A Critiquing Addendum

Suzanne's essay on critique was well-done. I'd like to add only one thing, and this is a little bit out of left field.

Something I hear over the years from beginning writers who waffle on joining critiquing groups is, "I'm not qualified."

This is wrong, plain and simple.

Bottom line, if you've gone to the trouble of reading something, you've automatically made yourself qualified.  There is no law that says you must be a university graduate of English to comment on an author's written work.  If you liked it, or hated it, you have the right to say so.  And, while you might not understand why, after some thought, you will piece together exactly why you didn't like it.

It's like leaving a movie theater.  Your first reaction is usually, loved it, or hated it. and then on the drive home or talking with your friends you flesh out what didn't work.

If you can tell your friends, you can tell an author.  Just be polite.

And this is what an author needs and wants to hear.  If some plot point fell flat, or the story dragged, or you thought a scene which was supposed to be funny was actually--funny, then yes, we as writers want to know this, and you as a critiquer, should feel free to say so.

Mike