Giving and Using Feedback
This past week, I served as a guest mentor for LJ Idol's Work Room, a place where this year's contestants could brainstorm on the week's topic or ask for writing advice. It was the first time I got to give such focused criticism since grad school, and I hadn't realized how much I missed it.
Over the course of the week, I had many opportunities to think about the best way to give useful feedback and the best way to use it, once it's provided.
When giving feedback, I've learned to focus my critiques. This was something I learned while teaching English 15, a freshman composition course. If I provided too many comments, the students had difficulty figuring out what to change.
Therefore, when I'm looking at a rough draft, I consider the key elements. What type of piece is it? Who is the intended audience? What do the author's goals appear to be? How well does the author achieve those goals? I direct my comments towards the best way for the author to improve, even it means ignoring minor errors and awkward word constructions along the way.
Once you have feedback, what do you do with it? I suggest reading through them and considering how well the critic seems to "get" what you were trying to achieve. If they seem to be way off base, the problem may not be with the critic but rather with the fact that you have failed to make your goals clear.
When I was working with an entire workshop of classmates, I could put all the comments together and determine if several of them had similar suggestions. But even with one critique, you can receive valuable insights into how a reader views the work.
Of course, the most important aspect is never to ask for feedback if you're not looking for criticism. If someone takes the time to look at your piece, you're not obligated to incorporate her suggestions; but you shouldn't immediately reply with a seven-point defense of your piece as it is! This was why, in our graduate workshops, we weren't allowed to say anything about our poems as they were being critiqued, unless it was in response to a direct question. Then, once the classmates were done, we could ask them for clarification or follow up with questions of our own. If you are convinced your piece is perfect as it is, don't waste someone's time by asking him to read it!
Rather, determine which of the comments are most helpful and use them as a way of revisiting the piece. I would recommend putting it aside for at least a week before starting to work on the revisions, to get a little emotional distance and to give the suggestions a chance to sink in and spur your thinking. Of course, if you're working on a stricter deadline, you'll have to get to work sooner, but in general, it's good to have a little downtime right after a critique, even if it's just an hour.
There's a lot more to critiquing and revising, but by following my rules above, I believe you can drastically improve your workshop or critique experience.
What about you? What do you look for when you're critiquing a writer's work? If you're a writer, how do you use the critiques that people give you?
Over the course of the week, I had many opportunities to think about the best way to give useful feedback and the best way to use it, once it's provided.
When giving feedback, I've learned to focus my critiques. This was something I learned while teaching English 15, a freshman composition course. If I provided too many comments, the students had difficulty figuring out what to change.
Therefore, when I'm looking at a rough draft, I consider the key elements. What type of piece is it? Who is the intended audience? What do the author's goals appear to be? How well does the author achieve those goals? I direct my comments towards the best way for the author to improve, even it means ignoring minor errors and awkward word constructions along the way.
Once you have feedback, what do you do with it? I suggest reading through them and considering how well the critic seems to "get" what you were trying to achieve. If they seem to be way off base, the problem may not be with the critic but rather with the fact that you have failed to make your goals clear.
When I was working with an entire workshop of classmates, I could put all the comments together and determine if several of them had similar suggestions. But even with one critique, you can receive valuable insights into how a reader views the work.
Of course, the most important aspect is never to ask for feedback if you're not looking for criticism. If someone takes the time to look at your piece, you're not obligated to incorporate her suggestions; but you shouldn't immediately reply with a seven-point defense of your piece as it is! This was why, in our graduate workshops, we weren't allowed to say anything about our poems as they were being critiqued, unless it was in response to a direct question. Then, once the classmates were done, we could ask them for clarification or follow up with questions of our own. If you are convinced your piece is perfect as it is, don't waste someone's time by asking him to read it!
Rather, determine which of the comments are most helpful and use them as a way of revisiting the piece. I would recommend putting it aside for at least a week before starting to work on the revisions, to get a little emotional distance and to give the suggestions a chance to sink in and spur your thinking. Of course, if you're working on a stricter deadline, you'll have to get to work sooner, but in general, it's good to have a little downtime right after a critique, even if it's just an hour.
There's a lot more to critiquing and revising, but by following my rules above, I believe you can drastically improve your workshop or critique experience.
What about you? What do you look for when you're critiquing a writer's work? If you're a writer, how do you use the critiques that people give you?
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