If you have finished a piece of writing and feel it's time to get another set of eyes to give your piece a look, online critique can be a quick way to get that assessment. Many writing consultants operate websites and provide feedback online through email, chats or even web-based workshops. Here are some ways you can get the most from online critiquing.
- Pick a good consultant. The best way to get useful feedback on your work is obviously to pick someone to share your work with who can give you that kind of feedback. Many writers supplement their income by offering online critique services. This does not mean that all of these writers have valuable feedback to offer you. To find a good writing consultant, be sure to look into his professional credentials. He should have some professional experience in the genre he's endeavoring to critique though he need not be a Pulitzer Prize winner. It could simply be that he has some contest wins or a MFA in creative writing. Also look for teaching or critiquing experience since you don't want to be a writing analyst's guinea pig...
Try to get a sense of what the writing analyst's attitude is toward writing clients. There are many consultants to choose from out there; you don't need to get stuck with someone who has an attitude you don't agree with. To me, a good consultant will be driven by a desire to help you make your work the best it can be, and will treat you with respect, writer to writer, no matter your experience level. But there are other attitudes out there. Perhaps you will find a consultant useful even if he is condescending. Perhaps a consultant primarily interested in how you can make money off your work is what you want. Again, you will have to be the judge of the kind of consultant with which you want to work.
The other important consideration when picking a consultant is what kind of feedback the consultant offers. Feedback can range from email or notes-on-page to telephone consults or in-person workshops over several sessions. Ask a consultant about his techniques, as well as the length of feedback you can expect (five pages, ten pages, two hours on the phone, etc.), and whether any follow-up is included.
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Author: B. Danesco