Fiction Critiques: Use Them

Employing Advice From Literary Criticism


I’ve said before that the fastest way to learn the craft is to critique, and be critiqued. But how do you know what critique advice should be taken? If you receive contradictory information from two different people, what do you do?

If you’ve only had two people critique your manuscript, it’s up to you to research and get more feedback. But in an active critique group, the answer will be in your responses. If you had 10 people look at the work, follow the advice of the majority. If the issue that is raised has not been addressed by other critiquers, simply ask of those who’ve previously read the work.

Now, there is a catch here. Just as an author needs to be mindful of his audience as he writes, an author must also be mindful of those critiquing his work. Get to know these people who’ve all learned different levels of craft. There are a few people whose advice I take very seriously.

Ultimately it’s up to you as the author to consider your story and its intended audience. One of the ways you know when you’ve mastered the craft is when you know how to take criticism, and what to do with it.