Critique – From Merriam-Webster:

1. a careful judgment in which you give your opinion about the good and bad parts of something (such as a piece of writing or a work of art)
2. to examine critically
3. a critical estimate or discussion <a critique of the poet’s work

In many previous blogs, I’ve emphasized the usefulness of critique. It can can help you get past the parts of your story that aren’t working for you, or can help you figure out why the parts that YOU think are working don’t work for the reader. All of this, and more.

You can find critique buddies in your own writers’ group, or search on line. That’s kind of scary, but you might feel that a stranger will be more honest with you than a friend. After all, a friend may have an ulterior motive (you like mine and I’ll like yours) or be afraid that honesty would harm the relationship.  Valid points.

Then there are those people that you can pay good money to tell you what’s wrong with your work.  And they will. Gee…and you PAID for that.

So you may think the title of this blog segment refers to that paid critique.  Nope.  Here’s what can happen…

You take your baby to the critic(s) and turn her loose, then wait, biting your fingernails, for the opinions.  They are not good.  She’s too fat, too slim, too noisy, has no personality – and for God’s sake, buy a dictionary and a grammar text!

You take your wounded, bleeding baby home, deciding that you will NEVER, EVER, expose her to this sort of shame and humiliation again.  After all, you love her just the way she is.  So you put her in her crib and sing her a lullaby, and go have a stiff drink.  Six months later, she’s still snoozing contentedly, and you haven’t worked on her any more.

Or…you trash the computer, tell yourself you’re a failure, and can’t possibly write anything good.

Been there? Done that? Yup. Me, too.

Remember, the root of critique is criticize.  That means that the principal purpose is to identify the problems. This can be an ego-buster, so prepare yourself. If you don’t, it could cost you. And you need to trust the judgement of the people you are submitting your work to.  If not, then why are you bothering? Critique is not a personal attack. It’s not even an attack on you as a writer. It’s simply helping you become a BETTER writer – okay?

Critiques aren’t the stone tablets that Moses brought down off the mountain. You can decide that all those people don’t know what they are talking about and send that baby out on her own anyway. You can get those books, put her on a diet, send her to charm school, clean her up and THEN send her out into the world.  Or weigh the comments and find a middle ground, keeping some things, changing others.

But DON’T stop writing.  If you do, you will have paid one Cost of Critique.

There are more….and good things, too.  Watch next week…