FanficNotes/Manuscript Critiques.md

Source: Manuscript critiques aren't as hard as you think | Patreon

Think of it like a clinical trial

The writer has a perfect story in their head and needs to test the manuscript, which is the delivery mechanism for hacking the reader's brain.

3 categories of critique

• Symptom = This is my reaction
• Diagnosis = This is why.
• Prescription = This is how to fix it.

Symptoms are:

Symptoms include: Awesome, bored, confused, disbelief. (Stream of consciousness reactions are also fair, like "Don't go down there!")

As a reader, don't:

• Offer a diagnosis without being asked.
• Offer prescriptions without being asked.
• Edit their prose without being asked. In all three cases, you're likely telling the story you wish you had written, instead of helping them redefine the story they want to tell.

Reacting to critiques

Pay attention to your reactions

• d'OH! - You immediately see the problem.
• I see what you mean, but... - They've misdiagnosed the problem, but there is something to fix.
• No - They want you to write a different story.
• WTF? - You don't understand how they got there. Ask for a diagnosis.

Decoding reader symptoms

• Awesome - Don't fix this.
• Bored - A pacing issue. Fix by tightening, adding stuff to make the reader understand why it's important, or both.
• Confused - Order of information problem.
• Disbelief - You've violated their sense of how the world works.

As a writer, don't:

• Apologize - It's a clinical trial.
• Explain - They can't give you a clean reaction if you do.
• Argue - Their symptoms are true. In all three cases, remember that the manuscript has to stand alone when it's out of trials.