Blog Post: Self-Critiquing

[From Our Blog]

New blog post by Claire G – discussions in this thread, please
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Who the hell do you think you are?

I once heard that authors alternate between two perceptions of their work-in-progress. One is: ‘This is amazing! I’m a bloody genius!’ The other is: ‘This is the worst thing ever written! Ever! In the whole history of story!’ The truth, of course, is that it’s usually somewhere in between.

Self-critiquing can be useful. Everyone has areas that need to be developed, whether that’s relating to character, plot or prose. Knowing that we need to examine our writing with an analytical eye is the first step on the road to improvement.

But self-critiquing has its limitations. It can be difficult to be objective. It can be taken too far due to a lack of confidence or having an overly-critical eye. It can hold us back, give us writers’ block, or even make us give up on a project that’s worth persevering with. The question heading of this section refers to my own inner voice which likes to rear its ugly head now and again. Imposter syndrome is very real and extremely self-limiting, folks.



How can we overcome the issues associated with self-critiquing?

Distance – time away from the manuscript so that you return with a more objective eye.

Balance – what are the pros and cons of your WIP? Try to play to your strengths, identify the areas in need of development.

Feedback – from a trusted reader. Litopia’s Laboratory and weekly Huddles are great for this!



Experience

In my previous posts, I’ve occasionally referred to difficulties I’ve experienced when writing, or those identified when I’ve reflected retrospectively. One was the limitation of writing from the perspective of a ghost (I realised I needed other ghost characters for her to interact with to avoid her being a mere passive observer of life). The other was realising the drawbacks of writing lots of point-of-view characters (differentiating voice, fully-fleshing out each character’s story etc) – I’m still grappling with this one!

But it’s not all bad! My ghost character got to reflect on life and death in a way that a living character couldn’t. My ten pov novel allowed me to explore lots of different characters’ perspectives on a shared experience, which would be otherwise unachievable.

My recent psychological suspense WIPs have their own issues: does the plot make sense? Are there any holes? How can I sustain tension throughout? With the help of a bit of self-reflection, distance and the generosity of other eyes on the manuscripts, hopefully these areas will be soon be resolved (fingers crossed!).



Final Thoughts

Do you self-critique in a balanced way? How do you achieve this?

What limitations do you need to overcome?

What are the strengths and areas to develop in your own writing?
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By @Claire G
Get the discussion going – post your thoughts & comments in the thread below…

 

[Mel L]

New blog post by Claire G – discussions in this thread, please
---

Who the hell do you think you are?

I once heard that authors alternate between two perceptions of their work-in-progress. One is: ‘This is amazing! I’m a bloody genius!’ The other is: ‘This is the worst thing ever written! Ever! In the whole history of story!’ The truth, of course, is that it’s usually somewhere in between.

Self-critiquing can be useful. Everyone has areas that need to be developed, whether that’s relating to character, plot or prose. Knowing that we need to examine our writing with an analytical eye is the first step on the road to improvement.

But self-critiquing has its limitations. It can be difficult to be objective. It can be taken too far due to a lack of confidence or having an overly-critical eye. It can hold us back, give us writers’ block, or even make us give up on a project that’s worth persevering with. The question heading of this section refers to my own inner voice which likes to rear its ugly head now and again. Imposter syndrome is very real and extremely self-limiting, folks.



How can we overcome the issues associated with self-critiquing?

Distance – time away from the manuscript so that you return with a more objective eye.

Balance – what are the pros and cons of your WIP? Try to play to your strengths, identify the areas in need of development.

Feedback – from a trusted reader. Litopia’s Laboratory and weekly Huddles are great for this!



Experience

In my previous posts, I’ve occasionally referred to difficulties I’ve experienced when writing, or those identified when I’ve reflected retrospectively. One was the limitation of writing from the perspective of a ghost (I realised I needed other ghost characters for her to interact with to avoid her being a mere passive observer of life). The other was realising the drawbacks of writing lots of point-of-view characters (differentiating voice, fully-fleshing out each character’s story etc) – I’m still grappling with this one!

But it’s not all bad! My ghost character got to reflect on life and death in a way that a living character couldn’t. My ten pov novel allowed me to explore lots of different characters’ perspectives on a shared experience, which would be otherwise unachievable.

My recent psychological suspense WIPs have their own issues: does the plot make sense? Are there any holes? How can I sustain tension throughout? With the help of a bit of self-reflection, distance and the generosity of other eyes on the manuscripts, hopefully these areas will be soon be resolved (fingers crossed!).



Final Thoughts

Do you self-critique in a balanced way? How do you achieve this?

What limitations do you need to overcome?

What are the strengths and areas to develop in your own writing?
---

By @Claire G
Get the discussion going – post your thoughts & comments in the thread below…

I self-critique endlessly, and even oscillate between two extremes you describe in the same session! (Is that balance? - Lol)
Distance definitely helps. I try to follow the principles described in Tiffany Yates Martin's excellent book on self-editing, zooming out to identify the areas that need work. But not gonna lie, I do struggle with this as I tend to line edit all the time.
The hardest part for me is the trusted reader bit. It can be hugely helpful but also disruptive to get different opinions on a WiP. As this process is painful to me, I tend to leave it too late before asking for feedback. Definitely need to work on that!

 

[Sedayne]

Great post @Claire G - lots to think about

Distance and balance can be hard to find when I spend so much time inside my own head

I have an imaginary writers’ group that meets in my head on an irregular basis. Its membership fluctuates, but it generally consists of John Irving, Emily St John Mandel, Ian McEwan, Clare Chambers, Ruth Ozeki, and the author of whichever book I’m reading at the time.*
I read sections of their books and think about what I like about them, what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes I look at things on a technical level, but more often it’s an instinctive thing. I think about what it is about their writing I love, and how I could apply that to my own work.
Then I look at a section of my WIP and wonder what the hell these ‘real’ writers would think. What would John Irving do here? It’s impossible to know, but if it doesn’t make me want to throw my laptop out of the window and give up altogether, I think it does help. Sometimes.

Litopia is good for me because there are real people offering some perspective.
You are all real aren't you? Just checking.


*I recently asked Imaginary Louise Kennedy how she wrote Trespasses with no speech marks yet managed to make the dialogue crystal clear and the story flow so compellingly. She didn’t give me a straight answer…

 

[Pamela Jo]

Great post @Claire G - lots to think about

Distance and balance can be hard to find when I spend so much time inside my own head

I have an imaginary writers’ group that meets in my head on an irregular basis. Its membership fluctuates, but it generally consists of John Irving, Emily St John Mandel, Ian McEwan, Clare Chambers, Ruth Ozeki, and the author of whichever book I’m reading at the time.*
I read sections of their books and think about what I like about them, what works and what doesn’t. Sometimes I look at things on a technical level, but more often it’s an instinctive thing. I think about what it is about their writing I love, and how I could apply that to my own work.
Then I look at a section of my WIP and wonder what the hell these ‘real’ writers would think. What would John Irving do here? It’s impossible to know, but if it doesn’t make me want to throw my laptop out of the window and give up altogether, I think it does help. Sometimes.

Litopia is good for me because there are real people offering some perspective.
You are all real aren't you? Just checking.


*I recently asked Imaginary Louise Kennedy how she wrote Trespasses with no speech marks yet managed to make the dialogue crystal clear and the story flow so compellingly. She didn’t give me a straight answer…

The Griffins assure me I am real. The Unicorn is doubtful.

I am always trying to analyse how I get hooked with a book. Is it a phrase? An image? The dialog?

The neuroscience says that the more you practise a skill the more your brain expands to make you even better at that skill. Not just use it or lose it-but the only way to gain it is to practice it. The writers I admire all say the same thing. First apply bum to chair seat then write. Next learn to hear the words as a reader does.

 

[Sedayne]

Next learn to hear the words as a reader does.

I think that's the key thing of self-critiquing. Stepping outside one's own head into the mind of the reader. Getting that objectivity.
To take it literally, reading aloud helps, and recording and listening back can be enlightening.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I think that's the key thing of self-critiquing. Stepping outside one's own head into the mind of the reader. Getting that objectivity.
To take it literally, reading aloud helps, and recording and listening back can be enlightening.

The hardest part for me is translating the images and feelings in my head into text. Stories come to me in pictures and something like emotions. So sometimes it's easier for me to capture a whole story in a photo that takes seconds than to get the reader to feel and see the story in words.

 

[Sedayne]

The hardest part for me is translating the images and feelings in my head into text. Stories come to me in pictures and something like emotions. So sometimes it's easier for me to capture a whole story in a photo that takes seconds than to get the reader to feel and see the story in words.

It's interesting because for me it's the opposite. My brain responds more to sound than pictures. I learn better aurally, and visually I'm rather useless. It's a weakness of my writing that the reader probably doesn't get a sense of what anyone looks like or of the scenery around them. I envy the photographer's eye.

 

[Mel L]

It's interesting because for me it's the opposite. My brain responds more to sound than pictures. I learn better aurally, and visually I'm rather useless. It's a weakness of my writing that the reader probably doesn't get a sense of what anyone looks like or of the scenery around them. I envy the photographer's eye.

Same here!

 

[Peyton Stafford]

For me, it's all about translating real life into prose.