The Etiquette of the Critique or Critique Etiquette...You decide!

     This topic came up as the result of a couple of my Facebook writing people. They were scared to put out their work for critique because of people who tore them apart, and were not constructive. They were hating on it, in other words. When you are a new writer, constructive criticism can feel like a personal attack against them. Basically a critiquer shows where the strengths are, and where there is room for improvement. However, there are good ways to critique, and bad ways to critique. When I belonged to a local critique group, this topic was discussed in detail for us to follow...thought I would share.

Critique Etiquette:

1. Be Courteous. There is nothing good about being an a**. Be respectful, this shows you are a professional. “This is the worst crap ever written,” is a BIG NO NO!
2. Be Professional: Use good grammar and do not use profanity. Basically use good manners.
3. Be Specific: Point out what you mean in your critique. Give examples. When I critique, I usually take out the section that needs work (that I think needs work), and mention
   what is the problem. Sometimes I even rewrite the passage to show what I mean. Words like “That didn't work for me...” with no explanation of where it didn't work is really annoying You can say, “This section didn't work for me, and this is why...”
4. Be Generous with praise: Point out things you really LIKED about the work. It can be as simple as highlighting it, and saying (like in brackets) <good job here> for example.
5. Babylon...oops wrong blog!
6. Be Clear and Concise: Make your notations and comments in clear, easy to understand wording. Nothing worse than having to ask about every little thing the critiquer has said in a critique, and this shows you are a professional...if they have to ask that many questions...you haven't done your job as a critiquer.
7. Do unto others...: Be respectful when doing a critique. I am because that is the way I would like to be treated when someone is critiquing me.
8. Be respectful of Writers Feelings: For instance, if you think something is too wordy (because too many details are being used), you could first state that the details really make the scene come to life, but then gently point out that sometimes it can interrupt flow, you could also make a brief suggestion on how to do that. Also, with newer writers, it can be helpful to point out only a couple of things to focus on, and praise the strengths you see.
9. Do Not Judge the Story itself: A critiquers job is to judge the quality of the writing. Especially if it is a genre you do not usually read.
10. Reread your critique: Before you send back a critique, go through to make sure it sounds good, and looks good. Looking professional is the key, and the writer has to be able to understand your critique.

I have a form with structural information...i.e. Spelling errors, grammatical errors (tallies), and repetitions. Then I have a section on pacing (flow), and structure comments. I add a disclaimer that states that the critique is just suggestions, and that I am making the comments to make the work stronger. But that the suggestions are just that...suggestions on how I *believe* what the work needs. Then I take the manuscript and go through it, making the comments themselves. Highlighting the errors on grammar, speelign, and specifics etc. To help the writer see what I mean.

So what experiences have you had with critiquing? What is the worst critique you have ever had? Conversely the best? In my next blog, I will discuss on how to take a critique of your work. Happy Writing and critiquing!

Helpful Sites:
http://www.chesapeake.edu/asc/CritiqueHandout.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/how_4515854_critique-writing.html

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics Part 3

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics part 3
Writing the Rough Draft.

So now we arrive at the meat and bones of NaNoWriMo.  The rough draft!  You have your sprinting sheet ready, it looks real pretty there against the backdrop of your computer, stuck up on your wall with duct tape, or you have it minimized on the tool bar.   What now?

Most times I do a warm up.  Something totally non related to the Nano project.  Writing is like any other exercise, except it is mental...but just because it is done in the psyche, doesn't mean you don't have to warm up first.  Like a runner stretching before a workout, getting your brain warmed up is not a bad idea.   There are some writing prompts on the Writers Digest site, and also some really good ones online.  Here are a few to check out:

http://www.creativewritingprompts.com/
http://www.theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/
http://www.writing.com/main/writing_prompts
http://writingprompts.tumblr.com/
http://poster.4teachers.org/worksheet/view.php?ID=1309

I just randomly pick out a prompt, and do a 10 minute timed writing.   I usually do those long hand.  There is something about the pen on paper, that accesses my creative side.  Using a computer, just doesn't give me that "In the moment," feeling.  I keep the notebook, and when I reread them later, I find great lines, or it may spark an idea for something new. Some of these may make it into my work in progress, but mostly they show up in new projects...but that is another blog for another time.

So now I'm ready to work on my Nano project.  I usually have an idea where I am starting.  As long as there is a flow going, that is how I work.  If I start getting bored, I either A) Stop working on it, and take a break.  B) I jump around to somewhere else in the story.   NOTE:  I put a note in the manuscript that is what I'm doing.  If that does not work, then I go with C) to another project, or do a writing prompt...this circumvents the internal critic.

If I do take a break, I go play with the dog (I also have a cat now), or take a walk, or watch some TV.  Housework is oftentimes cathartic, and gets you into a zen moment.  Whatever way you choose to get past the "block" AKA "Internal Critic," you need to choose what works for you.  Because, sometimes if you try to force it, your mind rebels to the point where you just won't do it.

Be good to yourself, and give yourself permission to take that break

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics Part 2

The Sprint

So yesterday, or rather probably earlier this morning, I wrote about the rules of writing practice to get rid of that pesky internal critic.   Keep the hand moving, Be specific, Go for the jugular, Don't edit or cross out, Lose control, and You are free to write the worse crap in the universe.   This is the way I do writing sprints.  I come at Nano with an idea, and some characters fleshed out.  Basics like where I think the story will go...but the actual writing comes out as one long writing practice.

So you want to participate in sprints...GREAT!  They are very helpful.  Don't worry if you get only 200 words or 800 words, any words are all good.   Having said that, here is what I do when I go into sprinting for the day.    In the Manuscript, I start out with notations..."Day 1" then underneath "Sprint 1," or 2,3.4 etc.   At the end of the sprint, I highlight that sprint, and do a word count.  Once I do that, I add that count underneath the sprint.   And then I start out the next sprint with "Sprint 2." and so on until I quit for the day.  I normally don't wait until the end of the day to do the next step.   Just add to the document as I go.   But I do what I call a "Sprint Log."  Here is what it looks like.

Day      Sprint 1         Sprint 2          Total for day       Total for project    Daily Goal
1
2
3
4
5

Something like that.  You could also add a column for your own daily goal, or the target of 1667 words (going down the entire column.

Then I have a dry erase board, where I put the figures (totals only) at the end of the day.  That way I can see it in front of me as I work.

Make sure when you are adding your totals into your manuscript, you save OFTEN!

Tomorrow (or as soon as I can), I will continue with an in depth part of what I do in a first draft.

NaNoWriMo 101 Basics

Countdown to NaNoWriMo 2012!

      Yes, it is almost that time of year, when Lisa's thoughts turn to ones of writing 50k words in the month of November.  That lovely 30 day time frame that I and countless others know as, "NaNoWriMo" or National Novel Writing Month.   The goal is to write fifty thousand words in thirty days.  Hard you say?  Not really....especially when you break it down into 1667 per day.  And not when you consider that NaNoWriMo is for first drafts.  Which are called "Rough," for a reason.
      Years ago, a friend mentioned Natalie Goldbergs "Writing Down The Bones."  I read it, and others after from her, and found not only inspiration to write, but the that first drafts don't have to be pretty. They don't have to be publishable polished gems at the end of the month either.   The first draft phase is just to get the words on paper.
     Natalie came up with 5 rules for writing practices:

          1)  Keep your hand moving.  Don't let it stop, if you don't know what to write, write, "I don't know what to write," as many times as needed.  If it is a grocery list, write that.  As long as it is writing, it counts.

          2)  Lose Control- Don't worry about anyone seeing it.  Go for the jugular.  This is a first draft after all.

          3)  Be specific-  Honda Accord not Blue car.   Oak Tree, Levi's jeans.   These are the details that bring your character to life.

          4)  Don't think-  Go with your first thoughts.  Which I now sounds counter-intuitive, or wrong.  But it really does work, trust me...would I lie to you?   (don't answer that lol).

         5)  (and my personal favorite).  You are free to write the worst junk in the world/universe/cosmos.  The first draft is the place where you don't have to worry about punctuation, or that you got the characters name wrong.  This is the place where you are free to write whatever the heck you want to write.


    I also suggest getting into a sprint group, or just sprinting on your own.  There is one that I have started called "Sprinters Unite" on Facebook if you are interested in sprinting there.  Sprinting is usually 20 minute timed writing, where you just write as rough as you can.  The word count really adds up with them.

  If you are new to Nano, then there is some advice that this 4 time participant 3 time winner can pass on to you.  Make sure you get some away from the computer time.  Go for a walk.  Eat decent food and get enough rest.  Nothing kills creativity worse than not taking yourself!
  Another tip if you get stuck.  Move to another scene.  You can do this by putting asterisks and a comment like: "*Note:  This is an out of order scene, should go into Chapter X."

I also keep a sprint log sheet for the month.  That way I always know where I am at and where I should be.  There are calendars with the daily accumulative word counts on them, use them...they are really good resources to have.

Tomorrow (if I can), I will put up instructions on how to put together my sprint log.   I will definitely have it up the day after by the latest.  I may be travelling on a work assignment soon.  So I will try to get it on here in the next couple of days.

Happy Writing.

WINNING! Camp Nano August 2012

     Originally I had a different version of this blog post to share, but due to the word count being so far different between my wp and the Camp Nanowrimo site, I had to add more words. What I had written before, showed I had finished with 652 words to spare. But when I tried to authenticate my word count on their site, it showed only 49, 406. So for you math whizzes, that would be another 594 words!

     Keeping in mind that when I wrote the original draft, I wrote at the beginning of each day, “Day 1,” or 2 or 3 whichever it was that day. Then I would write “Sprint 1” and so on for each sprint that I did that day, and at the end of each sprinting section, the total amount of words per each sprint session. So then I took those figures and created a “Sprinting table” that showed what I was doing word count, including total words/day and cumulative totals. That way, I knew when I was behind, and how much I needed at any given point, to write to make up the deificit.

     I wish I could say “It's ready for publication,” after only one draft! But I need to edit it, rewrite it, polish it up and make it look pretty. As it is now, I've written a lot of scenes out of order. Basically, I wrote this novels first draft, like they shoot movies, with each scene out of order.

     So now I'm going to take a paper copy, highlight where the breaks should be, and then cut it...yep with scissors; into the different scenes. I'll number the pieces on the back to keep track of where they had been originally.

     Then I'll tape them back in order, though this will still mean its a rough draft (so I'll need to write the connective tissues, and sinews, to make the body whole). Then the outlining process will begin, which is when I'll put together the puzzle into it's glorious whole, a completed picture. The outline will have the details; setting, scene, characters, and plot points (action).

     Then I'm ready to rewrite and fix the rough edges, or glass shards, filing the sharpness down into where each piece fits in together. This part is where I catch problems with my picture, so I have to rethunk it (btw, I know 'rethunk' is not a real word. I'm showing my artistic license here).

     Basically, I take draft 1 and distill it down to more manageable chunks. Then I take a program like “Natural Reader” (they have a free version, but the pay one has better voices). It is easier to edit when you hear it as a reader would read it. You could also have a friend, or another writer, read it to you, and you listen doing the same thing. Listening for rough spots, where the reader trips over the word. This helps you see if you have captured the sound of what you want to convey to your reader. The other way, record yourself reading, then play it back. It is really important to do this step, as I can get a different perspective on the project. And to catch any continuity errors as well.

     Then when I've finally got it to a point where I'm happy, I put it out to a Beta reader, or an editor. Like a beta test on an online game, this is where the reader finds any glitches not caught by the writer. As I say, “If a reader has to ask for clarification, or doesn't understand what I've written, then I haven't done my job as a writer.”

How to Write 50,000 Words in a Day...er 30 or 31 Days

     People often ask me how I do it.  "How do you write 50,000 words in a month?"  In response I say, "Writing Sprints."  If it weren't for writing sprints, I wouldn't have made the goal the last three years, (and last year in 18 days).  It's easy when you also break down the 50,000 into daily increments.  For NaNoWriMo in November is 30 days, so it works out 1667 words/day.  The Camp NaNo August is 31 days, so it is 1613/day.
     I've been behind twice so far this month, and I've caught up relatively easy due to sprinting.  I made a sprinting table which is broken down into:  Day 1, 2, 3, 4.... etc.  from top down.  Then on the cross axis, it says Sprint 1, 2, 3...etc.  Then there is a total field at the end of the sprint, and then a a cumulative word total.  What is also helpful, is a calendar which shows the word count you should be at by that point in the month.  
     To sprint, its easier when you are doing sprints with other people, either online or in person.  I do so online through a couple of groups (well more than that) on Facebook.  Someone will suggest a sprint (usually 20 minute intervals), and since a lot of us are not in the same time zone, we put the start time in minutes; i.e. :50 so for me it would be like 5:50, but my friends in the UK it is 11:50, the west coast 2:50, etc.
    If I get behind, I determine the amount I'm behind, divide by the number of days remaining in the month, then add that result to a normal day total, and that is the new minimum I have to reach to get back on track.  Though you can always do more.  I actually divided by less days, making more work,  to catch up quicker.
     So don't despair that you'll never catch up.  Just break down the numbers and go from there, remembering it's a first (rough) draft, no editing, you can skip around and do scenes out of order, and you are free to write the worst junk in the universe!   Sprinting is also good for Editing as well.  So you can keep track by number of pages done during a sprint, or number of paragraphs done.  With these tips, you should be able to finish 50,000 in a month or less!
                         

Road Kill? First Draft

This is an example of a first draft of a story.  I will post the edited/final version later...but you can see how rough it is.  :)  Thought I would share, and if you wish to make a critique...feel free to do so :)  Feedback is always great!  Thank you so much.  And the idea behind the story....I was driving to the library today, I saw a dead groundhog on Scioto Darby Rd. on my way to the library.  I got to thinking about zombies for some reason, then I giggled as I thought about zombie ground  hogs.  There ya go lol.



Road Kill?  Draft 1

The wind buffeted their wings as they flew high above the land below them.  They were enjoying the flight, but they were also getting peckish.  Their leader started the circle, and the others fell in line.  They saw what was below.  It was plump, big, and had brown fur.  They started to circle in.  No other predators about.  They were natures clean up crew.
The ground rose to meet them, and they put out their talons down.  They came to a rest, and pulled their wings into their sides.  The leader stalked over to the kill, and he surveyed it before starting to put his beak down to take a first bite.  Suddenly, the leg jerked.  The leader reared back startled.  The leg stopped, and he looked perplexed at the now still again form.  He smelled it...yes, death was on it.  And he went to take another bite.
The leg jerked again.  And the leader moved around to the head.  He surveyed it more, and then it jumped into motion, and the last thing the leader saw, was its lifeless eyes, and the mouth chomping down on the leaders head.  The others rose in confusion and fear, they took off as their leaders life force drained from him.  The road kill got up, listed a little to the side, and then he got into motion.  Dragging his crushed limb behind him.

xxxx


The little boy in his backyard, played with his swingset.  The swingset was his favorite thing in the whole world...well besides his mummy and daddy.  He sat on the rubber seat, and pumped his legs back and forth.  The swing raising higher and higher until he thought he could touch the sky!  He swung saw sky and tree, gravity taking him back, he saw the ground below.  Back and forth he swung, and then on the third pendulum swing, he saw something that wasn't their before.
He stopped pumping his legs, and pulling his arms, slowing the pendulum down.  The started dragging his feet to slow down even further, until he planted his feet, and came to a complete standstill.
He looked at the thing that had caught his attention.  It didn't move, it just laid on the ground.  He transferred the weight untill he was standing on his legs, and the front of the swings seat was hitting him on the back of his bare legs. He pulled  his shorts down and walked over to the brown thing laying there.
He circled it, and then he took his tennis shoed foot, and kicked it.  Flies started to descend on it, that was when the stench hit his nostrils.  He moved back a little, but stayed close.  He saw a limb from a tree that had  fallen on the ground.  He walked over to it, and he bent down to pick it up.
The stick was as long as his body, so he went back to the brown thing on the ground, and took the tip of it...gingerly, he poked it in the side.  It didn't do anything.  Then he prodded it harder with the stick.  It still didn't move, and he started to beat it with the stick.  Twitch!  the leg moved.  The little boy jumped back.  But then when it didn't move again, he took the stick and started beating the leg with it.  Just for its impertinance.
TWITCH.  This time it took the body with it.  He looked at it startled.  Then it started to get up from the ground.  The fir rippling, and the oozing from its side as the bowels discharged.  The little boy took the stick, and pushed it back down on it's side.
The thing stayed once more on his side.  Its eye still open, but covered in white.
He started to tire of the stick poking game, and he sat down about four feet from the thing.  It stayed quiet, and then it began to move.  It gathered its stiffened limbs, and swayed some, but it began walking towards the kid.  The kid was startled, but he stayed put.  He grabbed the stick just in case.  But he wasn't afraid of it.  It couldn't hurt him... after all it was dead!
It made no noise, but moved to about a yard from him, and came to a halt.  The standoff/sitoff stayed in place, and the thing stayed in place.  The milky eyes staring at nothing, and the lively eyes, squinted at the thing.  He didn't see any motion until the thing was on top of him, biting and gnawing on his face.  The little boy screamed, and his father ran out to see what was the matter.  He couldn't imagine what was attacking his son, but he sprung into action, and grabbed the thing on his sons face.  It was firmly stuck in place, and then he saw the stick his son had abandoned when he tried himself to loosen the groundhog.
His father finally got the thing off of him, but the damage was done... His son's face was almost all the way gone, and the thing had reached his son's brain.  His eyes registered the shock, and he flung the thing away as far as he could.  It hit the tree with a thud, and slid down to the ground.
Daddy picked up his son from the ground, cradling him in his arms, and running to get him into the car.  He couldn't tell if his son was alive or dead, but he sped away to the hospital.

xxxx

The thing stayed still, until Daddy came home.  He walked like he was in a daze, his son dead in the morgue.  They couldn't comprehend why a dead thing would attack someone...and they thought the father had something to do with it...he heard their whispering.  But he ignored them, and walked out of the hospital.  He would damn well get rid of the thing that killed his son!
He saw it lying on the ground where it had landed.  He took a torch, lit from the bar'b'que on the back patio.  He took the raging flame over to the tree side, and then lit the dead thing on fire.  It was reduced to bone in seconds, and it moved no more.  Daddy took the torch over to the garden hose, and he watered it down until it was out.  In the house, he took a shoe box.  He took the shoe box out to the garage, placing it on the shelf momentarily, while he picked up and put on his garden gloves.
The task done, he grabbed the box, and picked up his shovel back through the back door of the garage, and into the back yard.  At the base of the tree, he picked up the charred bones, and bits of fur left, and placed them in the box.
The shovel he used to dig a hole.  And he silently dug the scratching sound of dirt parting for steel.  Soon he had a hole big enough to drop the box into, and he started reversing the process, putting the dirt back in the hole.
He patted it down firmly, and took the shovel back to the garage. Placing it onto the hooks where he hung it metal up, and the handle swinging down, he found the next thing on the other side.  It was rope that he had used to spelunk in college.  His wife always told him he was a pack rat.
He pulled it off of the nail on the wall, and then went back to his backyard.  He knew where he would do it, and the tree was perfect for what he intended to do.  They thought he had killed his son.  He knew it would be a matter of time, and they would never believe he had been killed by a zombie ground hog.  And he didn't want to be without his child.
Arriving at the tree, he uncurled the rope, and flung the one end over the limb.  But it fell back to the ground.  He left it on the ground, and walked back to the garage, where he grabbed his ladder from yet another hook.  At least it was organized pack rat.
He lowered the top of the ladder so it would fit through the garage door.  The tree awaited him, and he moved the latter into an upright position, and then he opened its bottom legs.  He put it under the limb, and bent down to grab the rope.  Ascending the steps, he fixed the rope into place on the limb.  He tied slip knot in the other end, and put this loop around his neck. It felt tight against his flesh, and he swallowed before taking his last breath on earth.  He got on the top step careful not to fall, and he giggled maniacally.  That's what he wanted after all, to take one last fall.
From the top of the latter he jumped higher into the air, and then his neck broke when it reached the end of the teather.  That is how the police found him.

xxxx

The buzzards circled overhead, they saw something on the ground, and they moved into investigate.  They landed and moved over to the thing lying on the ground.  It didn't move, and it smelled of death.  They saw it was one of their own, but that did not stop them.  It was the circle of life after all.
They jumped slightly when the wing twitched.

The End?