Tweaking Around

Today is the first day of spring. What will you do to celebrate? I'm living large and revamping the ol' blog. HUGE change. Drum roll, please....

I'm moving my WIP stats to the bottom of each post instead of the top.

Put down your pitchfork. I hear you..."But Michelle, that's not a radical move! It's just a tweak, you big idiot."

And therein lies the topic of today: One man's tweak is another man's mind-blowing paradigm shift.

Let's apply this to writing, critiques specifically. When you're critiquing someone else's piece, there are a few guidelines to follow so that you don't rock the writer's world completely off its axis and send the poor writer whimpering into the fetal position. (Caveat: Unless you know the writer super well and they think it's hilarious when you go viral on them)

CRITIQUE GUIDELINES

1. Don't just point out the bad stuff, mention the good.

Is their dialogue particularly snappy and entertaining? Say so. Is there a turn of phrase that makes you go whoa-I-wish-I'd-written-that? Tell them. Everyone needs encouragement.

2. Add in suggestions.

If you find a sentence that's worded like a Jenga stack about to tip over, suggest a way to re-word it.

3. Highlight repeat words.

You don't need to beat the writer over the head. Just a simple highlight will point out redundancy.

4. EA (Employ acronyms)

When you're deleting a sentence or two--or even an entire paragraph--it's helpful to let the writer know why. This can be done without a lot of explanation or fanfare; just use some handy dandy acronyms. The two most common are:

RUE = resist the urge to explain

GWS = goes without saying

5. Point out logic glitches.

If something doesn't make sense, you don't have to sugar coat it, but keep in mind that it makes perfect sense in the writer's head. That means they probably won't understand why you don't get it. So the trick is to mention exactly what it is that doesn't click in your brain. Example: How did Joe end up outside when he was just sitting on the couch? Or I thought this story was a Regency, so how could the hero 'jet' over to Paris?

Those are just a few ideas to keep in mind when critting someone else's work. When the proverbial shoe is on the other foot and your jaw is dropping over all the suggestions/changes/comments a critter has made on your WIP, there's just one tip for you...

Think of it as tweaking.

WIP STATS ~ DAY 64

Word Count: 40,517

Sentence of the Day: Standing under a tree for the better part of the morning, soaking up drizzle like a giant fungus, surely he couldn't be enjoying himself.