How This Critter Crits
Viewing comments for Prologue "How This Critter Crits"GROWTH? ADULATION? HURRY -- CHOOSE!
170 total reviews
Comment from Kyrielle
Hi, Critter. It was interesting to read. I think most of us have gone through what you have written here. I think the stars get in the way. I, also, think that whatever site one might be on, one would find the same categories of writers you mention.
Well, except I do know one site where the poetry is of super caliber and it receives the strongest crit imagineable. It is a serious site where poets really wish to improve their poems, so, very rarely, does vanity enter the picture in a poet's response.
When I joined FanStory I gave mostly 3 stars with an occasional 4, and, in each case, I elaborated on why. Some of the responses I received convinced me that some do not want to improve. They want praise. I just resolved not to review them again. At one point, I almost quit reviewing. But, then, there are the few who are so grateful for the suggestions in a good review, they make the time and effort worthwhile. These are the ones who will revise their work and learn.
I appreciated your honesty in this essay and I look forward to the next.
Kay :)
reply by the author on 12-Sep-2006
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Hi, Critter. It was interesting to read. I think most of us have gone through what you have written here. I think the stars get in the way. I, also, think that whatever site one might be on, one would find the same categories of writers you mention.
Well, except I do know one site where the poetry is of super caliber and it receives the strongest crit imagineable. It is a serious site where poets really wish to improve their poems, so, very rarely, does vanity enter the picture in a poet's response.
When I joined FanStory I gave mostly 3 stars with an occasional 4, and, in each case, I elaborated on why. Some of the responses I received convinced me that some do not want to improve. They want praise. I just resolved not to review them again. At one point, I almost quit reviewing. But, then, there are the few who are so grateful for the suggestions in a good review, they make the time and effort worthwhile. These are the ones who will revise their work and learn.
I appreciated your honesty in this essay and I look forward to the next.
Kay :)
Comment Written 12-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 12-Sep-2006
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Thank you so very much Kay, for taking the time to give me such a thorough and kind review. It means a lot to me.
Jay
Comment from enjoi
I can completely understand you're sentiments here. I'm here to improve my writing while at the same time trying to help others do the same thing. I've only found a small amount of truly great authors on this site as well as some truly horrible ones. For those I go through and do all I can to help them improve the pieces they've got, and yet I still get folk who are antagonistic with the smallest criticism I give them. Good essay, man.
reply by the author on 12-Sep-2006
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I can completely understand you're sentiments here. I'm here to improve my writing while at the same time trying to help others do the same thing. I've only found a small amount of truly great authors on this site as well as some truly horrible ones. For those I go through and do all I can to help them improve the pieces they've got, and yet I still get folk who are antagonistic with the smallest criticism I give them. Good essay, man.
Comment Written 12-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 12-Sep-2006
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Thank you so much enjoi for your great crit. It is not easy to be fair. But it's not fair to be easy. Hey, I like that. Don't quote me; I may use that later. Input like yours, however, keeps me going.
Jay
Jay
Comment from fortydeuce
No grammar or wording errors, well-paced and written in an interesting tone, et cetera et cetera. (If that applies to stuff like this!) I do have to note that I feel mean now - my stars tend to be doled out on a basis that's probably a full star lower than yours - the superb fiction/poetry gets fives, the very good fours, the passable threes, and I haven't given twos. I wonder if that makes me mean or if I am approaching this from too harsh of a standpoint.
I also wonder how you would address the review criteria of people like me - I approach poetry especially from a very formalist viewpoint and pay attention to meter, feet, et cetera, as well as - something that's docked a few poems every now and again! - word origins, and all sorts of dorky academic things like that. In approaching it from that viewpoint, there are some poems that I can't reward very highly because they have misused meter, or have awkward wording, or all the other things that a poetry teacher at college might red-pen. Where do you suggest falling along those lines? I have felt bad when I say 'This wording is quite awkward' or 'This meter is missing a beat' and get back 'Well, this is my poem and I don't care about that,' so what sort of common ground do you suggest there?
reply by the author on 04-Sep-2006
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No grammar or wording errors, well-paced and written in an interesting tone, et cetera et cetera. (If that applies to stuff like this!) I do have to note that I feel mean now - my stars tend to be doled out on a basis that's probably a full star lower than yours - the superb fiction/poetry gets fives, the very good fours, the passable threes, and I haven't given twos. I wonder if that makes me mean or if I am approaching this from too harsh of a standpoint.
I also wonder how you would address the review criteria of people like me - I approach poetry especially from a very formalist viewpoint and pay attention to meter, feet, et cetera, as well as - something that's docked a few poems every now and again! - word origins, and all sorts of dorky academic things like that. In approaching it from that viewpoint, there are some poems that I can't reward very highly because they have misused meter, or have awkward wording, or all the other things that a poetry teacher at college might red-pen. Where do you suggest falling along those lines? I have felt bad when I say 'This wording is quite awkward' or 'This meter is missing a beat' and get back 'Well, this is my poem and I don't care about that,' so what sort of common ground do you suggest there?
Comment Written 03-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 04-Sep-2006
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Hi, fortydeuce, and thank you so much for your 5. I'm not looking for 6s and I don't mind 4s -- though I feel a 3 would be evidence of mean-spiritedness, LOL. Actually, I've gotten the feeling from the crits of "How This Critter Crits," that it's a foredrawn conclusion that I am some sort of expert on critting. Actually, I struggle just as much as any other critter. It was because of that struggle that I conceived of this series. Writing clarifies my thinking. Have you experienced the same? So, I feel more comfortable within myself having laid bare my critter soul (well, there's some more soul baring in the next segment; I haven't exactly finished with it.) In the chapters to follow, I intend to lay out what I feel are important elements in fiction -- knowing that many apply equally to non-fiction. The, I also plan to define some of my terms and come up with a quantitative scale, if you will, for measuring the success or failure of meeting that criteria.
I will have at least one segment on poetry, since it is a vital part of the FanStory experience, and it is one of the most abused -- in my opinion -- genres in terms of "anything goes" and damn you for criticizing it! It is a strange phenomena that, isn't it? But, I shall have to include it, and, doing so probably make an ass of myself. I do that so well any way. Thank you, though for your thoughful crit and I hope to keep you as a reader of the rest of them.
Jay
Comment from Mrs Jones
I have been on this site for a long time and still I tend to be polite when I should be more helpful and honest. By the way Indenting is distracting to the reader. It makes me irritable. :-) You have written a good piece here. No crit from me as far as your writing goes. How you crit? I wonder if anybody really cares. Most just need the dollar plus. Lol
Cheers
Rose
reply by the author on 04-Sep-2006
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I have been on this site for a long time and still I tend to be polite when I should be more helpful and honest. By the way Indenting is distracting to the reader. It makes me irritable. :-) You have written a good piece here. No crit from me as far as your writing goes. How you crit? I wonder if anybody really cares. Most just need the dollar plus. Lol
Cheers
Rose
Comment Written 03-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 04-Sep-2006
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Hi, Rose, and thank you, first of all, for the five. I got a kick out of "if anybody really cares. Most just need the dollar. LOL." I'm glad I saw the LOL there. While that is true that we tend toward the high reward critting, don't we need to go deeper? We want the member dollars to promote our work; we want to promote it so more people will read it, and we want more people to read it (I hope this is the reason) so we will get a larger number of HELPFUL crits. That, so our writing can improve.
Don't like indents? I certainly hope you indent on anything you send to an editor for consideration. It won't get past the first paragraph; it is contrary to the formatting rules that editors live by. I will risk annoying a critter while trying to present a piece that is as close to publication that I can make it. And that means indenting.
Thanks, again, for the crit. I do hope you read the ones that follow.
Jay
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I don't think I will ever get to the point where my stories go to an editor. Lol. And you are correct (I just checked in some books) they are all indented. Never noticed that before. I wonder why is seems to be so obvious on the pc screen. As for getting irritable that's just my stage of life.:-)
Comment from TomandOma
Wonderful, logical approach to defining your personal standard of rating. It is tough. Decisions are frequently difficult. How can a non-professional Critter fairly judge the value of a story or poem? If I crit one absolutely boring but technically perfect - no SPAG - story and another one that is fascinating, well plotted and written, except that the SPAG is so bad and perhaps there are redundancies, which story deserves the best mark? Are all errors equal? It seems to me that a poor plot, poor visuals, and other deficiencies in that class is more serious than a missing comma or a regular hedgerow of them. But we trudge on and do the best we can, always aware of our non-professional status.
I have treated you to this unseemly outpouring in the hope that you will address this area, if you have some thoughts.
Now! I liked the humorous tone you've taken in addressing this subject and hope to see more of your writing. Welcome to Fanstory and the very best to you. Doris
reply by the author on 03-Sep-2006
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Wonderful, logical approach to defining your personal standard of rating. It is tough. Decisions are frequently difficult. How can a non-professional Critter fairly judge the value of a story or poem? If I crit one absolutely boring but technically perfect - no SPAG - story and another one that is fascinating, well plotted and written, except that the SPAG is so bad and perhaps there are redundancies, which story deserves the best mark? Are all errors equal? It seems to me that a poor plot, poor visuals, and other deficiencies in that class is more serious than a missing comma or a regular hedgerow of them. But we trudge on and do the best we can, always aware of our non-professional status.
I have treated you to this unseemly outpouring in the hope that you will address this area, if you have some thoughts.
Now! I liked the humorous tone you've taken in addressing this subject and hope to see more of your writing. Welcome to Fanstory and the very best to you. Doris
Comment Written 03-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 03-Sep-2006
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Yes. Oh, yes, yes! I plan to enter that very arena Doris, not always well armed, I'm afraid. But, it's probably THE most important area. While spag is an important consideration insofar as it interferes with full understanding and ease in reading. But, plot, characterization, theme -- these are the driving forces of good writing. I plan on addressing them as much as I am able. And that's where your input is invaluable. Bless you for your high praise and cogent ideas.
Jay
Comment from Eternal Muse
Excellent analysis of your feelings of being a member of Fanstory.com... I joined in June myself and found this poetic workshop/club far above the other two I belong to... It's like elevating myself to another level... I enjoy the works I read, I like the reviews better on this site, and here you can write stories, in addition to poetry.. I am primarily a poet (having written two stories on this site)...
My policy of reviewing is that, if I see a piece I don't care much about, I would skip it, rather than giving it a poor review which woudl hurt the author.. I am a little bit of a softie and don't want to hurt people's feelings.. Usually, the stories/'poems I read are those I would award at least 4 stars and more for.. However, must confess, in reviewing poetry, I came across a piece that I just could not give more than 3 stars for - anything above it would be dishonest.
I really enjoy this site very much, my rating for the past month went up substantially, and I like promoting my works, which include a LOT of reviewing.
I enjoyed your story very much, it's not everyday you read of members' impressions of Fanstory... You are a good narrator, and I enjoyed your thought provoking write.
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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Excellent analysis of your feelings of being a member of Fanstory.com... I joined in June myself and found this poetic workshop/club far above the other two I belong to... It's like elevating myself to another level... I enjoy the works I read, I like the reviews better on this site, and here you can write stories, in addition to poetry.. I am primarily a poet (having written two stories on this site)...
My policy of reviewing is that, if I see a piece I don't care much about, I would skip it, rather than giving it a poor review which woudl hurt the author.. I am a little bit of a softie and don't want to hurt people's feelings.. Usually, the stories/'poems I read are those I would award at least 4 stars and more for.. However, must confess, in reviewing poetry, I came across a piece that I just could not give more than 3 stars for - anything above it would be dishonest.
I really enjoy this site very much, my rating for the past month went up substantially, and I like promoting my works, which include a LOT of reviewing.
I enjoyed your story very much, it's not everyday you read of members' impressions of Fanstory... You are a good narrator, and I enjoyed your thought provoking write.
Comment Written 02-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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You are very kind, yeltel, in your comments. I appreciate your not wanting to hurt anyone. I feel the same. It was for this reason that I decided I needed a quantitative method. That way I would be fair to all and not let my personal feelings interfere, such as rating one higher than the work warrents simply because that person rewarded me with a five or a six. Stay tuned. Before long I shall lay out my ground-rules for your perusal. Again, thank you for your encouragement.
Jay
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Message me when you post your next installment, I'd like to read it.
Comment from WHATSUPDOC
I have only been a Fanstory member for less than a month and thus found your article/story very timely. In some cases I am finding that reviewing is even harder than actually writing a story. Your article helped me put things in perspective. Light reading, and informative ...with a touch of humour thrown in to make the whole process of reviewing your work not only painless, but actually very enjoyable
Well done.
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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I have only been a Fanstory member for less than a month and thus found your article/story very timely. In some cases I am finding that reviewing is even harder than actually writing a story. Your article helped me put things in perspective. Light reading, and informative ...with a touch of humour thrown in to make the whole process of reviewing your work not only painless, but actually very enjoyable
Well done.
Comment Written 02-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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Thanks, doctor, for your very kind comments. I've read two of your autobiographical pieces and I'll go back again -- looking for that elusive misplaced comma. Your good... Thanks for finding my piece to your liking. Stay tuned. More stuff coming.
Jay
Comment from CBetts30
Good stuff Jaysquires. It's interesting to see your thought procees on how you decide to critique a piece of work. I've learned a lot from the pointers you've given me and I definately plan to look at more of you work as well. Take care.
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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Good stuff Jaysquires. It's interesting to see your thought procees on how you decide to critique a piece of work. I've learned a lot from the pointers you've given me and I definately plan to look at more of you work as well. Take care.
Comment Written 02-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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Hey, cbetts (Is Betts your last name?) thank you for taking a look at this and for your kind thoughts. I hope you enjoy more of my work. Take a look at "Boxes" in the "sentence starts the story" contest. Best to you,
Jay
Comment from Wendyanne
I like your honesty Jay. I know what you mean about some of the work on this site being superb while other work is abyssmal. Being honest is very difficult but how can people learn to improve their work if we lie to them? Well done
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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I like your honesty Jay. I know what you mean about some of the work on this site being superb while other work is abyssmal. Being honest is very difficult but how can people learn to improve their work if we lie to them? Well done
Comment Written 02-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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Wendyanne, thank you so very much for your kind comments. It does my heart good to have someone confirm what I feel is the reality of one's necessary reponsibility in critting. Thanks, again.
Jay
Comment from Zenbud
I gave you a five star - I'm fast and loose with them for the most part. Unless it is truly bad writing. Many newbies write these pieces. Explaining their reasons for reviews. Being here so long, I've seen a lot of bad (subjective, I know) writing make it to the top tier much to my dismay. Nonetheless, the friendship and kinship is irreplaceable. Welcome - you are a bright addition to our family. Zenbud
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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I gave you a five star - I'm fast and loose with them for the most part. Unless it is truly bad writing. Many newbies write these pieces. Explaining their reasons for reviews. Being here so long, I've seen a lot of bad (subjective, I know) writing make it to the top tier much to my dismay. Nonetheless, the friendship and kinship is irreplaceable. Welcome - you are a bright addition to our family. Zenbud
Comment Written 02-Sep-2006
reply by the author on 02-Sep-2006
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Thank you, Zenbud, for your confidence in my piece. I do appreciate it. Stay tuned for more of the same, or more of the similar, to come as I complete them. Critting is so multi-faceted a process.
Jay