Critique Etiquette

[Ellis]

For those who are interested in participating in critique, there are some guidelines to be aware of regarding that process! While these aren't quite as sticky as "actual rules" a lot of them fall under our "don't be a jerk" principle. Also, engaging in proper critique etiquette can prevent you from running afoul of hurt feelings and ruffled feathers.

Without further ado, here's the list!

Receiving Critique

1) Understand that critique will sting.
Having your work picked over is likely to make your Rejection-Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD) act up. Please understand that people who are providing critique are in your corner and are going to be giving the critique you ask for. If they are being unkind or stepping outside the scope of what you requested, you may contact a member of the modmin for intervention.

2) Be specific about what you are asking for feedback on!
If you are not yet ready for grammar critique and would like people more to focus on characters or descriptions, please ask for that! Let folks know what sort of feedback you feel would be most helpful for you at any particular time. This also helps critiquers know that they are providing you with input you can actually use.

3) Be gracious when receiving critique.
If you receive critique you cannot use or find challenging, remember that you do not need to incorporate it. Thank people for their time and use what pieces of feedback you find helpful. You are not obligated to defend yourself or change anything about your work you are not inclined to. Critique is intended to be beneficial, not unkind.

Giving Critique

1) Be kind!
Critique is a vulnerable experience, so make sure you are kind to people when providing feedback. You can be honest, but do your best to do so in a way that is not going to be difficult for people to receive. Be mindful of your tone to your best ability.

2) Be specific about what feedback you are providing.
Saying "I don't like this" isn't useful critique. It might be true, but it doesn't give the author anything they can really work on or change in order to fix their work. When possible, provide detail and information backing up what your impression is.

3) Look for the good, too!
When you're giving critique, try and find at least one positive thing to say about the piece. Even if it is challenging, seek out at least one good thing to say about the piece. If you can find none whatsoever, consider either not posting or waiting until you can find at least one thing!

4) If it's just not your genre, don't critique about genre elements.
We all have genres we just aren't into. If you don't like hard sci-fi, don't critique something for being hard sci-fi. Same with romance and other genres. You can give feedback on word choice or other elements, but make sure you aren't poking people for things that are important to their genre!