A few years ago, one writer I knew sent me a few
chapters to beta read. I happily did. And for a number of reasons, I thought one
of the scenes wasn’t there yet. Before telling her what wasn't working for me, though, I told this
writer I thought her MS would be stronger if she nixed that scene. And THEN I named all the problems I saw in the scene.
Big
mistake.
She got a little upset. And she was like, really, Mónica? Really? You think I HAVE to
nix that scene? But I don’t WANT to nix that scene! Oh, no! Oh, no!
I think she may have had a panic attack.
I tried to backpedal. I said I didn’t mean it like
that. I just meant the scene wasn’t working for me. And I spent like 5 emails
trying to make it right and explain myself. Meanwhile, I realized why exactly I
had screwed up:
I had given a suggestion first, and then I had told
her the reasons I thought her scene wasn’t working. In the end, she didn’t
nix the scene. She just fixed it.
So that day, I learned this: You
ALWAYS have to give your objective thoughts first. And then, give the
suggestions. But be extra careful to make it clear that they are
just that: SUGGESTIONS.
So instead of saying: “I think it’d be nice to nix that chapter, because I
didn’t connect with your MC there.”
Say:
“I didn’t connect with your MC in this chapter [name all
the reasons why. Such as: I think your MC sounded whiny in these paragraphs, OR these
sentences make your MC sound too rational so the voice isn’t working for me, etc].
But I have a few suggestions that
might help you fix that, like: 1) You could nix those sentences. 2) you can
change them *this* and *that* way. 3) etc, etc. [You get the idea!] Or you can have your own brilliant ideas that are better than mine
to fix those problems."
And (this has little to do with the post, but...) don't forget to be nice! Always start with a compliment... when you start with compliments, people are usually more receptive. =)
<3
Mónica
Good advice, Monica. Every suggestion is easier to take when prefaced with a compliment. There is something to like in every work, and it is so important to point that out. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Rosi! Glad you liked the post!
DeleteMonica, this is a rule of thumb I always use when grading student papers as well--start with something the paper did *well* and then talk about the issues. People are nearly always more receptive to feedback that starts with honest praise. (I learned this the hard way when I critiqued a paper for my sister. I assumed that since she knew I loved her, I didn't have to tell her what I liked before telling her what was wrong . . . she nearly refused to speak to me after that).
ReplyDeleteOuch. I'm sorry your sister almost refused to speak to you after that! Haha! That time, I assumed that with my friend, too. :)
DeleteGreat advice :-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. ;) Thx for stopping by.
DeleteGreat idea. I really like how specific you were in your examples. "She sounded whiny in these paragraphs." Without the specificity, it's hard to grasp why the reader reacted the way she did.
ReplyDeleteHey, Nikki! I'm glad you thought it was helpful. :) Sometimes it's easy to forget to be super objective and specific, right? :P
Delete