Question about concrit
Sep. 24th, 2009 06:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shapinglightDid a bit of fic writing today for the first time in about 10 days (oh writing, how I've missed you!). Was not at all pleased with the results, which more resemble someone's laundry list than they do vampire porn. Shall have to rewrite completely (fortunate it was only half a page) while feeling grumpy about the fact that this story was going so well until going away disrupted the flow.
Naturally, this leads me on to the subject of concrit.
Well, not really, except in that I knew that if I'd intended to have the story I was trying to write beta'ed (which I'm probably not in this instance) my beta would have sent it back to me minus this page and with a stern ticking off. And this got me thinking about concrit in general, and how we all say we want it (well, I don't tend to say that because deep down not many people really want criticism, but I've managed to grit my teeth and get through it in the past and probably could again) but that when you get it, if it's done right, it hurts like blazes, but when you've got over the initial stomping and pouting, you often realise the concritter was right and you take what they said on board and try harder next time.
Except that sometimes it's not that helpful. I mean, I don't know how other people interpret 'constructive criticism' but to me, it means taking what you've read, praising what's good about it and then pointing out the bad stuff while making suggestions as to how it could be better (or am I am getting mixed up with beta'ing? Possibly. I'm pretty crap at that too). It doesn't mean telling the person that the very premise of their story is wrong.
A few years back I took part in![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
peasant_'s Concritathon, during which a story of mine was critted by three different people. Two of the crits were very helpful, one rather less so. This was because the person spent a lot of time telling me that Characters A&B 'would never do that.' But the thing is, they had done it in this story, and aren't you supposed to crit what is actually there rather than what you think should be there?
Or do I just not understand what concrit is properly?
and for those of you completely uninterested in this (which is apropos of nothing whatsoever on LJ btw), oh look! Cute squirrel icon!
Naturally, this leads me on to the subject of concrit.
Well, not really, except in that I knew that if I'd intended to have the story I was trying to write beta'ed (which I'm probably not in this instance) my beta would have sent it back to me minus this page and with a stern ticking off. And this got me thinking about concrit in general, and how we all say we want it (well, I don't tend to say that because deep down not many people really want criticism, but I've managed to grit my teeth and get through it in the past and probably could again) but that when you get it, if it's done right, it hurts like blazes, but when you've got over the initial stomping and pouting, you often realise the concritter was right and you take what they said on board and try harder next time.
Except that sometimes it's not that helpful. I mean, I don't know how other people interpret 'constructive criticism' but to me, it means taking what you've read, praising what's good about it and then pointing out the bad stuff while making suggestions as to how it could be better (or am I am getting mixed up with beta'ing? Possibly. I'm pretty crap at that too). It doesn't mean telling the person that the very premise of their story is wrong.
A few years back I took part in
peasant_'s Concritathon, during which a story of mine was critted by three different people. Two of the crits were very helpful, one rather less so. This was because the person spent a lot of time telling me that Characters A&B 'would never do that.' But the thing is, they had done it in this story, and aren't you supposed to crit what is actually there rather than what you think should be there?Or do I just not understand what concrit is properly?
and for those of you completely uninterested in this (which is apropos of nothing whatsoever on LJ btw), oh look! Cute squirrel icon!
no subject
Date: 2009-09-28 05:52 pm (UTC)the person spent a lot of time telling me that Characters A&B 'would never do that.' But the thing is, they had done it in this story, and aren't you supposed to crit what is actually there rather than what you think should be there?
Having s8 in my head, since StephenT wrote a post about it, this reminds me of 'Buffy would never rob banks', which a lot of us have complaining about. I think what we mean is 'We have not been given sufficient explanations as for *why* Buffy is robbing banks'. A good beta will catch stuff like that - mine certainly does, and I always heed her word. Even sometimes when I've ground to a halt I'll send her outlines or early drafts, saying 'I need A to do such-and-such, but s/he is not co-operating.' Which then generally produces some stellar advice.
And this has been all about beta-ing. Sorry. I'm not good on concrit.
no subject
Date: 2009-09-29 01:01 pm (UTC)That's certainly my gripe with it, as it is with most of the off the wall stuff in the comic that we're continually told we should just get over and accept. :sigh:
As yesterday showed, it's still possible for both sides of the comics love/hate divide to feel like the injured party. You're well out of it.
And you're right that a beta can do/say things that are not always helpful when they are said in post-posting concrit.