Why Writer's Need Professional Critiques

Why every writer should belong to a writing forum. For any newbie writer, whether you write fiction or non-fiction, having it critiqued by a fellow writer is a must! Critique serves many purposes for the new writer, all of which will set you on the road to success.

When we write, we are not looking at our work objectively. We may think it sounds wonderful and love each and every word we've handpicked, but truth be told, it might just suck. You may have a good idea, but you've made common mistakes and they take away from the story. Your work may be okay, but until it's gone under the scrutiny of a critique you'll never improve.

We all want to be great writers. Exceptional writers don't magically fall out of the sky. J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton and dozens more had to work very hard to get published. They had to labor hours upon hours to write their novels. They had to practice and then practice some more. They had to undergo a "Critique" and became better writers because of it.

So then, what does all of this mean? Well, again, YOU are not going to have an objective opinion about your work and neither will your mother, spouse or BFF. For many reasons, family and friends may say they like what you've written because they're afraid if they tell the truth that they'll hurt your feelings. They'll sugar coat their opinion because they love you.

A professional writer will do the exact opposite. Why? Because they WANT you to know you can do better. They WANT you to work at it, like they had to. They do it because you DESERVE to know the truth.

Critique of a story, novel or simple article will point out all of the flaws you can't see when you read it. Point of view problems, grammatical errors and spelling errors that you or your software can't detect. A professional will point out inconsistencies in the plot, sentence structure problems, stilted or unrealistic dialogue as well as a host of other problems.

Why is it so important? Well, if we think we've written the next great novel and send it off to publishers without having undergone a critique your novel or story won't be read. If you're lucky enough for the envelope to be opened and the first paragraph to be read, and it's badly written it will get tossed, probably into the garbage. Why? Because your writing is not as good as you thought it was and because you haven't sought out help, you've wasted your time and theirs. Nothing will alienate a publisher faster than a badly written, unsolicited manuscript.

"I want a critique of my work, but I don't know where to start." This is a common question, with a simple answer. Since new writers don't have editors, publishers and agents to show their work to, websites have sprung up to help resolve this problem. There are places on the internet designed to help you improve your writing and they don't cost a dime. Writing forums are places newbie's can go for free critique. In order to get a critique there are a few rules you MUST know about before posting a piece.

I. Be sure to use spell check before posting! Professional writers who critique for newbie's have a low tolerance for misspellings and if the piece is riddled with errors, more than likely, your work won't get a second glance.

II. Be sure to follow the format of your chosen style. A novel or short story has a particular format. All you need to do is surf the web, find the proper format and edit your piece. Again, professionals can't be bothered to read a story if you've got three thousand words crammed into a single spaced paper. Always double space your words, with a space between paragraphs. This "white space" as it referred to, makes the piece easier to focus on and read.

III. Read your work out loud. This is very important! When you read aloud it will bring out any sentences or descriptions that not only don't sound right, but don't read right either.

Here's an example; The coffee, hot we drank slowly. What does this say? Well, nothing. It's so badly structured that we don't understand what the writer is trying to say. Try, "We drank the hot coffee slowly", or better still, "We sipped the hot coffee carefully." If you write; "A boy stood, silently crouched behind a tree" it will sound like the boy is standing and crouching at the same time, which we know is impossible. One cannot stand and crouch at the same time, if they could, they'd be in the circus. So, instead you would write; "The boy crouched behind the tree." Read everything aloud to avoid confusion.

IV. Let the critique know in advance what kind of critique you want. If you want them to be harsh and rip it to shreds, than let them know. If you want them to be gentle, because a harsh critique might send you jumping off a cliff, let them know.

V. Thank them if they've taken time out of their day to help you! Critiquing a story is hard work and time consuming so be appreciative, even if the feedback is harsh.

VI. Read all the forum threads on writing tips. These threads have been posted by published writers and are worth their weight in gold. You'll learn a great deal by reading and paying attention.

VII. Get to know your fellow forum members. This is a highly constructive tool. Not only will you make friends but you'll make connections, that later on down the road, when the best seller's been written, these new connections could help you onto the path to publication.

VIII. Be respectful. You may come across people who are too harsh in their statements or critiques and that's okay. It's kind of like school, you won't get along with everyone, but you must respect them and they you.

Listen to your voice. You have a unique talent and a singular voice unlike anyone else. Your talent and hard work will turn you into the writer you've always dreamed of!