In one of my FB writing groups, someone posted asking for a critique of her PB as she'd sent it to 3 people and none had responded back. I'm older than I look so PB to me means either 'Personal Best' or 'Peanut Butter' lol. I admitted to not knowing what PB meant but I was willing to try.
She sent me the 'Picture Book' text--no illustrations yet. I read it then did what I always do because I'm a want-to-know details person. I Googled how many pages/words in a PB. And the experts couldn't agree but hers was at the higher end of the highest number. So I channeled my inner Litopia and gave me honest opinion. I was also Kind. I say that with a capital letter because it's important.
I liked what she wrote and because I'm a visual learner and a picture in my head person, I could see the story. So I praised her on that. I explained what I found in search. I explained about editing out unnecessary words to lower the count. I gave my opinion about a character that, to me, spoke much older than I thought someone that age would. And we all know how tricky dialogue can be!
This is what she messaged back this afternoon (in part).
You are the first person I have ever asked to critique my writing and I am so appreciative of the thought and detail and energy you put into your response. Thank you so much for being so communicative and warm with your words. I was quite nervous to share my writing with anyone and I feel blessed that that person is you!
I was having a very bad day. Her words were a bright spark. Thanks for reading to the end!
She sent me the 'Picture Book' text--no illustrations yet. I read it then did what I always do because I'm a want-to-know details person. I Googled how many pages/words in a PB. And the experts couldn't agree but hers was at the higher end of the highest number. So I channeled my inner Litopia and gave me honest opinion. I was also Kind. I say that with a capital letter because it's important.
I liked what she wrote and because I'm a visual learner and a picture in my head person, I could see the story. So I praised her on that. I explained what I found in search. I explained about editing out unnecessary words to lower the count. I gave my opinion about a character that, to me, spoke much older than I thought someone that age would. And we all know how tricky dialogue can be!
This is what she messaged back this afternoon (in part).
You are the first person I have ever asked to critique my writing and I am so appreciative of the thought and detail and energy you put into your response. Thank you so much for being so communicative and warm with your words. I was quite nervous to share my writing with anyone and I feel blessed that that person is you!
I was having a very bad day. Her words were a bright spark. Thanks for reading to the end!