The Importance of an Honest CRITIQUE

The Importance of an honest Critique

I have found over the last few years that it is almost impossible to get a really honest critique. I think it is because people are too afraid to tell the truth in fear they might upset you, or the person that gave them the story to read. Then there are those that give a critique that I as the writer thinks, this is too good to be true.

What follows is a critique of the book I sent my editor to read to get the hard word. It is the exact transcript with only the more personal and private words deleted.

ROYAL COURTS OF JUSTICE

ANTHONY M [Italy]

 

Sunday, 3 February 2013, 10:06

Hi Ian,

I’ve just finished reading XXXXXXX

It’s a very good story, and ought to be worth publishing. But (and you did ask for realistic criticism!) I don’t think, as it stands, it’s worth you spending a lot of money to get it edited and published.

The way the story is told is good and quite well structured for a novel of this length. What it lacks, I think, is much depth to the characters, even the main ones. Whilst detailed descriptions of the characters aren’t needed (and, in fact, I think you often try to give too much descriptive detail about the characters in your writing), what I feel they are missing is much of how they feel and think, and anything that makes the reader able to “identify” with one or more of them and really feel part of the story when reading it. Simply, there’s very little that makes the reader either love or hate any of them to any great extent, or even to care about what happens to them. It lacks emotion. Perhaps it would be a little harsh to say so, but it almost could be a history book just telling what happened, rather than a novel.

As with much of your writing, I feel it doesn’t quite have the “flow” that makes a novel really “readable”. It’s not just a matter of grammar or punctuation, although there is a lot that needs correcting, but rather the way that much of it is phrased. It feels clumsy and it’s also “flat”, by which I mean that you don’t use language to create high and low points in the story – such as using shorter, sharper sentences for action scenes; soft, flowing words for friendship and love; words with hard, violent consonants when there is anger; and so on.

A good editor will correct any grammatical and punctuation errors. A really good editor will attend to the phrasing, although that’s beyond most of them. What an editor can’t do, is put feeling into the story that comes across to the reader and draws the reader right into the book. That needs to come from you, and at the moment I don’t think you’ve quite got it. Unlike XXXXXXXXXXXX this sort of book won’t sell simply because it’s a good story. It needs very much more than that.

Regards,

XXXXX

CITY OF LONDON SKYLINE

The critique above is the reason that I am now taking another look at my manuscript. I have read through it and I’m in agreement to all that has been said. There is a lot to do but I am up for the challenge. I knew there was a lot wrong with the story, but because the story was born from my imagination I could not see the problem. This kind of criticism is precise and to the point. I just ask myself why others can’t be as honest is a mystery. I take all criticism seriously but not the ones that say the right things but for the wrong reasons.

If a writer allows a friend or relation to read the book they inevitably arrive back at your doorstep with the words you want to hear. I doubt very much though that they will be the words of the whole truth, as no one wishes to upset a friend or relation. So the writer is left with the only option once more and return to the editor that is set in his ways.

The problem here though, is the fact that an editor has not always got the time to read your story. This leaves a break in the chain of writing the story and getting it published, either by publisher or self publish. I have been pondering this problem for over a year now and I have finally come up with a solution. I have a plan that will give me the critique I need from the people I am writing for. What is the plan? Well until I know whether it is working I will keep that to myself.

Be well Ian.