideas. I don’t have any subversive intentions. I’m not going to infect your computer with a virus. Really, I just want to see if anyone finds this appealing. And I want to feel needed in some way (other than needed for my typing skills in the idiot office I currently work in).
If you’re intrigued but not sure about something or have some questions about me or anything else, write me and let me know. I’ll respond honestly. Anyway. Enough of this!
Interested… concerned… bored… wondering… have something you want critiqued… email me at
plumsdeify@yahoo.com. I’ll give you a timeframe for when I should have the critique back to you after I receive the email. Oh yeah… don’t send attachments… for all the usual reasons. And put something I’ll recognize in the subject line… like “please critique my writing” or “I wrote something, can you read it?” and don’t forget to tell me what kinds of critiques you want.
