Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Critiques, or looking in the mirror ?


 I had never critiqued someone’s work, or had my work critiqued (  see  my earlier post 'The Lonely Life of an Indian Writer’) by another writer. So it came as quite a shock for  me when a writing friend I had met at a workshop conducted by my publisher asked me to  critique her short stories.

I was pretty nervous, not only was she a new friend, she was also the only writing friend I had.  I  didn’t want to lose her  as my critique could upset her, or, hurt her feelings. Before I could reply she said she would email  the stories to me as she wanted another writer’s opinion on them before wishing them Bon Voyage. “ You are free to make  changes, edit it if you feel the need for it,” she said.

The  next day  I downloaded the stories. As I read them I realized that they were good, but riddled with several grammatical mistakes which she had perhaps overlooked.  Structral errors  I can understand,  but not grammatical errors at her level (she has been writing for several years). I know that its easy to be critical of others  ( but let me tell you that I am extremely critical of my  work too).

As I  switched on the track changes tool  and started editing I realized that  doing critiques was  like looking in the mirror. I became aware of all the mistakes I tend  to make  while writing short stories. Very often we write the way we talk, without paying  in depth  attention to either grammar or tense. As I waded through her stories  I realized that the first impression I got was that the soul of her stories  was good, but the  attention to details was missing. The feeling  that came across was that she had written the stories in a hurry, as though racing against time and she had to finish it any which way. Several times I felt that she could have handled  the scenes differently, added tension and  done away with boring  descriptions. She could have stayed away  from common frequently used clichés, invested in  imaginative and innovative  similies.  

As  I plunged deeper and deeper into the critique, I felt like I was staring  in  a mirror. My  reflection  appeared before me with all its faults  magnified. What I considered a great piece of writing ( my stories) must have looked pathetic to my editor. Did she have the same expression I had while editing ?

That episode has brought about several changes in me,  has made me more conscious of  my grammar and tense.  Nowadays I  read each line several times, pay more attention to plot,  tension and character growth. I consciously stray away from clichés that we should have left behind in junior school. When I read any descriptive paragraphs  I have written, I wonder whether my descriptions can be more original. I have become ruthless while editing my work.     
           
 Does  doing a critique of  someone elses  work   help you become a better writer? Does it make you aware of  your own writing mistakes? I would love to know if critiques  are like  staring in the mirror for you too?   

12 comments:

  1. Great piece Rachna. Thanks for sharing your experience. Will Tweet this!

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  2. That's an interesting way of looking at critiques, Rachna. I hadn't thought of it that way before, but I definitely do see my own work differently after critiquing the work of others. It hones my critical skills, demands that I understand what works and what doesn't, and why.

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  3. You totally nailed it. Writing and critiquing other people's writing makes me a stronger writer myself. It a win-win situation for all!

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  4. Always! I think I remember the basics and then later will catch myself doing them again when I critique someone else's. I'm curious, do you write all your work in English? Or Indian? Is that your language there?

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  5. Lia....critiquing my friend's work has made me more perceptive to the errors in my writing.

    Lydia...critiques make us stronger and more critical when it comes to our own work. I agree it is a win-win situation.

    Terri, we all write in English, not in any regional language. There are many regional languages in India and many writers prefer writing in the regional languages.

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  6. I've found the same thing! Critiquing other's work has me a stronger writer. It's amazing how much we can miss in our own work and how acute our eyes can be in the work of others. Great post!

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  7. Rachna, critting always makes me better. And now I'm not doing so much of it,(my crit partner is in England for a couple of weeks) though I did help a writer with her query last week, but I have gotten really good at weeding the crapola from my own writing.

    Nice post. And I hope your friend was very grateful for your help. =)

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  8. You're so right, Rachna! I was a judge for a contest this spring and it really helps us hone in on the issues that are truly important, reminds us of what we ourselves need to be doing.

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  9. Joining a critique group was the best thing I ever did. I learned so much from other people's writing, I feel like I grew exponentially. It's hard to put yourself out there like that, but so worth it if you're with other serious writers.

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  10. I think editing others does definitely help with your own writing, and yes, it can act like a mirror - good analogy! At the same time there can still be an annoying blind spot with editing your own work, the distance afforded by editing someone else can be hard to achieve. So I always try and get someone whose opinion I trust to read over my work, just in case I have missed something truly obvious!

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  11. I gave you an award on my blog, btw!

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  12. There is a Zen saying : If you would learn more, become a teacher.

    I learned that as a teacher of creative writing. I'm glad to have found your blog. Roland

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