The Power of Positive Critique – The Sandwich Method

I hate having to tell people what they did wrong. It’s hard and I don’t like disappointing people. And that is one reason why writing is so great--it’s subjective. Writing doesn’t have a lot of right and wrong to it. So when you critique you can focus on feedback that is telling the writer what’s not working for you as the reader. That said, if feedback isn’t delivered with care, it can be debilitating to a writer, especially one just starting out. This is why I love the sandwich method.

Yes I said sandwich, but unfortunately it’s not the eating kind. It’s the critiquing kind. So let’s decompose the sandwich method. In a standard sandwich you have the bread and the meat/veggie center. The bread is the good part. It’s got to be there otherwise you can’t have a sandwich. So when you critique someone it’s always helpful to start with something you liked about their work. Between characters, concept, story, setting, voice etc. you should be able to find something good about the work you are critiquing.

After first slice of bread comes the core of the sandwich. This is where you need to decide if you are a turkey sandwich, a ham sandwich, a BLT or something else. (I’m starting to get hungry) What goes on the sandwich is the things you want to discuss, what worked, what didn’t what might need some tweaking etc. You may choose to make this a turkey sandwich only and focus on just one issue that needs a lot of work, or you may decide you want a turkey with all the fixings, in which case you might discuss a lot of things you noticed. Just make sure you pile that sandwich with care. If you put the wrong combination of items it might not taste good. Or if you pile too high, the whole sandwich might topple over. Just like this…

I know that’s a bacon sandwich and what could honestly be wrong with bacon, but look at the structural integrity of that sandwich (sorry, I’m an engineer). That thing is a few strips of bacon from toppling onto that dirty table, and who wants gross bacon? Certainly not me. The same goes for meat of the feedback. If you pile too much on at once you risk knocking over the writer’s feelings. People have a threshold on how and what they can handle, so make sure you aren’t serving them a sandwich they can’t eat.

Yeah, I know, it’s all about the bacon. But you can’t have a sandwich without the top piece of bread. And that bread is again the good stuff. (Yes better than the bacon I SWEAR!) So make sure you cap off your feedback by again saying something nice. Start with good and end with good. If you do that, you’ll reel the writer in with what they really need to focus on without crippling them. Otherwise you might end up like this guy…

And we all know things didn’t turn out so great for him. So stick with the sandwich method. It allows you to deliver feedback in a nice way that will help the writer see what needs work without sending them home sad and hungry.

How do you like to give and/or receive your feedback?

 

You Got Feedback, Now What?

Feedback can make you want to twirl or tear your hair out. But when you get it from a critique partner, beta reader or maybe even an agent what do you do next? You’re drowning in notes and suggestions, some seem awesome, some don’t make sense, and others conflict with each other. How do you break down all the notes and decide what is useful and what information you should be listening to? Surely that agent critique holds more weight than your critique partners, right?

Well that may not always be the case. There are a number of things to consider before diving into revisions. If you aren’t careful you can give yourself whiplash from all the back and forth and end up with an over edited manuscript and/or query.

Are you saying no for the right reasons?

You should never blindly follow feedback from someone, I don’t care if they are an agent, editor, published author, or critique partner. Writing is subjective and what one person loves someone else might hate. Therefore just because someone is an “industry professional” doesn’t mean he or she knows everything or that his or her suggestions are right for your book. Only you know your book best, so you have to choose advice that works for you, even if that means sometimes ignoring industry experts.

Now I’m not saying you should ignore every agent, editor, and author out there, but you also don’t have to take every piece of advice you get from them as the final word. Honestly, some of my best feedback has come from unagented writers who are readers first. They understand good storytelling because they spend a lot of time reading. But that's not to discredit industry professionals, they can help make your book more marketable or see  your book from a different angle. Each person can bring a unique perspective to your work and it's important to realize not everyone will agree. I recommend not always weighting feedback by who it came from, but really evaluating each piece of advice and trying to decide if it will make your manuscript better or not.

Does the feedback resonate with you?

Are the notes sparking ideas or are they making you nauseous and confused? Well, good notes may still make you nauseated, but they also give you that push and drive to want to work on things. It may not happen right away, in fact a lot people (myself included) need a little time to let it sink in. I know my first instinct is to get defensive and start explaining everything I got feedback on. But once I have a chance to sit back and really think about it, things become a lot clearer. I start getting ideas about the things that need to be changed and how to go about making it happen. The things that don’t resonate don’t seem to fit into my story and I'm able to let them go.

Are you hearing the information from multiple sources?

If you hear some feedback once or maybe twice, it might be okay to ignore something. But if you start hearing something three or more times, it’s probably time to take a step back and re-evaluate. Multiple people saying the same thing usually means you have something that is confusing to the reader, a character and/or plot point that isn’t working or something that isn’t resonating with your readers. But also note, if the same feedback is coming from a public critique on a blog or forum, you may want to scrutinize the advice. Public critiques can be great, but sometimes people repeat things because they see others saying it not because they truly believe it. So you have to weigh the feedback from public settings in a different way.

Are you running from the work?

Writing is hard. Editing is hard. Nothing in this industry is easy. And if you are saying no to a major revision because you're scared, you think it’ll take too long, or you don’t think you can handle all the work, you are probably saying no to a revision for the wrong reason. Don’t run from the work, embrace it. I know some of my best revisions have come out of some of the most extensive notes that I was pretty scared of at the beginning. But in the end the hard work paid off and I ended up with a manuscript that was a million times stronger. It might seem like an uphill battle when you start, but when you finish you’ll be on the top of the mountain enjoying the view.

At the end of a revision, the feedback you received should make your manuscript shine. If you are ever unsure about some feedback it never hurts to try it out. You can always go back to your previous draft if it doesn’t work out. Feedback is designed to help you improve your work not cripple you and/or your manuscript. Always be sure to take the necessary time to think through the advice before diving into edits. A little extra time up front will provide the clarity you need to make your next draft the best one yet!

How do you decide which feedback is valuable to you?

Taking Criticism - no, I'm sorry, your manuscript isn't perfect....

I hate to break it to you...but that new manuscript you've been slaving away over, probably isn't perfect. I'm going to hit you hard, and I'm going to hit you quick. Pull it off like a band-aid. But you need to be told this. You've got some work to do, my friend, and you need someone to set you straight.

Oh come on. Don't cry. It's not that bad. Every writer needs to be told this.

I know, I know. You finish your manuscript, and you think it's the best thing since sliced bread...side note..depending on the sliced bread it's actually not that good for you. AVOID THAT HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP AND WHITE BREAD! Whole wheat is the way to go!

Ahem - where was I?

Yeah, so your fresh new manuscript. The idea may be amazing, and you may have had the words flowing from your mouth when you banged it out, but here's the thing. You have been blinded by your own creative juices! BEWARE THE NEW MANUSCRIPT BUG! It kills writers! And this is where your closest, and most honest colleagues come into play.

If you haven't done so already. Grab yourself a beta reader and critique partner. Now this can be your friend, or family member, but I'm warning you. This isn't always the best idea. Friends and family have a tendency to "sugarcoat" things. And as a writer, trying to perfect your craft that's the last thing you need. You need someone to tell you "Hey, um. This line sucks." or "This doesn't make any sense." or "I'm confused." or "Are you sure you're in the right line of work?" - Okay maybe that last one is a little harsh, if someone says that to you whack em over the head.

But in all seriousness, this needs to happen. You can't expect to get any better, if everyone keeps telling you that you're amazing. My parents for instance....oh, boy....I can't send them anything without them saying "OH MY GOD, TOM THIS IS YOUR BEST WORK YET I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT ON SHELVES" - seriously? Did you even read it? I can probably put in things that don't make any sense and they'll still love it...I NEED YOU TO TELL ME YOU HATE IT!!!! YOU DESPISE IT!!! RIP IT A NEW ONE!!!

I went to art school, and one of the things we learned in our classrooms is how to critique each others work and handle criticism. Criticism is meant to improve your work, and it's not meant to insult. We would hang our work up on the wall, and everyone, and I MEAN EVERYONE, would go around and we would take turns ripping each others artwork to pieces.

But guess what? We learned from these critique sessions. We learned what we were doing wrong, and the next time we had to do a similar project, we didn't make the same mistakes.The same goes for writing. If you have someone tell you that you are doing something wrong, you're not going to find yourself trapped in an endless cycle of producing the same errors over and over again. You're going to learn from it.

If you take criticism as an insult, you are not ready for this industry. People are going to hate your work, no mater how many other people love it. People are going to say your work is horrible. Now if those people don't give reasons, then they are just trolling. But if someone says to you "I don't like this, because I feel it does this...." or "I think you can do this...", you need to be open to the suggestion.

I just finished editing my latest MG manuscript thanks to the work of some great beta readers. And you know what? each of them ripped it apart to the next level. Now I look at my manuscript, and I think it's shiny like a newborn baby booty.

So take it from me, handle the criticism and take advantage of what people may think or suggest. If you find the right person to help, you'll find an invaluable person to assist you on your quest to becoming a writer.

Just don't take it personally. And if you do? Well, shake it off. Welcome to being a writer.