Taking It

On June 12, 2010, Erin Edwards wrote, How do you cope with revision requests/suggestions, or did you never have a problem with them? Do you find that they were easier or harder to take after you got a contract or had a book published?

When I was starting out and hadn’t yet tried my hand at a novel and all my picture book manuscripts were being rejected, I wrote one that garnered editorial interest.  The story was about a girl, maybe four years old, miserable when bedtime came and her parents were having a party for grownups.  Awake in bed, she decided to dress up as an old lady and crash the party.  She did and was the life of it.

In the story I didn’t say whether or not the adults were onto her, and editors didn’t know what to do with the ambiguity.  I received editorial suggestions that I attempted to follow in revisions.  One editor even met with me.  He talked about “warm storytelling” and suggested I read Jon Scieszka’s The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, which I dutifully did (it’s great!).  Afterward, I felt that I had an epiphany and really learned something about craft, rewrote the story in a state of great excitement, submitted it – and this editor hated it.

With each revision, the charm of my original story melted away and I couldn’t get it back.  Finally, I saw it was permanently lost and stopped submitting it.

However, nothing like this has ever happened to me since.  I included the anecdote because it can happen, and when it does, it’s really sad.  Maybe the trouble in this case was that the story hung on that gossamer thread between adult belief and disbelief.  Possibly it would have resolved itself if the editors had left the uncertainty to an illustrator to interpret.

Again when I was starting out, I joined critique group after critique group (they tended to fall apart after a while) and I kept taking writing classes.  In my first critique group we were all beginners and none of us knew what we were doing.  We just offered each other what we could, at that point more as readers than writers.  I decided that I should try all criticism.  If a suggestion didn’t work, I could go back.

But usually they did work, and I learned.

A friend of mine had a brain injury that has left her with limited ability to hold onto new memories.  She can’t hear a fact and remember it, but she can still learn by repetition, by doing, through something called implicit learning.  We all learn some things implicitly, like how to ride a bike or how to swim, and I think most writing learning is implicit.  For example, I may read that writers should vary their sentence structures, but just reading the words and remembering them isn’t enough.  I have to try out the suggestion in a mechanical way many times before the practice becomes part of the way I write.

Before I got published I took a writing class that I loved and repeated again and again.  Bunny Gabel, our marvelous teacher, who has since retired, conducted the class as a workshop.  At the end of every class we would drop our week’s writing on her desk.  By the next week she would have picked a chapter of a novel or an entire picture book of three students to read aloud.  She wouldn’t identify the writer, and when she finished, the class would weigh in, constructively of course.  At the end of the student comments, she’d give her own.  The writer was not supposed to speak, just to listen.  In the years I took the class nobody ever broke the code.

Just listening works well under any circumstance.  If we explain or defend, the criticism doesn’t penetrate.  We need to sit with it before we understand its value – or worthlessness.

In class, the level of the criticism was high.  A bunch of the students were published and most of the class were repeaters like me.  At the beginning of every semester, Bunny laid out how the class worked, and she always said that any and all comments could be entirely wrong.  For me, sometimes they were.  The class was hearing a chapter only, so occasionally they couldn’t judge.  Luckily, some of my classmates were in a critique group with me, and I could ask them if an opinion was off-base.

I’m better now at knowing which criticism is worth listening to and which isn’t.  Experience has made me better.  Writing is weird, and I think it’s that implicit learning.  Every book is a different challenge, and what I learned on my last book may not apply to my next.  I feel like a perpetual beginner, and I am, because we learn to write for as long as we do write.  At the same time, I have attained some mastery – and I owe a lot of it to that class and to other criticism I’ve gotten along the way.  I learned the advice implicitly by doing, and now the voices of my fellow students whisper as I work, Am I revealing feelings?  Can the reader see what’s going on?  Have I remembered the other senses in addition to sight?  Am I writing ideas in order?

So how to tell if criticism is on target?  In your comments on the blog I see that many of you are good critics of your own work; you know what your weaknesses are.  When someone criticizes an aspect you know is difficult for you, that’s criticism to believe.  If more than one person identifies the same problem, you probably should pay attention.  If someone fails to understand something you wrote, that is worth looking at.  In fact, when a reader says she’s confused, her confusion may be the most useful criticism of all.

One of the things I love about writing for kids is that there are standards.  One can judge.  Someone can really tell me what’s wrong with my story.  For example, there isn’t enough tension, or the story is too long, or my main character is annoying in a bad way.

But when I used to paint there didn’t seem to be an objective standard and, maybe as a consequence, I never found my way.  If I visit a show of contemporary art and see badly drawn images I can’t tell if that’s the artist’s intent or if he’s a lousy draftsman.  I love art and my taste is broad, but sometimes I’m clueless.

I’ve mentioned that I’ve gotten very interested in poetry.  Last night I was working on a poem and making extra spaces between words and lines for a certain effect.  I’m not sure if I was being too obvious or doing something good, and I don’t know if anyone can tell me or, even if another poet has an opinion, if that opinion is valid.  Much as I love poetry, this makes me uneasy.  In kids’ books something is right or it isn’t.  Poets can actually use incorrect grammar on purpose and that’s okay.  Aaa!

In our writing, the only kinds of criticism we need to be wary of are global criticism as in, You’re not much of a writer, dear, and harping criticism that isn’t meant to help.  If someone insults your writing, don’t show it to that person again.  No second chances, in my opinion.  And if someone nitpicks and you come to understand the nitpicker doesn’t mean your writing well, cut that connection too.  The person can still be your best friend, but not your writing buddy.

And the only recipient of criticism who needs to be very careful is the writer who is already too hard on herself.  If that’s you, cultivate kindness to yourself.  When you show your work for criticism, warn the person that you’re fragile.  This is okay to do.  You in particular may misunderstand and think that what you’re being told is worse than it really is.  Double check to make sure you understand.  Ask, if you need to, if your critic thinks you should trash your story – before jumping to the conclusion that that’s exactly what he does think.

I’m almost at the end and I haven’t talked about how getting criticism changes once one is published or accepted for publication.  It changes enormously, and the answer segues into working with an editor, which I think is worth a whole post, so I’ll continue next week.

The only prompt is to be brave and show your work to other writers, to friends who are big readers, to teachers, librarians.  If you’re not accustomed to doing this, observe yourself as you take in the comments that come back.  Write down what you need to remember.  Don’t argue.  Work on developing a thick skin.  Then return to your computer and try out the edits, being sure to save your earlier drafts.

Meanwhile, keep writing, save everything, and have fun!

24 Responses on “Taking It”

  1. Chantal says:

    Thanks for the great post!

    I'm running into the problem of who to give my novel to for reading. I know I need some outside opinions before it's complete, but I'm wary about just handing out my novel to everyone who offers, even if I do know them. Do you have any advice?

  2. Alex Newman says:

    What an insightful post. I think we can all relate on some level…

    Personally, I'm constantly challenged by my own perfectionism. I'm in the midst of a second draft, and though I've told people about my book, I still don't want anyone to read it yet. I worry that it will never be good enough.

    Now that I think of it, perhaps it's a fear of criticism masquerading as perfectionism. In any case, I want to get constructive feedback, but I secretly want my manuscript to be as good as it possibly can before that happens. Ah me. Writerly conflicts abound.

    Thanks again, Gail!

  3. Alex P says:

    Loved this post; now I really want to read that girl-sneaks-into-party story. 😀

    Ha. My family is always annoyed that I never show them what I write. It's because on the few times I ask my sister to look at something, she glances it over, tells me 'scrap it' (which I don't mind, because she's my sister and I'm forgiving), and doesn't tell me what's wrong. Not very encouraging. As a result, I have become very self-sufficient while editing and appreciate it when anyone is willing to give me criticism-extremely negative or positive.

    @Alex Newman I'm a perfectionist too. ;D For me, it's that I want my writing to be as full of juicy goodness as it can be.

    To you WriMo's out there-find me on NaNoWriMo as That-Contrarian-Librarian. (Tell me you're from here, though).

  4. Alex P says:

    oh, and @Gail Carson Levine- I've always loved the verse you put in your books. It's all very creative and well-ordered, especially in Fairest. You seem to have your own style, too (seems sort of pantoum-ish to me). So I hope you choose to write poetry; I'd love to see you publish a poetry book someday.

  5. Silver the Wanderer says:

    Awesome advice! Finding people to critique my work has always been a problem for me. I was invited to join a local writer's group, but they meet during school hours and it's been difficult to attend all the meetings. Besides for them, the only other people to see my work are my parents and my best friend, and even they haven't seen all of it. I feel like I want to get all my editing done before I "waste their time". There aren't a lot of workshops around here either. (I SO wish I could go to yours, Mrs. Levine, but I'm too far away. Have you ever taught any one-day workshops in other places before? Just curious.)

    Alex Newman, you pretty much described me there. So don't worry, you're not alone! 😉 Me and my perfectionism. I love being a perfectionist, and I think it makes me a better writer in the long run. But sometimes it can really be annoying!

    I have a question – how do you know when someone is being honest with their criticism? Those who have read my work are really enthusiastic about it, but I'm not sure if that's just because I'm young. Compliments are always nice, but I really need honest feedback. I think people might just be telling me it's good so as to not hurt my feelings…

  6. E.J. Wesley says:

    Wonderful advice! It can be so hard to stay encouraged, as a writer, and it's so very hard to simply run with the criticism and see where it takes you.

    Personally, I've struggled with art as well. I do love to paint and draw, but I agree that it always seemed so hard to objectively interpret the level of my talent, success, or what-have-you. I was never able to get past myself like I've been able to do with writing.

    Thanks so much for sharing your insight, Gail. I needed it!

  8. Grace says:

    This post came right in time! My writing buddy and I are starting a critique group and we're meeting for the first time next week. I'm kind of nervous because I don't know the other four people very well and all are much more experienced than I, but this gave me a bit of courage.
    Honestly I love to get feeback. I normally fix my stuff up a LOT before I let anyone read it,and when I do let people read it; it is only people very close to me. I do love, though, to get constructive critisim. I love to know how I can improve and what I did right, and just overall what a person thought.
    I've never really critiqued anyone's writing before, I've only had people critique mine. Since I'm going to critque group next week, does anyone have any idea how to provide good, honest critique?
    @ Silver the Wanderer, I know what you mean. My friends and a few others always tell me what my writing is "good" but they don't tell me much more than that.I end up wondering if it's because I'm young and a newbie. I say 'you can give me some negatives too, I can take it.' And then normally they open up. But, I don't like it when people are overly nice to the point where they give me nothing to work off of.
    @Alex P. I am a WriMo, I will definately have to check out your page! 🙂
    Thanks again for the post Ms. Levine, this helped a lot.

  9. Mya says:

    This was a particularly insightful post, Mrs Levine. It seems to me the best way then, to improve your work is to practicing, and improving yourself after reviewing criticism.

    I'm actually on a constant move, so I can't enroll in a critic group. And none of my friends sadly, and people close to me are interested in writing. I guess I"ll just have to wait till something comes by, and at least there is so much helpful advice on the net.=)

    @Alex Newman: I used to be a total perfectionist too.=) I'd never be satisfied with my work, but one day, I realised, there really is nothing such such as a perfect book. At least, something that'll appear perfect to everyone. That made me relax, and concentrate more on getting a story done before going through an editing frenzy.

    @ alex P: I'm a new WriMo, I'll contact you!=)

  10. gailcarsonlevine says:

    Chantal–Your question needs more than a quick answer. I'm adding it to my list.

    Alex P.–Thank you! I love pantoums, and I wrote one for a collection of extra-short scary stories for kids, so they can work for a young audience.

    Silver the Wanderer–I haven't taught any one-day writing workshops except at conferences. I'm putting your question with Chantal's because I think they're related.

    Grace–I've added your question too.

  11. lilyofseafoam says:

    I think this is one of my favourite posts so far(obviously last week's is among them too). Criticism is tricky, and hearing your take on the subject was really nice. One of my professors always cautions us not to attack the writer in any book we evaluate because doing so tells him that we don't really know how to address the content. Thank you for your advice on what criticism to listen to–I think this applies to more than just writing too! I also agree with Alex P.-The story about the little girl sounds like it would be fun to read!

  12. Jenna Royal says:

    Thanks for this post! Sometimes I find people's critiquing a little difficult to use. Usually I just get little things pointed out, like number changes or weak sentences, and a lot of thoughts on where things are going. It can be really helpful, but sometimes, though I think my friends are really honest with me and I try to be honest when critiquing their work, when they tell me there's nothing wrong with my story I find it hard to believe. It can be frustrating, trying to find flaws in your own work because you think there are some even though people say there aren't.

    @ Grace – My advice for critiquing is to just be honest. When I critique other people's work, I try to tell the truth in a nice way, so it's clear what exactly I'm talking about without being mean.

  13. Lupe Ruiz-Flores says:

    Ms. Levine,
    I had the pleasure of meeting you at the SCBWI-LA summer conference. We talked for a little bit in the lobby (that's okay if you don't remember). I enjoyed the article you just posted yesterday as much as I enjoyed your talk at the conference. Thank you for such insightful advice.

  14. Wendy says:

    Excellent post! I had actually been thinking a lot about this lately. I often find that I really like giving constructive criticism (although some of it comes from your book & blog, I must admit) but it seems like whenever I try to get CC from other people, they don't really have anything to say. I know I can improve it, and they're probably wanting to not hurt my feelings or anything, but it's hard to find people who'll give you advice. And you have to find a balance of how much CC you give (you want to be helpful, but not give so much it's insulting/overwhelming). I have really been wanting to start a writer's support group sort of thing… now I'm all inspired!

  16. F says:

    I agree completely with the post! It IS a bitter pill to swallow, but one has to do it!
    But, there has to be someone willing to go over it carefully as well. It's hard to find that sort of person.

  17. Charlotte says:

    sigh….
    I think I agree with most of the people who've already commented: it's really hard to find good people to ask for criticism in the first place. I've been struggling on and off with the same novel for five years, and when I told my best friend I was finally giving it up, mainly because the main character had morphed into a Mary Sue monster, she did nothing but agree with me. I knew it was the truth—after all, I'd been the one who'd said it—but it still hurt. And now that I'm thinking of going back to my story again—it's in my blood now, and I don't think it'll let go of me until it's finished—I've still got her words hanging there in the back of my head. She spoke the truth, but not much more. She didn't give me ideas on how to fix it or encourage me to come up with my own. I don't think I would have expected that from someone who used to be my book's biggest fan. I guess even good criticism relationships can go sour sometimes…
    Oh, and thanks for this and all of your posts—and especially Writing Magic. They are what sustains the little hope I can't shake within myself. They are what made me decide that against all odds, even though I'm spending 30 hours a day studying science, I want to be a writer. So thanks!

  18. Rose says:

    Charlotte – best wishes for strength and perseverance. The school vs. writing conflict is a bit like the Lone Power in Diane Duane's fantasy series: whenever you get rid of it in one way, it crops up in another and you have to fight the same battle again! Hope your writing goes great, your science likewise.

  23. Erin Edwards says:

    Ms. Levine – I can't believe I was busy this week and almost missed the answer to my question! And then the web ate my carefully constructed comment…

    But thank you very much for the thoughtful post. I was able to see myself in some of what you said – you said some things about how writers with different personalities react to critiques that I had never seen before. I look forward to the continuation of this post topic.

    @ Chantal: A good question to ask a prospective and willing reader is what kind of books they like to read. Ask if they like books that you think are similar to yours in genre, tone, and/or age group, etc.

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