Tips and Truths with A.A.C. - Constructive Criticism

By Melissa Cobb

This week's random truth reveals a bit more about the phenomenal Stevie Wonder!

One aspect of being in the field of creative writing that can be frustrating is having your work critiqued because it can be hard to know how people will react. On the other hand, critiquing someone else can be difficult because you want to be able to candidly express how he or she can improve his or her piece, but you don’t want to hurt his or her feelings. To make this a little bit easier, here are a few tips on taking constructive criticism and how to give constructive criticism.

Taking Constructive Criticism:

1. The most important thing to remember when someone is critiquing your piece is that anything they say about the piece does not reflect your worthiness as a person or anything like that. All this person wants to do is help you make this piece the best that it can. Also, it helps to remember that not every piece you write is going to be wonderful at first, nor is every piece going to be horrible.
2. If you disagree with something the person critiquing your work points out, instead of getting angry, ask them to explain why they feel this way and listen to what he or she says. You might get some really good insight.
3. Write down any criticism the person says on your piece so you can look at it later. This will help you get started revising.
4. Thank the person for critiquing your piece when the two of you finish.
5. Leave the piece alone for a few hours or a few days to let the critiques sink in, an then look back at the person’s comments and start revising.

 Giving Constructive Criticism

1. The most important thing to remember when critiquing another person’s work is to be candid about what he or she needs to revise but not to the detriment of the person’s self-esteem. Think of it as you helping this person make their work the best it can be rather than pointing out everything that is wrong with it.
2. Point out what the person needs to revise and why, and be specific and thorough.
3. Point out any strong elements of the piece and why they worked well.
4. Answer any questions the person has for you after you finish critiquing his or her piece.

Random Truth of the Week: It’s common knowledge that singer Stevie Wonder is blind, but it is not as well known that he also cannot smell.