How This Critter Crits
Viewing comments for Chapter 4 "Macro-Critting (The Wrap)"GROWTH? ADULATION? HURRY -- CHOOSE!
91 total reviews
Comment from Goejsen
Thank you once again on bringing a very useful chapter on the issue reviewing (and writing as well). I think I learn a lot from you - and at the same time - scrolling down the text exactly what I do when reviewing a text - so probably I wouldn't have read yours if I didn't know what it was about.... :-) just joking!
Dialogue in the text, I sure learned that through publishing my first chapters - the readers want dialogue, not just reading the mind of some old schoolskeleton. So I'm working on that.....
Thanks for your advices which are useful in many ways and have helped me "skip" a lot of things I wouldn't be the right one reviewing anyway.
Goejsen, Denmark
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Thank you once again on bringing a very useful chapter on the issue reviewing (and writing as well). I think I learn a lot from you - and at the same time - scrolling down the text exactly what I do when reviewing a text - so probably I wouldn't have read yours if I didn't know what it was about.... :-) just joking!
Dialogue in the text, I sure learned that through publishing my first chapters - the readers want dialogue, not just reading the mind of some old schoolskeleton. So I'm working on that.....
Thanks for your advices which are useful in many ways and have helped me "skip" a lot of things I wouldn't be the right one reviewing anyway.
Goejsen, Denmark
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Such high praise coming all the way from Denmark! I'm flattered, Goejsen. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Jay
Comment from bookishfabler
Wow. You really wrote a mouth full, so to speak. LOL. I love the metaphor about the gift wrapping. Sometimes, one does edit outside the box, then edits inside the box, then sends, Then reads what the reader reads. Ops, a mistake. Ops that line should be down here, or continue here. Lets go back and change it. After all that. You still did not see that you needed a question mark over here. Or a comma over there. But you swore you went over that. Where did those boo boos come from? Though this was wordy, and may lose some readers interest, I liked it. I like to see how people feel about submissions. When I post something and am critiqued, even with a low rating because I missed to many comma's. I appreciate the effort. It means the rater cared enough about the contents and the story itself, Then I pull my lap top next to my desk top and start fine tuning the edits. More often than not, the reviewer up grades. Telling me the story was great, but it needed the tweaking. I always tweak, and tweak and tweak.
Ah ha, I am finished rambling now. Catch you again soon.
Peace
bookishfabler
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Wow. You really wrote a mouth full, so to speak. LOL. I love the metaphor about the gift wrapping. Sometimes, one does edit outside the box, then edits inside the box, then sends, Then reads what the reader reads. Ops, a mistake. Ops that line should be down here, or continue here. Lets go back and change it. After all that. You still did not see that you needed a question mark over here. Or a comma over there. But you swore you went over that. Where did those boo boos come from? Though this was wordy, and may lose some readers interest, I liked it. I like to see how people feel about submissions. When I post something and am critiqued, even with a low rating because I missed to many comma's. I appreciate the effort. It means the rater cared enough about the contents and the story itself, Then I pull my lap top next to my desk top and start fine tuning the edits. More often than not, the reviewer up grades. Telling me the story was great, but it needed the tweaking. I always tweak, and tweak and tweak.
Ah ha, I am finished rambling now. Catch you again soon.
Peace
bookishfabler
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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I always look forward to your crits, bookishfabler that are inevitably as good as your writing. I was reading your "rambling" and thinking, my God, you're in my head. You really were! How'd it feel in there. Scary, huh? Thanks, again...
Jay
Comment from Sissy
RE-REVIEW!
Hi Jay,
Sorry it took me so long to reread/re-review this!!
I think the edits came out great. I look forward to the next installment!
Upgrading four to five stars!
Sissy
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Hi Mr. Jay,
Hope things are going well. I was happy to see another chapter out. Not only do I enjoy the content of how you 'crit', I also love the fill in stories. (If my husband, not that he exists, or well he should EXIST, but I can't find him -- ever gave me an empty box, wellllll, that would be an ugly scene! :) )
Anyway, back to the review. Again, you've found an interesting way to make your points on macro-critting. I do go over the whole work and glance through it to see if I have time to do a good review. For example, I was very tired last night, checked out this and figured I'd do a crap job looking through it then, so here I am this morning!!
Someone once asked me to use 12 point size for fonts. I'd always used 10, and it never occured to me it was hard to read. (Sheesh!) It was probably you -- and you are so right.
This is a fun and informative series, Jay. I hope to see more chapters soon.
Some SPAG:
of the U(S) Air Force (or U.S.)
If I haven't adopted the body of the first and the second reading of Adler's How To Read a Book, (<--I don't think you need this comma. Read through. It doesn't need a pause here.) as a model for macro critting, at least I've adopted its spirit.
Where Dr. Adler advises a quick, don't stop for the wounded, approach for the initial reading of a book in an effort to get the feel for the overall cognitive structure of it,
(I had to read the beginning of this twice. The 'quick, don't stop for the wounded' threw me off. Maybe enclose in apostrophes or quotes:
Where Dr. Adler advises a 'quick, don't stop for the wounded' approach (probably don't need that comma either) What do you think?)
Slowly. .... I want (I think you go with just three periods here for the ellipse. Since you are not closing out a sentence. Not sure, but pretty sure.)
So, are we there yet? .... Okay, (Same here)
Or, profound? (need this comma? I guess is ok if you want the deliberate pause.)
Holler and I'll rereview!!
Again, really good stuff here, Jay!
Take care,
Sissy
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Hi Jay--
I went and looked up the ellipsis thing, because I was curious. I kept thinking you might be right, and as it was, you were!! So, keep your four dots in a row there!!!!!
Sissy
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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RE-REVIEW!
Hi Jay,
Sorry it took me so long to reread/re-review this!!
I think the edits came out great. I look forward to the next installment!
Upgrading four to five stars!
Sissy
---------------------------------
Hi Mr. Jay,
Hope things are going well. I was happy to see another chapter out. Not only do I enjoy the content of how you 'crit', I also love the fill in stories. (If my husband, not that he exists, or well he should EXIST, but I can't find him -- ever gave me an empty box, wellllll, that would be an ugly scene! :) )
Anyway, back to the review. Again, you've found an interesting way to make your points on macro-critting. I do go over the whole work and glance through it to see if I have time to do a good review. For example, I was very tired last night, checked out this and figured I'd do a crap job looking through it then, so here I am this morning!!
Someone once asked me to use 12 point size for fonts. I'd always used 10, and it never occured to me it was hard to read. (Sheesh!) It was probably you -- and you are so right.
This is a fun and informative series, Jay. I hope to see more chapters soon.
Some SPAG:
of the U(S) Air Force (or U.S.)
If I haven't adopted the body of the first and the second reading of Adler's How To Read a Book, (<--I don't think you need this comma. Read through. It doesn't need a pause here.) as a model for macro critting, at least I've adopted its spirit.
Where Dr. Adler advises a quick, don't stop for the wounded, approach for the initial reading of a book in an effort to get the feel for the overall cognitive structure of it,
(I had to read the beginning of this twice. The 'quick, don't stop for the wounded' threw me off. Maybe enclose in apostrophes or quotes:
Where Dr. Adler advises a 'quick, don't stop for the wounded' approach (probably don't need that comma either) What do you think?)
Slowly. .... I want (I think you go with just three periods here for the ellipse. Since you are not closing out a sentence. Not sure, but pretty sure.)
So, are we there yet? .... Okay, (Same here)
Or, profound? (need this comma? I guess is ok if you want the deliberate pause.)
Holler and I'll rereview!!
Again, really good stuff here, Jay!
Take care,
Sissy
---------------------------------------------------------------
*****************
Hi Jay--
I went and looked up the ellipsis thing, because I was curious. I kept thinking you might be right, and as it was, you were!! So, keep your four dots in a row there!!!!!
Sissy
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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"(Sheesh!) It was probably you -- and you are so right." No, you were not the source of that comment. I found out, much to my embarrassment that I don't have any control over the font size or style when I edit it through FS. What I had as script came out blocked, and there were limited choices to change it to, none of which was script. Thus that awkward parenthetical phrase. This after I boasted of pulling it back up after I push the send button and read it as the reader would... Physician heal thyself! Thanks for the help with editing. I'm pasting it to word and will check it out tonight. Bless you.
Jay
Comment from andyman64
Super stuff, a little difficult to be acritter of a critter, especially as I am a crap critter. Okay a crap critter with haert, but still ine realms of my own crapness.
Putting that to one side, I'll tell you what I liked. The humour was pretty slick, especailly the slightly arrogant confused self-effacing manner you tackled this. Pace was good and needed to be, to move a technical piece with humour needed a good speed about it and you delivered that well.
The section on the font format made me grin and I quickly set about editing my latest masterpiece in the vain attempt to recoup much needed votes...lol. Now I understand it was down to the font size, at least I can breathe a little easier.
Seriously great read and as enjoyable as it gets.
Andy
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Super stuff, a little difficult to be acritter of a critter, especially as I am a crap critter. Okay a crap critter with haert, but still ine realms of my own crapness.
Putting that to one side, I'll tell you what I liked. The humour was pretty slick, especailly the slightly arrogant confused self-effacing manner you tackled this. Pace was good and needed to be, to move a technical piece with humour needed a good speed about it and you delivered that well.
The section on the font format made me grin and I quickly set about editing my latest masterpiece in the vain attempt to recoup much needed votes...lol. Now I understand it was down to the font size, at least I can breathe a little easier.
Seriously great read and as enjoyable as it gets.
Andy
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Oh, Andy, thanks for the encouraging, kind words. And, you're not a crappy critter at all. I've been at it for forty years. Time has its advantages. Except in the knees, gas and night peeing. Stay aboard, Andy, for the long haul. I need you here.
Jay
Comment from Plaid
Great job! I'm enjoying your critter series a great deal. It's refreshing to hear your thoughts on grading for submission content. Too many pieces I read receive 5's that may have no SPAG, but are about as exciting as toe jam.
I found one minor nit:
"Haze of over 40 years" = write out forty (earlier parts of the text your wrote out numbers for years)
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Great job! I'm enjoying your critter series a great deal. It's refreshing to hear your thoughts on grading for submission content. Too many pieces I read receive 5's that may have no SPAG, but are about as exciting as toe jam.
I found one minor nit:
"Haze of over 40 years" = write out forty (earlier parts of the text your wrote out numbers for years)
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Thank you so much for your heads up. And, not grading me down for it. I pasted it to Word and I'll make the changes along with others. Your crits are always appreciated, so stay aboard. I love having you here.
Jay
Comment from Frech54
Another good series I think many of us can relate too. Sometimes I wonder if they happen to be new to the site, but then when I look when they joined, some have been here for a very long time. I would like to think that most of us are here to polish our work, see if it is marketable, well-received, etc., and then go out and try to find someone foolish enough to publish us, but I wonder at times at some of the writing posted here. Anyway, very well done. Only found one thing that I think you missed in an earlier edit, was pointed out by another reviewer, probably just missed it.
although rent-free and stipend-earned, courtesy of the Us (U.S.) Air Force
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Another good series I think many of us can relate too. Sometimes I wonder if they happen to be new to the site, but then when I look when they joined, some have been here for a very long time. I would like to think that most of us are here to polish our work, see if it is marketable, well-received, etc., and then go out and try to find someone foolish enough to publish us, but I wonder at times at some of the writing posted here. Anyway, very well done. Only found one thing that I think you missed in an earlier edit, was pointed out by another reviewer, probably just missed it.
although rent-free and stipend-earned, courtesy of the Us (U.S.) Air Force
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Frech54, I thank you for your thoughtful and helpful comments. I pasted it over to word and will make the corrections en-masse. I hope you plan on staying on for the long haul. I need crits like yours.
Jay
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Thank you for that, and yes, I plan to keep on reading. I find your 'story' refreshing.
Comment from Sallyo
You are one entertaining critter, Jay! I'd say some of your readers are squirming (as I recall me to a couple of my pomes posted in script) and most are nodding enthusiastically. This piece was worth reading for its elegance of phrasing, and for the admission that, like me, you didn't fancy a closer acquaintance with Great Books. Alas, show me a Pulitzer/Booker/Book and I can show you one I won't ever read. Mind you... a Best Seller is unlikely to get me interested either...
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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You are one entertaining critter, Jay! I'd say some of your readers are squirming (as I recall me to a couple of my pomes posted in script) and most are nodding enthusiastically. This piece was worth reading for its elegance of phrasing, and for the admission that, like me, you didn't fancy a closer acquaintance with Great Books. Alas, show me a Pulitzer/Booker/Book and I can show you one I won't ever read. Mind you... a Best Seller is unlikely to get me interested either...
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Thank you, Sallyo for your kind words. I always appreciate crits from people who are good writers. They are giving me an endorsement that is worth so much to me. You and your comments are greatly appreciated.
Jay
Comment from lerkun
absolutely precious jaysquires, am still grinnin like a cheshire over your attempt to digest the "great books" am not sure who might publish this but what the hey hey you made me laugh from near beginning to end. So spot on in many areas it was almost scary ;-D I do review books and shorts tho I write primarily poetry... It can be quite a treat to get in and view a book prior to publishing as there are certainly writers with stories of that calibre here... anyway tx for the laughs... quite endearing.
be well
lerk
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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absolutely precious jaysquires, am still grinnin like a cheshire over your attempt to digest the "great books" am not sure who might publish this but what the hey hey you made me laugh from near beginning to end. So spot on in many areas it was almost scary ;-D I do review books and shorts tho I write primarily poetry... It can be quite a treat to get in and view a book prior to publishing as there are certainly writers with stories of that calibre here... anyway tx for the laughs... quite endearing.
be well
lerk
Comment Written 03-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2006
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Thank you, lerk, for your kind comments. I appreciate them more than you know. I hope you'll hang around and catch some more of the series.
Jay
Comment from mslink1
Bottom line ... don't judge a book by it's cover. Contents do count, at least, to this reader. Never too old to learn. This was an informative chapter, by Dr. Adler and you.
There's only one book that I've read three times from start to finish and I mean every word. The Book of Joshua and I only read it three times because God told me too. Looking back ... it was the third time through that I finally learned what God was trying to teach me. Yep, guess I'm a slow learner:) Mary
reply by the author on 02-Nov-2006
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Bottom line ... don't judge a book by it's cover. Contents do count, at least, to this reader. Never too old to learn. This was an informative chapter, by Dr. Adler and you.
There's only one book that I've read three times from start to finish and I mean every word. The Book of Joshua and I only read it three times because God told me too. Looking back ... it was the third time through that I finally learned what God was trying to teach me. Yep, guess I'm a slow learner:) Mary
Comment Written 02-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 02-Nov-2006
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Thank you for your observation, Mary. I always value input from talented writers. Yes, one should always read from the point of authority -- especially the highest authority. Blessings.
Jay
Comment from wizard_of_oz
Thanks a lot for sharing this, I'm learning and I'm enjoying the ride with you. Be assured that I'll be here waiting for your next issue of Micro-critting. More power and keep sharing your knowledge.
reply by the author on 02-Nov-2006
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Thanks a lot for sharing this, I'm learning and I'm enjoying the ride with you. Be assured that I'll be here waiting for your next issue of Micro-critting. More power and keep sharing your knowledge.
Comment Written 02-Nov-2006
reply by the author on 02-Nov-2006
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I appreciate your wonderful comments wizard. There's plenty of room and you're always welcome to stay on board.
Jay