Is there such a thing as too many critiques?
A writing friend and I debated this issue earlier this week. She told me that if one critique partner doesn’t like something, she changes it, even if no one else agrees. Her opinion is that a critique group represents a microcosm of editors. She knows she can’t please everyone, but she tries to incorporate everyone’s suggestions.
My reaction was: yikes! With the wide range of opinions I sometimes receive, it would be impossible to address every critcism. I might wind up with a muddled mess of a manuscript.
My story cannot be all things to all people. We all have our own tastes, which dictates the books we choose to read, the titles we recommend to friends, and the stories we stop reading after Chapter I. If not all people agree on published books, you don’t have to wait for a concensus vote on a manuscript before considering it finished.
I only revise based on solo suggestions if the comment resonates with me. If someone points out something I was already doubting, then that’s the confirmation I need to fix it. A writing peer can highlight something I never thought of, but I immediately see the validity of their argument and make the change.
If a comment doesn’t make sense to me, I ask questions. I have to understand the reasons behind the criticism. And if it still doesn’t feel right, I leave it behind. If six people love something and only one hates it, I’m not going to strive to please that person, especially if I just don’t agree. Ultimately, I’m the author.
Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) 
9 comments
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November 26, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Shari
If there’s a general consensus in my critique group, I’ll for sure make changes. If it’s only one comment, then I’m like you — if it resonates with me, I change it; if not, I don’t. I learn tons from the comments of my critique partners, but in the end, I’m the writer. My words, my story. To make the story it’s best, I for sure have to keep an open mind to suggestions, but I also have to trust my gut.
November 28, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Corey
I agree. i only follow a solo suggestion if it resonates with me. if it doesn’t, i follow the three person rule (If you hear it three times, it needs to be addressed), but I make it TWO if it comes directly from editors. Two editors told me they liked my story but the ending was flat, and I felt obligated to revise even though I liked the ending the way it was.
November 28, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Marsha
No, a story can unravel is you try to address every criticism. When you’re in a critique-based writing group, part of your growth as a writer comes from analysing contradictory feedback and learning to trust yourself. It’s important to remember that critics may assess others’ work through the lens of their particular interests or hangups. Some don’t work out where the author is taking the story but assess it in terms of how they’d revise it if it was their story.
I tend to get feedback from others until nothing major is being identified. I spend more time assessing the opinions of the majority, but I also pay attention to what is said by individuals whose judgment and knowledge I respect. I find it helpful to focus critical attention where I need it. I do this by providing specific questions for people to answer, e.g., if a particular scene is working, how they view a character, etc.
Marsha
http://www.writingcompanion.wordpress.com
November 28, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Sherrie
I agree. Critiques are good for helping me recognize problems with the story, but I always believe I have the last say. And I certainly wouldn’t stress over one random comment unless, like you said, it resonates with me. I have to trust in my words and my intent in what I wrote.
November 29, 2008 at 10:07 am
Christy
Gosh! I can’t imagine taking every suggestion. That would be nerve wracking! In my critique group I’ve learned that I have to weigh the feedback that I get. I hear what everybody has to say and then I decide if it’s worth changing or not. There are a couple of people that I feel really “get” my writing, so if I’m not sure if someone elses suggestions is worth the change.
If you know how to accept the critiques with a grain of salt, then I think the more critiques you get, the better of a writer you’ll become because knowing how other people approach a piece only broadens the way we look at things as well.
However, if you’re thin skinned, or feel you have to make changes for every suggestion, then maybe there is such a thing as too many critiques.
November 30, 2008 at 5:00 pm
journeybooks
I think a piece can be seriously damaged by critiques. On the same hand, I think critiques by trusted readers are valuable. I consider all comments made on my work by people whose opinions I value. I read the critique quickly and take in what has been said and then let it sit and I think about it, even if it went completely against my grain. After awhile, I open the critique again with my manuscript opened and I go through it carefully. I find that it easy then to fix what needs to be fixed and to dismiss what doesn’t work for me. Sometimes there are writers who when they critique want to eliminate your style. They strike through sentence after sentence and re-write your message in their words. If these kind of critiquers are also not reading your work thoughtfully and not understanding where you are going with your piece, then they can be even more harmful to you.
I do not consider these kind of critiques at all. I throw them out.
Jennifer
December 3, 2008 at 10:15 am
Victoria Merrill
I’m the person whose original comment prompted this blog entry. I think I was exaggerating to make a point. I don’t actually make every single change suggested by each critique partner. My manuscripts would be a mess if I did that. What I meant to say was that I strongly consider every suggestion. I don’t just discount anything. I go through an analysis. 1) Who made this comment? My group consists of an illustrator, several PB writers, one chapter book writer, and two YA writers, and a MG writer. So it’s a very good mix. If the illustrator makes a comment on a YA that no one else made, then I factor that into my decision.
2) Was there a consensus on the criticism? (Three or more people had a similar reaction)
3) Did I have reservations about the particular content when I wrote it, but I left it in there to see what people would say? If so, then I will change it even based on one comment. That’s what I was talking about when I made the original remark — I once had something in a MG manuscript that I believed to be in slightly poor taste, but funny in a demented way. Everyone in my group thought it was hilarious and didn’t balk at it. But one lady who missed the meeting later e-mailed a critique expressing thoughts that the sentence was in poor taste. She is a PB writer, not a MG writer, but her comment still resonated with me because I had the same initial reaction.
4) Does the comment say something I hadn’t thought of, yet making the suggested change would somehow improve the manuscript? Then yes, I will make a change even based on one critiquer’s comment.
Hope this clarifies! Glad I was able to stir up controversy though!
December 3, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Robin Mizell
Regarding critiques, the websites I occasionally put together certainly benefit from user testing, though I’ll grant that I’ve only asked for informal feedback. It’s difficult, and probably unfair, to ask people to test sites without paying for their time. Wouldn’t the same principle (the desirability of user-friendliness) apply to books? If there’s general agreement among readers that a manuscript is entertaining, then isn’t it more likely to sell?
Frankly, if I can find people willing to critique my work in exchange for commenting on their manuscripts-in-progress, I feel lucky. Some occasionally unprofessional feedback is to be expected.
Getting back to the topic of web design, I thought this children’s book agent’s website was attractive. A number of qualities combine to make a person, and that person’s writing or marketing efforts, seem professional. It might be interesting to see if those specific qualities can be defined by the readers of your blog.
January 13, 2009 at 9:52 am
Janet
Hi, I found your sight and I’ve been looking around. I’m an unpublished children’s writer. I mainly write picture books. I belong to a writing group. We bring our stories to the meetings and take turns reading. Most have been writing longer than I have and I eagerly read their scribbles on my stories and listen to their comments. I will look over their remarks and changes when I get home, and if I agree with them, I will make changes. But I have grown very much as a writer since I started coming to the meetings, and am happy to say that I can now scribble and make comments on their works as well.