http://www.critters.org/whathow.html
The article basically says don't be harsh when stating your point. The best part of the whole article is:
I know, it's easy to write something like this (which is the beginning of an actual critique):
Use a spell-checker! NOTHING detracts so much from a story as bad spelling and/or grammar! For example, you spelled 'incessant' as 'incesint'. AGH! Also, you must put in commas where two independent clauses are joined in a sentence.
Are these factually correct statements? Probably. Did the author grasp this from this critique? No. The author complained to me that the critiquer must have had a vendetta. The author didn't want to hear the message, and used an extremely convenient excuse not to--that the message wasn't really meant to be taken at face value, but was merely some kind of revenge thing. It wasn't, but that's lost when you employ this tone.
"You need to," "have to," "should," "must," "can't," "don't," "!", ALL CAPS, the imperative mood--these are harsh and demanding. Readers (especially authors having their babies appraised) react to the haughty tone, and often ignore the message.
So what should you do? If the manuscript is so awful, so riddled with typos and grammos that you feel personally insulted they had the nerve to waste your time and you want to grab the author by the throat, my advice has always been, Skip that manuscript. Pick another one if you have choices or if you don't, make polite excuses why you didn't have time to read it. If you feel you absolutely must offer a critique, then Suggest, don't demand. You don't know their circumstances; they may be a twelve-year-old quadriplegic trying very hard. Think of it as a twist on the old adage: "If you can't say something nicely, don't say anything at all."
So true. Now why can't everyone think like that? It would be so much easier to get advice if people realized that. What do you think?
Do you think people are just in a rush and don't have time to be nice?
Do you think people just really don't care about others feelings?
Do you think people are purposely trying to discourage others to move them out of the way?
I recommend AWWC take a look at the article. Matter of fact.....they need to post it in every forum.
The article basically says don't be harsh when stating your point. The best part of the whole article is:
I know, it's easy to write something like this (which is the beginning of an actual critique):
Use a spell-checker! NOTHING detracts so much from a story as bad spelling and/or grammar! For example, you spelled 'incessant' as 'incesint'. AGH! Also, you must put in commas where two independent clauses are joined in a sentence.
Are these factually correct statements? Probably. Did the author grasp this from this critique? No. The author complained to me that the critiquer must have had a vendetta. The author didn't want to hear the message, and used an extremely convenient excuse not to--that the message wasn't really meant to be taken at face value, but was merely some kind of revenge thing. It wasn't, but that's lost when you employ this tone.
"You need to," "have to," "should," "must," "can't," "don't," "!", ALL CAPS, the imperative mood--these are harsh and demanding. Readers (especially authors having their babies appraised) react to the haughty tone, and often ignore the message.
So what should you do? If the manuscript is so awful, so riddled with typos and grammos that you feel personally insulted they had the nerve to waste your time and you want to grab the author by the throat, my advice has always been, Skip that manuscript. Pick another one if you have choices or if you don't, make polite excuses why you didn't have time to read it. If you feel you absolutely must offer a critique, then Suggest, don't demand. You don't know their circumstances; they may be a twelve-year-old quadriplegic trying very hard. Think of it as a twist on the old adage: "If you can't say something nicely, don't say anything at all."
So true. Now why can't everyone think like that? It would be so much easier to get advice if people realized that. What do you think?
Do you think people are just in a rush and don't have time to be nice?
Do you think people just really don't care about others feelings?
Do you think people are purposely trying to discourage others to move them out of the way?
I recommend AWWC take a look at the article. Matter of fact.....they need to post it in every forum.