Constructive Criticism - Tumblr Posts
Ten questions to ask a friend who just read your novel
Here are ten questions to ask that will not put your friend in a tough spot, but will still give you some useful input on your novel:
1. At what point did you feel like “Ah, now the story has really begun!” 2. What were the points where you found yourself skimming? 3. Which setting in the book was clearest to you as you were reading it? Which do you remember the best? 4. Which character would you most like to meet and get to know? 5. What was the most suspenseful moment in the book? 6. If you had to pick one character to get rid of, who would you axe? 7. Was there a situation in the novel that reminded you of something in your own life? 8. Where did you stop reading, the first time you cracked open the manuscript? (Can show you where your first dull part is, and help you fix your pacing.) 9. What was the last book you read, before this? And what did you think of it? (This can put their comments in context in surprising ways, when you find out what their general interests are. It might surprise you.) 10. Finish this sentence: “I kept reading because…”
Your friend is probably still going to tell you, “It was good!” However, if you can ask any specific questions, and read between the lines, you can still get some helpful information out of even the most well-meaning reader.
Source: Examiner
Being a fanfic writer (despite it having been a while since I last worked on one old or new), I feel this is highly useful and will keep this in mind for when I next do so.
i might elaborate later but fanfic replies literally develop writer’s metacognition and make them better writers
Keep in mind, this is just a suggestion and there are other ways to improve, I tried to keep this as faithful to your art as I could without changing your art style.
I hope this helps! :> ❤️
I wanted to try this drawing thing again. The art I made on here before was done using shapes from canva, this was drawn by hand with Ibis. Feel free to give me things from my fandoms to practice drawing, I do want to get better and its fun.
Constructive criticism is welcome just be polite about it I haven't been consistently drawing in a long time.
My first Circus oc! 🎉
Drawing this jester was a friggin challenge
But I’m really happy with how it turned out! :>
(No lore yet :/)
(Their pronouns are they them because the hands are sentient👁️👁️)
(open to constructive criticism👍)
Fan fic authors are not professional writers.
Expecting them to be perfect and never make mistakes is setting yourself up to be an asshole.
Do you know how long it takes to write and publish a 60k novel for most published authors? Years. Plural.
That includes time spent writing multiple drafts and doing research and multiple rounds of edits. Access to a professional editor, and the ability to hire sensitivity readers. The list goes on and on and on.
Fan fic authors owe you nothing. They are churning out multiple novel length fics (or the equivalent in one shots) a year while still holding down school/jobs.
And you’re gonna jump down their throats because they wrote a pairing differently than you prefer??
Shut the fuck up.
Tags exists for a reason. Read them and move on if the fic is not for you.
I mean really. We all just lived through fucking 2020. Let people enjoy their FAKE gay porn in peace.
Jfc.
I totally agree with the ‘filler’ comment and the thoughts on the cover being very similar...is anyone else getting increasingly less impressed with the shatter me covers? Don't get me wrong! It's my absolute favourite series, one of the only ones I've ever re-read and Tahereh Mafi is an angel...but the covers just don't seem to do anything for me anymore. I don’t really understand them and the titles are getting more iffy as we go...idk..thoughts?
Also, I didn’t feel as connected to the characters as I originally did when I read the trilogy. It’s as though Tahereh waited too long to write the other books to the point where she forgot her own characters a bit and I felt as though I was reading a fan-fiction.
All throughout the book, I felt as though I was waiting for some big thing to happen and even though a lot did happen and there were many ‘plot twists’, it felt like they...just didn't. I don't know how to explain it.
But the ending... I know it was supposed to be that “big event” the huge climax but it felt poorly written. *spoilers* We just transitioned to this huge world order convention and The meeting seemed unreal with commanders just yelling at Juliette. Who let her even stand up there in this first place? where is this all happening? These dictators don't seem like the kind of people to just shout their displeasure. Oh right then someone just pulls out a gun and shoots?
*more spoilers* and finally and perhaps most irritatingly, I admired Tahereh’ s work with the Shatter me books because she was able to write an amazing story with all the feels without killing off characters left right and center. But then in Restore Me she just-- kills off everyone? How does that even work? Julliete just unlocks this inner power and--what? Yells everyone dead?
I too have high hopes for Defy Me. I'm hoping that Restore me was just getting Tahereh Mafi back into her groove and reacquainting her with her characters. I feel like having a new narrative with the fan-adored Kenji will really be a redeeming quality and hopefully, we’ll get a better sense of all the world building Tahereh has been doing behind the scenes.
DISCLAIMER: I am not hating on the books or Tahereh Mafi. I REPEAT this is my favourite series of all time and this woman is God-sent and has the writing skills of an angel. And if I could say anything about this series I’d say it’s way underrated for all its hidden gems. These are just some thoughts. What are yours? :)
An update from Tahereh Mafi about Defy Me:
> There will be three point of views! It starts with Warner, Juliette, and Kenji
> Looks like Tahereh has decided to expand on world building her Shatter Me series and we’ll be leaving Sector 45
> Lastly, we got a tease that not everything is what it seems for the fifth installment
My thoughts: Overall, I’m real excited to see what Tahereh has to bring to the table for her Shatter Me series! Hopefully we’ll get a little more action and less of a filler type of book. I think my only issue with this cover is that it’s exactly like the old one but with steel eyelashes. Maybe that’s just me but I really miss the personality that each cover had. Even if the cover is my least favorite, I’m still looking forward to the actual story and I will end my notes with positivity of being side by side with Juliette’s journey.
> What are your thoughts on the new facts and cover? What was your favorite cover?
This is very much a WIP buuuuut I try to add to it daily. I've been sitting on this for about 3 years and finally put everything to words. I'm allowing commenting for now for ideas because I'd love to see what other think but I will remove if it get to be too much.
Yes this is another fan species but I'm planning in making it compatible with all the others I've seen. I'm working on sprite art now but I'd prefer to draw it in my own style. If there's a sprite artist willing to work with me I'd appreciate it and try to compensate ^^.
This is the first repost from my old account I will have future things coming out after so refreshing edits.
Constructive crit?
Be real you guys, because the simblr community is SO sensitive. There’s a simblr story I really, really love, but this one plot line they have is really dragging. I don’t know if the creator realizes that they are showing the same thing happening over and over again, with no character growth or story progression. It’s frustrating because the stories great but the breaks we take from the main plot for this side quest that goes nowhere and is purposely obtuse isn’t adding the air of mystery the author thinks it’s adding. Now, everyone’s different, but it seems any sort of criticism in this community is taken as someone being a “hater” and immediately ignored and blocked. Thoughts on whether it’s worth it to try and help a good storyteller be better, or just bite my tongue and move one?
Hi, first i wish you a happy new year! We survived, hurray!!! Second, the reason i don't post so much it's because i'm shy, basically is that and other things that it's personal for my own good and comfort. But my phone haved some other plans, it's broken but it's still working (thank God!), and i just want to share my precious digital arts, i don't want to lost it, so here we go :/
Writing Tips Pt. 15 - Constructive Criticism
One important thing for any writer is to learn how to receive feedback on their work so they can improve. Even professionals can continue to improve their craft, and having an outside perspective can be very important to this.
One thing I often see among novice writers is a misunderstanding of what actually constitutes "constructive criticism." I frequently see novice authors who say they want constructive criticism, but when someone leaves a comment or review that brings up anything less than absolutely positive (pointing out a flaw, expressing confusion over a character's behavior, etc.), the author responds as though the entire story, and the author by extension, has been outright insulted. They say they want constructive criticism, but what they really want is just praise.
So first you need to know what constructive criticism actually is.
Praise: when the reader is gushing over every good thing in the story. ("This is the best story ever! You're awesome! I love your characters! It was great when your characters did the thing, and I liked how you wrote the fight sequence!")
Constructive Criticism, Critique: when the reader points out the story's flaws, but also (sometimes) what the author has done well. There may not always be positives mentioned, but the overall tone will be informative rather than hateful. If the reader knows of ways to fix the flaws or otherwise improve the story, they'll also provide such suggestions. ("I really liked your story. You captured the main character's personality well, and I liked how they interacted with their nemesis. Your pacing through the fight sequence felt rushed, though. Maybe if you switched to a different POV character for that scene? Or wrote a few extra action beats in there. You also gave one character a fire spell in chapter three but previously they could only do ice magic. I love your magic system, though!")
Insults, Flames: when the reader is negative to the point of offense. The commentary will be unhelpful. ("Your story sucks! You should stop writing! Go jump in a lake!")
Now, it should be noted that praise is not bad. Only one of these three types of feedback is universally bad, and that would be the insults. Ignore these. Block the comments if you can, report them for abuse if the site you're on allows it, and move on with your day. But keep in mind that simply pointing out the story's shortcomings aren't (usually) a personal attack, even if they don't mention any positives at all. The idea is generally to help, not harm. If there is a personal attack, ignore the attack.
But if it's just actual constructive criticism, put on your big kid pants, accept or ignore (because you don't have to accept someone's constructive criticism, even if you asked for it in the first place), and and don't retaliate. Throwing a fit when someone points out your spelling errors or your gross mischaracterization just makes you look like a child. And this applies to grown adults and professional writers just as much as beginners.
But if you take the feedback with grace and dignity, even if it's to politely point out that you're not accepting constructive criticism at this time or that you have an editor but thanks for the feedback anyway, you will come across as a professional in attitude, even if you're just starting out.
reposting a drawing i made earlier! (with a change in background) i used a reference/toturial but lost it in my files, if anyone knows please tell me. i’d like to make a link to it!
i’m still learning and i’m pretty new to art so constructive criticism is welcome! (i made this on adobe sketch incase anyone was wondering)