Each writer has his or her own process, but discovering that process can take time. In the early phases, an excess of solitude can lead to a lack of accountability, and a lot of WIPs simply stay that way. The rise of online writing communities has made it far easier to avoid this trap. If you can’t find a critique partner or a workshop in your area, then you can certainly find structure and feedback online. But this also means knowing which voices to honor and which to reject. Online or offline, it’s important to respect criticism and the realities of the market while at the same time preserving the integrity of your work and your voice.
First, let’s make one rule clear: An agent or an editor should never be the first person (other than you) to see your manuscript. When you’ve worked on a project for a long time, the story lives in your head as much as it does on the page. You need fresh eyes to catch small things like typos and gaps in information, and larger things like problems in pacing or failed emotional beats.
That said, I encourage you to be choosy about whom you let into your process. Good pals don’t necessarily give great feedback. Brilliant writers don’t always make worthy readers. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Writers as Readers
Writers are often well equipped to explain why something did or didn’t work for them in the story. They get craft and they know how to speak its language. But writers also have a tougher time separating their own egos and style from the process. When I’m asked to read a friend’s work, I do my best to shut down the part of my brain that says, “But what if you did this?” or “Why didn’t you do that?” Almost invariably, these questions lead to the story I want to write, not to the story that’s in front of me. My role as a reader isn’t to make the work before me more like mine, but to strengthen what the other author has on the page and identify what’s missing. (The exception is when someone comes to me to brainstorm actual plot points. See below.)
Sometimes you can sidestep this problem by working with writers outside of your genre. You may also get some surprising perspectives on your work. I have a television writer and an academic in my arsenal of beta readers and sometimes they nudge me in unexpected directions.
There are also plenty of people who don’t write, but who make great readers. They simply get the fundamentals of story and know how to suss out the weaknesses and strengths of your work. This might be a freelance editor that you hire or the friend who always comes out of a movie saying things like, “It dragged in the second act” or “I just couldn’t sympathize with the heroine after she ate that puppy.” As long as your readers can articulate what worked or didn’t in your manuscript, you’re set. But “I liked it” or “I hated it” aren’t going to do you much good.
Experts as Readers
I’m going to address this to YA readers and writers, but it’s really applicable to any genre. A reader who doesn’t read a lot of YA can still be an asset—provided he or she understands what you’re trying to accomplish and can appreciate your work for what it is. But if the reader hates romance or coming of age stories or only reads memoirs or hard sci fi, you’ll probably end up with a critique of your genre as opposed to a critique of your work.
Still, it’s wise to be a bit wary when you get deep into the YA world. People who write YA and write about YA tend to have very strong opinions about YA. (I know because I’m one of them.) The problem arises when we start to get dogmatic in these views: I hate gorgeous heroines! I’m sick of love triangles! I’m tired of dual POV! Sometimes, as readers, we react to the mere existence of a trope, and we dismiss the way that trope is being used or approached. I hear these statements from writers all the time, and I’ve made them myself. But when we get or give critiques, it’s important to draw a line between personal preferences and narrative merit.
Similarly, I’d like to offer a word of caution regarding broad pronouncements about the YA market. If you chase trends, you will always find yourself a step behind. Be aware of the market. Understand that if you’re pitching a vampire urban fantasy, you better have one hell of a fresh hook. Just remember that no one knows what the next big thing will be.
Your Part of the Bargain
The value of the feedback you get from your readers is somewhat determined by how you approach them and how you treat their criticism.
Know what you need.
The I’m Stuck Read: You know there are problems with a major element of the story (the big battle scene, the love interest, the overall structure, etc.), but you don’t know how to resolve them.
The Big Picture Read: You’ve written a complete first draft. You need your readers to focus on Logic (Did the story makes sense? Was the reader ever confused); Pacing (Were there places where the story lagged or the reader was bored?); Emotional Resonance (Did the reader feel invested in the character and the story’s outcome? Did any of the emotional beats fall flat or feel unearned?)
The Line Edit: You’re done with the story and don’t intend to make fundamental changes. You want your reader to identify typos, grammatical errors, awkward language, word repetition.
Keep readers in reserve.
The release of information in a story can be one of the thorniest things for a writer to manage. This is particularly true when it comes to complicated plotting or world building. Once readers have seen your story, they can’t unsee it. They will never have the experience of bringing truly fresh eyes to the work again, so try to keep a reader or two in reserve. These readers haven’t had you bounce ideas off of them. They’ve never seen an early draft. They’re the closest you will get to the way an agent or editor will approach your work.
Listen quietly and don’t get defensive.
Once you’ve selected your readers, it’s your job to respect their feedback. Don’t just react or dismiss. Give each note its due. Let the ideas sit for a while before you decide whether or not to take them to heart. Have faith in your ability to address the difficult or frustrating critiques. You chose these people. You let them in. Trusting them is just another way of showing that you trust yourself.
Leigh Bardugo is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, Shadow and Bone (Holt Children’s/ Macmillan). She was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she hides out in Hollywood, where she indulges her fondness for glamour and ghouls in her other life as makeup artist L.B. Benson.
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SHADOW AND BONE by Leigh Bardugo: Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.
Great advice all around, Leigh. I’ve experienced the frustration of being unable to erase a prior version of someone’s story, both a writer receiving a crit and a critiquer for another writer. Your tip to have readers in reserve is a wonderful idea. Thanks so much!
Thanks for the post and your time. Excellent advice. I look forward to reading your book.
I don’t know if my own ego gets in the way so much as my inability to separate myself from my story. Oh, wait. Is that ego?
Thanks for the giveaway!
This is amazing advice. I’ve been stumbling through this aspect of it, and your insight will help a great deal. My trouble is finding those readers to begin with!
Great advice! I’ve faced some of these problems before. I’m going to look for new readers. Thanks for the post!
Great advice to consider in picking critique par6tners and beta readers. I so agree that just because someone is a great writer doesn’t make them a great beta reader. And thanks for the awesome giveaway.
Sometimes I contemplate if folks truly take time to write something original, or are they only just dishing out words to fill a site. This surely doesn’t fit that mold. Thank you for taking the time to write with awareness. At times I look at a page and question whether they even proofread it.Fantastic work with this article.
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Very good advice, especially about how good writing and good beta reading are different skills. Thanks for the post!
I have a great crit group, but when I think I’m done I give the novel to my brother. He tears it apart, and he’s usually right.
Lauren
I have three great critique groups and each member has something new to add to the mix! What I love best is that we all get along well and we never beat around the bush with our Responses. We keep things blunt and we brainstorm together even. To top things off we certainly support each other, in good times and bad. Thanks for this post–very good advice!
Thanks for the great post!
Great advice. I loved reading ‘Shadow and Bone’, anyone who hasn’t read it should really pick it up.
Great post! I like the advice about keeping a reader or two in reserve. This is something I haven’t done in the past, but it makes a lot of sense.
All useful ideas. The one I’d never considered before was keeping a few readers up your sleeve, so when you think you’ve got it ready someone can take a look at it with fresh eyes. This is a great bit of advice, especially as I am writing a mystery.
Great ideas – thanks for the post!
I actually met my critique partner at WriteOnCon last year, and she has been instrumental in moving my work forward. I loved your suggestion about not revealing too many of your plot points until your CP reads through your ms from start to finish—-that element of surprise is so crucial to his/her reaction.
The most helpful post on CP’s that I’ve read in a while. I especially like this advice: “My role as a reader isn’t to make the work before me more like mine, but to strengthen what the other author has on the page and identify what’s missing.”
I try to always remember it .Great post!
Great advice! I think any critique of your work, whether you agree with the comment or not – is useful, in that it makes you think about what you have written. Perhaps the crit makes you change something for the better – wonderful. But even if you disagree with the crit and feel that something in your ms is justified and should remain as is, then that’s a bonus, too. The critique has strenghtened your confidence in your piece.
I dont want to send a ms out to any agent or publisher unless I feel every word has earnt its keep.
Ah! Good post! I need to file this away for when I need readers.
This was a great read! It’s so hard to put your work out there, but it’s invaluable!
Thank you for the informative post! Looking forward to squeezing more out of my beta readers when I show them my next WIP. =)
Fabulous tips! Thanks!
I agree that it’s important to keep readers in reserve, though that’s the part I struggle with most. Everyone who reads my work is already in my crit group! Your post is a great reminder that I need to work on this.
Thanks, I liked seeing the different classifications of critiques. My last critique partner and I have very different writing styles, and I think it turned out beneficial for both of us.
I appreciate all these points and clarifications! Thanks!
These are great advice — especially re: keeping readers in reserve. The first impression of a read is so important.
This couldn’t have come at a better time! Thanks so much for the great input on critique partners!
hi miss leigh!
wow what a lotta good advice for getting a good critiquer. i like a lot that you said if your cps can say whats cool and whats not so cool your set. for me cause im just a kid writer i think some of my the ons that read my stuff dont wanna hurt my feelings. but i like hearing the truth cause its gonna make me a way better writer. thanks for a neat post.
Wonderful post! Very helpful. I’ve been exploring WriteCon in the last day, and there are some wonderful posts!
Great post! Thanks.
I wish I had read this article years ago. I didn’t realize there were three different ways of critiquing a book, and I realize now that I kept getting Line Edits over and over when what I really needed was a Big Picture Read.
Great information! Thanks, Leigh!
Since I’m in this position right now, this post is very helpful. Thanks, Leigh!
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