[Semi-OT] CritiqueCircle

[Leitz]

Hey all, for those of us who want to improve our writing craft, (and some of us really need improvement!) CritiqueCircle is useful. You submit a story and get feedback from various other members.

There's a free level you can join at, and the system works on the concept of "credits". You start off with enough credits to submit one story and you can earn credits by critiquing other's work. Most of the pieces are in the 1K-3K range, and you need to write a decent (300+ words) critique, but it becomes easy to do after a few tries.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Interesting. I just recently bought some writing software so I could write Traveller adventures.

 

[Tiikeri]

Interesting. I just recently bought some writing software so I could write Traveller adventures.

Which writing software did you get?

 

[whartung]

Interesting. I just recently bought some writing software so I could write Traveller adventures.

Does it work? Did the software write Traveller adventures?

 

[Proneutron]

Hey all, for those of us who want to improve our writing craft, (and some of us really need improvement!) CritiqueCircle is useful. You submit a story and get feedback from various other members.

There's a free level you can join at, and the system works on the concept of "credits". You start off with enough credits to submit one story and you can earn credits by critiquing other's work. Most of the pieces are in the 1K-3K range, and you need to write a decent (300+ words) critique, but it becomes easy to do after a few tries.

How many of the "critics" are successfully published authors?

 

[Fovean]

How many of the "critics" are successfully published authors?

Does that really matter? It seems the point of the OP was to offer an opportunity for new and unestablished writers to help each other and learn to grow together.

As someone who has written a Traveller adventure that was actually published, and then subsequently failed to deliver on more ambitious ideas, I’d say check it out before you throw shade.

Writing is hard. There’s no software that will make it easy.

 

[Leitz]

Does that really matter? It seems the point of the OP was to offer an opportunity for new and unestablished writers to help each other and learn to grow together.

As someone who has written a Traveller adventure that was actually published, and then subsequently failed to deliver on more ambitious ideas, I’d say check it out before you throw shade.

Writing is hard. There’s no software that will make it easy.

I have gotten great insights because they do not think like me. They often catch descriptions I'm lacking (I can see it in my head, but never remembered to write it down) and let me know if each chapter holds their interest. While I might not be on the best-seller list (yet!) I'm producing fun stories that fit in a Traveller mindset.

Having a published author rave over my work would be nice, but it ain't likely to happen. I'm good with that, too. Have you read some of the published work out there? I've got books in my genre that I can't even get past a few chapters on. Good grief! One of them was "recommended by" an author I enjoy, and another one was actually by an author I read. It was just that book start and set up was not happening for me.

On the other hand, I have a guy on CC whose writing I enjoy and he gives me useful critique on my work. It's not "oh, you write so well" but "this doesn't make sense, explain it" stuff. Real gold, for us writers.

 

[whartung]

On the other hand, I have a guy on CC whose writing I enjoy and he gives me useful critique on my work. It's not "oh, you write so well" but "this doesn't make sense, explain it" stuff. Real gold, for us writers.

And if nothing else, there's folks actually reading what you write. Which alone can be helpful, no matter how skilled the critic.

 

[Tiikeri]

I pay good money to editors to tell me how bad my writing is.

 

[AtlanticFriend]

I pay good money to editors to tell me how bad my writing is.

Meh. I could do that for half the price, if that's what you're really after!

 

[AtlanticFriend]

How many of the "critics" are successfully published authors?

How many demanding readers are successfully published authors? And yet, it is they who have expectations about the books they buy, and who make such book a success or not.

I think the Critique Circle, which this thread made me discover, is a nice idea. I'll go there and offer some constructive advice.

 

[AtlanticFriend]

Lots of talented aspiring writers over there!

I've been trying to write two critiques a day, but there are dozens of stories waiting to be read. Not much SF though, so if any of youse gents want to try his hands at it, the science-fiction niche is wide open.

 

[aramis]

How many demanding readers are successfully published authors? And yet, it is they who have expectations about the books they buy, and who make such book a success or not.

I think the Critique Circle, which this thread made me discover, is a nice idea. I'll go there and offer some constructive advice.

The most demanding readers I know are not published as fiction authors. (I did layout for a non-profit and their newsletter for 3-4 years. The whole board were prolific and hypercritical readers. After the meetings, it often sounded like a book club, not a non-profit clinic/advocacy agency full of psych professionals.)

Note that almost all of them were published - most had post-grad degrees and some articles published in journals. But none of them for fiction

Technically, I've only been published as an editor and layout guy, not an author.

 

[AtlanticFriend]

I agree. If I tried to write and get published I'd want readers' opinions more than authors'. After all, it's readers who would decide if I'm good enough.

 

[Leitz]

There's a level of feedback you have to ignore. What "some editors" do or don't like is irrelevant. But having readers point out things that might have been in your mental picture but didn't make it into the written scene is very useful. I often ask if the characters and story were engaging. If a reader likes them then the reader is more likely to continue reading. If not, I need to fix that. Reader engagement is huge.

I find writing feedback helps my games. Once I started thinking about how the DM and other players built their mental image from what I wrote, I started writing game posts better. Not perfect, but hopefully more engaging. As a DM, it's fun to think about what information the players need to make in-character decisions and then provide that information in a descriptive way. For example, I ran a short game where several characters had sneaky skills, so I ensured the setting descriptions showed what type of hiding places there were and what sorts of lighting were in effect.

Most play by post gamers could write a scene for Critique Circle. With an engaging plot and interesting characters, you could write a decent story. Whether or not you do the work to hone your craft is up to you, but I enjoy the stories I've written over the years. The more I put into them the more I often get back.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

Which writing software did you get?

Scrivener and Scapple.

Writing is hard. There’s no software that will make it easy.

Very true. For me, it's like programming. Putting my thoughts to printed page, etc. Then there is the layout/format design to do. And the art. And so on.

 

[whartung]

Very true. For me, it's like programming. Putting my thoughts to printed page, etc. Then there is the layout/format design to do. And the art. And so on.

The hard part for me is that the writing is "unprompted".

Most of my "writing" is prompted by something else. A question to be answered, an opinion, perhaps unsolicited, offered. In either case, it's a reactionary thing.

Arguably, so is my programming. Here is Task, make computer do Task.

The game for me is I need to break down a story/article/book in to the series of questions I'm being asked, and then respond to them. With something as a driver, it's really hard to put stuff to "paper" for me.

 

[Fovean]

Where I stumble is the rewrites. I’m pretty good at getting things down, sometimes rambling, sometimes concise, sometimes way too terse. But once I’ve “finished” I have a hard time getting back into it, to shape it and sharpen it. Thus many of my efforts never see the light of day.

It’s disappointing at times, my apparent apathy, but I don’t let it get me down. For me, most often, the process is the product.

 

[ShawnDriscoll]

The hard part for me is that the writing is "unprompted".

Most of my "writing" is prompted by something else. A question to be answered, an opinion, perhaps unsolicited, offered. In either case, it's a reactionary thing.

Arguably, so is my programming. Here is Task, make computer do Task.

The game for me is I need to break down a story/article/book in to the series of questions I'm being asked, and then respond to them. With something as a driver, it's really hard to put stuff to "paper" for me.

Characters should be character-driven is all. Just like when role-playing. They'll write for themselves.

 

[Leitz]

Dwight Swain's "Techniques of the Selling Writer" helps, as does Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey". Put together they can make an awesome story toolbox.

Not all scenes are good story material. But some have the potential to grow into a rich and engaging tale. If you can take a scene, or character, and build a structure based on "Journey", then you may have the makings of a great story. Recurring questions are "What am I trying to say?" and "Who is the best person to say that?"

My first book grew very organically, and it was a slow read. I took the story structure from "Journey" and the second book was a lot more active. Things happened. My books are sort of "Sandlot kids become Guardians of the Galaxy".

The third book was fun, I wanted to deal with bullies and how friendships can form across wide social and educational gaps. Revising the fourth book is going to be tough, it deals with teen pregnancy, suicide, sacrifice, and mental health labels.