Curiosity on Critiques

[queenoftheskies]

Have you ever run across a piece that you tried to critique, but it was so totally impossible to understand that you couldn't even figure it out enough to critique it???

I read (or tried to) through a three part piece to critique on one of the groups/lists I belong to. It so made no sense. It's hard to even know where to BEGIN to critique other than to tell the author I have no clue what's going on.

And, the really sad part is that the writing itself is actually pretty good...quite good in parts. But, the story is very convoluted and there are things I really need to know in order to even be able to critique.

Yes, I could tell the author this, but the critique would only be a few sentences and not very helpful to them.

So, I had to pass on critiquing this, even after reading the whole thing.

Comments

[frigg.livejournal.com]

Yes, but never combined with good writing. Mostly I'll crit the first 1-2 pages and then give a very overall crit, explaining why I couldn't finish the chapter/chapters.

[telaryn.livejournal.com]

Yes, I could tell the author this, but the critique would only be a few sentences and not very helpful to them.

I disagree. I think if you start off softening the blow with comments on the quality of the writing, knowing that they're having huge problems in their plotting/storytelling is critical for any writer.

The best technical writer in the world is still an ineffective writer if they can't get their point across.

(and for the record -- if it's me, what you've pointed out is *exactly* the type of thing I want pointed out to me. Better hearing it from friends than from agents/publishers.)

[ann-leckie.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think the critique would indeed be helpful to them.

It's entirely possible that they're having a problem with information--how much to give, how much to hold back, what to be subtle with and what to be blatant about--and they've erred on the hold back/subtle side. A critique that says "It started out seeming like this, but then when this happened I really didn't understand it because I expected one thing got another/I couldn't find a connection between the two/some other specific difficulty" will, especially when added to other people's specific comments about how the piece confused them, likely help the writer figure out what she needs to add in or change to make it more understandable for the reader.

I speak as someone who, this summer, received eighteen "It's cool but I have no idea what was going on" crits in a row. Really. Just try to be specific about at least one or two things that didn't make sense to you, and why, if you can. I know that can be very hard to do.

(In my case there were essentially two problems--I had cut what ought to have been a ten thousand word story down to six thousand, trying to force myself to write short, and I was trying not to bang people over the head with exposition. It wasn't plotting I was having problems with, or theme or characters or writing.)

There's also the possibility that this is one of those pieces that will make sense to some set of readers that doesn't include you--which isn't a bad thing on either side, but it might help the writer to know that some readers won't get it, and to think about whether or not she wants to try to make it more understandable to more people.

I also agree, btw, that you should be sure and mention the good writing, interesting imagery, whatever else that's good.

[ultharkitty.livejournal.com]

Yep, a few times. I found it was best to say what I thought was great about it, then explain where as a reader I needed some help.

[madwriter.livejournal.com]

I read a lot of stories like this and it inevitably leads to "style versus substance" arguments. Where I find the style so impenetrable that I can't find the story, or have a hard time doing so.

Of course, stories and authors like this have been winning or nominated for lots of awards lately. *Shudder*

[fancythat2.livejournal.com]

It might be helpful to the author if you explain exactly what you need to know to unravel the story. List the questions. Perhaps the author isn't sure where his/her story is really going.

[mmarques.livejournal.com]

When I critique something that is confusing, I ask at least a few questions that would start to clarify the piece. If the writing's good, you can also intersperse that with why certain things do work for you.

As an author, what I find tricky is when one person is confused about something that several other people thought totally straightforward. How to add clues without whacking the reader over the head.

[spaceoperadiva.livejournal.com]

I think asking questions about the issues that confuse you can help the author understand that whatever's going on in his/her head, it's not quite making it out in the story.

Only once have I read a piece that I thought was utterly unfixable. There was a canyon. And people fighting. And maybe a minotaur, it was hard to tell. The grammer and punctuation were the only things that weren't completely broken. :-)

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

I think that telling the author that the plot was entirely too convoluted to make sense is an absolutely valid critique. Back it up with a few concrete examples and I think you're definitely offering some helpful insight. An author should know what is going wrong with a piece and if the plot is all screwy, that is something that probably should be pointed out to them.

I have run across a few pieces that were beyond salvageable... And I'll offer whatever advice I can, but it's like the little Dutch Boy sticking his fingers in the dike.