Giving Quality, Motivating Feedback

A guest post by @shealynn88!

The new writer in your writing group just sent out their latest story and it’s...not exciting. You know it needs work, but you’re not sure why, or where they should focus.

This is the blog post for you!

Before we get started, it’s important to note that this post isn’t aimed at people doing paid editing work. In the professional world, there are developmental editors, line editors, and copy editors, who all have a different focus. That is not what we’re covering here. Today, we want to help you informally give quality, detailed, encouraging feedback to your fellow writers.

The Unwritten Rules

Everyone seems to have a different understanding of what it means to beta, edit, or give feedback on a piece, so it’s best to be on the same page with your writer before you get started.

Think about what type of work you’re willing and able to do, how much time you have, and how much emotional labor you’re willing to take on. Then talk to your writer about their expectations.

Responsibilities as an editor/beta may include:

Know what the author’s expectation is and don’t overstep. Different people in different stages of writing are looking for, and will need, different types of support. It’s important to know what pieces of the story they want feedback on. If they tell you they don’t want feedback on dialogue, don’t give them feedback on dialogue. Since many terms are ambiguous or misunderstood, it may help you to use the list of story components in the next section to come to an agreement with your writer on what you’ll review.

Don’t offer expertise you don’t have. If your friend needs advice on their horse book and you know nothing about horses, be clear that your read through will not include any horse fact checking. Don’t offer grammar advice if you’re not good at grammar. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give feedback on things you do notice, but don’t misrepresent yourself, and understand your own limits.

Give positive and constructive feedback. It is important for a writer to know when something is working well. Don’t skimp on specific positive feedback — this is how you keep writers motivated. On the other hand, giving constructive feedback indicates where there are issues. Be specific on what you’re seeing and why it’s an issue. It can be hard for someone to improve if they don’t understand what’s wrong.

Be clear about your timing and availability, and provide updates if either changes. Typically, you’ll be doing this for free, as you’re able to fit it in your schedule. But it can be nerve wracking to hand your writing over for feedback and then hear nothing. For everyone’s sanity, keep the writer up to date on your expected timeline and let them know if you’re delayed for some reason. If you cannot complete the project for them, let them know. This could be for any reason — needing to withdraw, whatever the cause, is valid! It could be because working with the writer is tough, you don’t enjoy the story, life got tough, you got tired, etc. All of that is fine; just let them know that you won’t be able to continue working on the project.

Be honest if there are story aspects you can’t be objective about. Nearly all of your feedback is going to be personal opinion. There are some story elements that will evoke strong personal feelings. They can be tropes, styles, specific characterizations, or squicks. In these cases, ask the writer to get another opinion on that particular aspect, or, if you really want to continue, find similar published content to review and see if you can get a better sense of how other writers have handled it.

Don’t get personal. Your feedback should talk about the characters, the narrator, the plotline, the sentence structure, or other aspects of the story. Avoid making ‘you’ statements or judgements, suggested or explicit, in your feedback. Unless you’re looking at grammar or spelling, most of the feedback you’ll have will be your opinion. Don’t present it as fact.

Your expectations of the writer/friend/group member you are working with may include:

Being gracious in accepting feedback. A writer may provide explanations for an issue you noticed or seek to discuss your suggestions. However, if they constantly argue with you, that may be an indicator to step back.

Being responsible for emotional reactions to getting feedback. While getting feedback can be hard on the ego and self esteem, that is something the writer needs to work on themselves. While you can provide reassurance and do emotional labor if you’re comfortable, it is also very reasonable to step back if the writer isn’t ready to do that work.

Making the final choice regarding changes to the work. The writer should have a degree of confidence in accepting or rejecting your feedback based on their own sense of the story. While they may consult you on this, the onus is on them to make changes that preserve the core of the story they want to tell.

Some people aren’t ready for feedback, even though they’re seeking it. You’re not signing up to be a psychologist, a best friend, or an emotional support editor. You can let people know in advance that these are your expectations, or you can just keep them in mind for your own mental health. As stated above, you can always step back from a project, and if writers aren’t able to follow these few guidelines, it might be a good time to do that. (It’s also worth making sure that, as a writer, you’re able to give these things to your beta/editor.)

Specificity is Key

One of the hardest things in editing is pinning down the ‘whys’ of unexciting work, so let’s split the writing into several components and talk about evaluations you can make for each one.

You can also give this list to your writer ahead of time as a checklist, to see which things they want your feedback on.

Generally, your goal is going to be to help people improve incrementally. Each story they write should be better than the previous one, so you don’t need to go through every component for every story you edit. Generally, I wouldn’t suggest more than 3 editing rounds on any single story that isn’t intended for publication. Think of the ‘many pots’ theory — people who are honing their craft will improve more quickly by writing a lot of stories instead of incessantly polishing one.

With this in mind, try addressing issues in the order below, from general to precise. It doesn’t make sense to critique grammar and sentence structure if the plot isn’t solid, and it can be very hard on a writer to get feedback on all these components at once. If a piece is an early or rough draft, try evaluating no more than four components at a time, and give specific feedback on what does and doesn’t work, and why.

High Level Components

Character arc/motivation:

Does each character have a unique voice, or do they all sound the same?

In dialogue, are character voices preserved? Do they make vocabulary and sentence-structure choices that fit with how they’re being portrayed?

Does each character have specific motivations and focuses that are theirs alone?

Does each character move through the plot naturally, or do they seem to be shoehorned/railroaded into situations or decisions for the sake of the plot? Be specific about which character actions work and which don’t. Tell the writer what you see as their motivation/arc and why—and point out specific lines that indicate that motivation to you.

Does each character's motivation seem to come naturally from your knowledge of them?

Are you invested (either positively or negatively) in the characters? If not, why not? Is it that they have nothing in common with you? Do you not understand where they’re coming from? Are they too perfect or too unsympathetic?

Theme:

It’s a good idea to summarize the story and its moral from your point of view and provide that insight to the writer. This can help them understand if the points they were trying to make come through. The theme should tie in closely with the character arcs. If not, provide detailed feedback on where it does and doesn’t tie in.

Plot Structure:

For most issues with plot structure, you can narrow them down to pacing, characterization, logical progression, or unsatisfying resolution. Be specific about the issues you see and, when things are working well, point that out, too.

Is there conflict that interests you? Does it feel real?

Is there a climax? Do you feel drawn into it?

Do the plot points feel like logical steps within the story?

Is the resolution tied to the characters and their growth? Typically this will feel more real and relevant and satisfying than something you could never have seen coming.

Is the end satisfying? If not, is it because you felt the end sooner and the story kept going? Is it because too many threads were left unresolved? Is it just a matter of that last sentence or two being lackluster?

Point Of View:

Is the point of view clear and consistent?

Is the writing style and structure consistent with that point of view? For example, if a writer is working in first person or close third person, the style of the writing should reflect the way the character thinks. This extends to grammar, sentence structure, general vocabulary and profanity outside of the dialogue.

If there is head hopping (where the point of view changes from chapter to chapter or section to section), is it clear in the first few sentences whose point of view you’re now in? Chapter headers can be helpful, but it should be clear using structural, emotional, and stylistic changes that you’re with a new character now.

Are all five senses engaged? Does the character in question interact with their environment in realistic, consistent ways that reflect how people actually interact with the world?

Sometimes the point of view can feel odd if it’s too consistent. Humans don’t typically think logically and linearly all the time, so being in someone’s head may sometimes be contradictory or illogical. If it’s too straightforward, it might not ‘feel’ real.

Be specific about the areas that don’t work and break them down based on the questions above.

Pacing:

Does the story jump around, leaving you confused about what took place when?

Do some scenes move quickly where others drag, and does that make sense within the story?

If pacing isn’t working, often it’s about the level of detail or the sentence structure. Provide detailed feedback about what you care about in a given scene to help a writer focus in.

Setting:

Is the setting clear and specific? Writing with specific place details is typically more rooted, interesting, and unique. If you find the setting vague and/or uninteresting and/or irrelevant, you might suggest replacing vague references — ‘favorite band’, ‘coffee shop on the corner’, ‘the office building’ — with specific names to ground the setting and make it feel more real.

It might also be a lack of specific detail in a scene that provides context beyond the characters themselves. Provide specific suggestions of what you feel like you’re missing. Is it in a specific scene, or throughout the story? Are there scenes that work well within the story, where others feel less grounded? Why?

Low Level Components

Flow/Sentence Structure:

Sentence length and paragraph length should vary. The flow should feel natural.

When finding yourself ‘sticking’ on certain sentences, provide specific feedback on why they aren’t working. Examples are rhythm, vocabulary, subject matter (maybe something is off topic), ‘action’ vs ‘explanation’, passive vs. active voice.

Style/Vocabulary:

Writing style should be consistent with the story — flowery prose works well for mythic or historical pieces and stories that use that type of language are typically slower moving. Quick action and short sentences are a better fit for murder mysteries, suspense, or modern, lighter fiction.

Style should be consistent within the story — it may vary slightly to show how quickly action is happening, but you shouldn’t feel like you’re reading two different stories.

SPAG (Spelling and Grammar):

Consider spelling and grammar in the context of the point of view, style and location of the story (eg, England vs. America vs. Australia).

If a point of view typically uses incorrect grammar, a SPAG check will include making sure that it doesn’t suddenly fall into perfect grammar for a while. In this case, consistency is going to be important to the story feeling authentic.

Word Count Requirements:

If the story has been written for a project, bang, anthology, zine, or other format that involves a required word count minimum or maximum, and the story is significantly over or under the aimed-for word count (30% or more/less), it may not make sense to go through larger edits until the sizing is closer to requirements. But, as a general rule, I’d say word count is one of the last things to worry about.

The best thing we can do for another writer is to keep them writing. Every single person will improve if they keep going. Encouragement is the most important feedback of all.

I hope this has helped you think about how you provide feedback. Let us know if you have other tips or tricks! This works best as a collaborative process where we all can support one another!

Levihan Community Favourites- Fanfic Masterlist 📚

A few days ago, I asked the Levihan community to send me their top 3 favourite LH fanfics of all time. This list is a compilation of the fics sent to me, and each of these fics mean a lot to someone out there 💕

Free Falling by djmarinizela

A Tale of Two Slaves by tundrainafrica

Eat Your Heart Out series by dontatmethanks2

until another thursday evening by pinkweirdsunsets

Outlier by tundrainafrica

Somewhere only we know by someonestolemyshoes

The Titan Tracker by KayEver

Young Monster by FC2000

The Secret Society of the Children of the Forest by redchestnut

At the coastline of memories by fanmoose12

Lovebug by tundrainafrica

Abnormal by absolutebearings

Things You Said At 1 a.m. by ZangeHoe

Catch My Breath by PeculiarVelociraptor

A License to Science (And To Kill) by just_quintessentially_me

Meant to last Forever by LadyEny

Suit Yourself by gaygemtheirs

Worth a Thousand Words by someonestolemyshoes

Aftermath by just_quintessentially_me

yellow by ariadneamare

Ghost of You by jarchetype

Terrible Things by someonestolemyshoes

Give me your hand by jarchetype

peaches and honey by mikasasofficialhandholder

Our True Paradise by glassesandswords

Out of Nowhere by Dontatmethanks2, Hamandcheesebaguette

Swim by bitterbones

Ease our Burden by glassesandswords

Darling I’m right here by Dontatmethanks2

Four Eyes by elmundodeflor

All hands in the dark by djmarinizela

Feels Like Home by halcyonstorm

A Dangerous Game by just_quintessentially_me

The Grief Baton by moonyix

All of Me by MannaTea

Darkling by Nakimochiku

Pristine by MannaTea

Something like destiny by MannaTea

Once Upon A Heichou by MyDoki

City Comma State by ForcedSimile

reverie by orphan_account

The Experiment by KakashiSensei

Hold Me In Your Good Arm by Neighborhood_Nori

Time to Time by Lady Eny

Unintended Consequence(s) by Ella3982

How many colors can you see in the dark? by TundrainAfrica

A Handful of Rejected Proposals by Jarchetype

A brief history of reluctant heroes by rocksaltandroll

Rager Teenager by smallblip

I see rivers by smallblip

—

Wow, this took me a while, but if I’ve missed any of your favourite fics, please feel free to link them in your reblogs or in the comment section below!

Happy reading! 😄💕

831 notes View Post

wtfismygender

4 years ago

I see the bad moon a-rising 🐺

2K notes View Post

wtfismygender

3 years ago

*acquires a new hyperfixation* great! this should keep me going for the next 2 months or 24 hours

109K notes View Post

wtfismygender

3 years ago

hey do you have a tumblr

no sorry

281K notes View Post

wtfismygender

3 years ago

One of my favourite things about heartstopper is just how explicit it is that being closeted isn’t bad. Ben isn’t awful to Charlie because he’s closeted, he’s awful to Charlie because he’s cruel and insecure. And everybody tells Nick at every opportunity that he shouldn’t have to come out if he doesn’t want to, especially Charlie because he knows how hard it is to be out and he cares more about Nick being safe and happy than being open about their relationship

The closest anyone gets to telling him to come out is during the conversation he has with Tao. And even that’s just him saying that Charlie deserves more than to be the guy he kisses sometimes on the downlow, but it’s fine if he can’t give him more than that and that Charlie would never make him come out if he isn’t ready. He isn’t telling him to come out, he’s telling him to consider what Charlie would be feeling. And it feels more like he’s telling him to make it official than to actually come out, it was Nick’s decision to come out because he wanted to make it official

I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen a queer story be this kind to closeted people before. They aren’t treated like cowards or liars or burdens, they’re treated like people in situations where they may not feel comfortable/safe enough to come out. Because in a lot of cases, that’s what they are. And they’re treated with as much kindness and understanding as they deserve and I just love that

8K notes View Post

wtfismygender

3 years ago

25% is better than 0%. trying a little is better than not trying at all. eating a protein bar is better than nothing. using dry shampoo is better than not showering. cleaning one section of your room or house is better than not cleaning any of it. writing a paragraph of your essay is better than not starting it. whatever you can manage today is okay. you can try again tomorrow. little steps are to be proud of.

75K notes View Post

wtfismygender

3 years ago

Actually, Ratatouille is the dish’s name, you’re thinking of Ratatouille’s monster.

92K notes View Post

wtfismygender

8 years ago

Soon

The early morning breeze swept around Remus as he found himself back at the cemetery in Godric’s Hollow, he held a small flat stone along with an old picture. He had dark circles under his eyes from the stress of the upcoming war but he knew he needed to do this before things got worse.

Remus sat himself down in front of James and Lily’s grave, feeling lonelier and emptier now than ever. He slowly picked up the flat stone he had brought, written across the top

Here lies the memory of Padfoot

Beloved friend, brother, and godfather

Remus dragged his thumb across the letters, tear drops splattering on the small stone before he placed it in the middle of James and Lily’s own.

“Thought pads should be with you two” Remus muttered, picking up the picture on his lap he looked down at it and laughed quietly at the five of them across it

“You expect me take this picture but none of you are cooperating” Marlene grumbled as she tried ordering the boys and Lily around

“Blame Potter, we would have had this picture hours ago if he hadn’t insisted on fixing his hair” Lily muttered “It doesn’t just look like this lily, it’s artistically messy” She mimicked her boyfriend’s voice while James grumbled on about Lily being a horribly rude girlfriend

“It’s not only you two, it’s also Sirius and Remus who have been snogging in the corner for the past fucking fifteen minutes!” Marlene yelled causing the two mentioned to break apart from each other

“He started it!” “He started it!” They both yelled out at the same time

“Will you all just fucking get over here and do something or else I’m leaving” Marlene warned

“Alright McKinnon, don’t get your knickers in a twist” Sirius teased, yelping when Marlene flicked him across the forehead

James stood in the front with his right arm slung over Peter’s shoulder and his left arm around Lily’s waist, Remus was beside Lily teasingly leaning his arm on top of her head before she pinched him

“Where’s Black? I’m taking this photo in ten seconds whether he’s in it or not!” Marlene barked, her forefinger hovering over the shutter

Seconds before she pressed the button Sirius came running behind James, jumping on his back he leaned over to press a kiss to Remus’s cheek as the shutter went off. The impact of Sirius’s jump caused James to tumble over pulling Peter and Lily along with him as Sirius pulled Remus down with him.

They found themselves all laughing loudly sprawled across each other on the floor, elbows and knees digging into place they did not belong

“Someone’s elbow is on my crotch”

“Do you want the picture taken again or not?” Marlene groaned

They all crowded around her looking at the picture before quickly agreeing it was perfect

That day passed over Remus like it was yesterday, their seventh year together. Remus looked back up from the picture to James, Lily and Sirius

“Marlene was not happy with us that day” Remus chuckled

“I wanted to leave this here to remind us all of the good days you know” Remus’s voice was trembling slightly, his hand shaking as he placed the photo below Sirius’s stone

“Because now everything is gone, you’re all gone” Remus mumbled, tears streaking his cheeks “The second war is here and I’m afraid I won’t make it” His vision was blurring from the amount of tears now leaving his eyes

“Tonks is pregnant, I’m going to be a dad” Remus couldn’t help but laugh

“Can you believe it? Me a dad, I can’t though because I’m a fucking monster” Remus sobbed out

“God I can already hear you guys all yelling at me now for saying that, but what if I hurt him? I know you’ll say I won’t but I could. I’m trying though” Remus promised, wiping his face with the back of his hands.

“One thing I needed to leave with you though pads” Remus muttered quietly, pulling a necklace chain from his pocket with a silver ring looped through it

Remus shrieked as Sirius tried carrying him bridal style towards the black lake

“You idiot, you’re going to drop me because you’re tiny” Remus laughed so hard tears filled his eyes

“I am not tiny” Sirius huffed, placing Remus on the ground again

“Not tiny?” Remus asked while looking down at the smaller boy in front of him “So tiny”

“I brought you out here for a reason” Sirius groaned

“Please tell me it’s not because you want to shag-” Sirius cut Remus off by dropping down to one knee “Oh”

“I’m not proposing yet, more pre proposing” Sirius chuckled before looking back up at Remus who was looking down at him with fond written across his face

“Moons, I love you so much. You’re the brightness to my darkness, I want to ask you if you’ll marry me in a few years. After we win this war” Sirius finished, holding up the necklace with the silver ring on it

“Will you marry me one day?” Sirius asked

“Yes, I will always want to marry you, my tiny future Sirius Lupin” Remus grinned as Sirius wrapped the necklace around his neck, the silver ring dangling across his collarbones.

Remus placed the necklace and ring on top of Sirius’s stone

“I never got rid of it, now this is to show you I will never stop loving you. You were my star”

—-

“I’ll see you guys again one day”

With one final look to his friends Remus left, not knowing he would see them sooner than thought.

514 notes View Post

wtfismygender

2 years ago

Rarepair Rec Saturday

Here's Looking At You Kid by MesserMoon (E, 140k, George/Blaise)

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world…"

George wanders into a bar. Nothing is ever the same.

I am in love with the characterizations in this fic. I intended to read one chapter and space it out. Instead, I fell immediately for how this fic doesn't shy away from drawing out all the complications, and heartbreak, and Weasley family disapproval from their relationship. Perfect use of flashbacks to draw out the story. There's also a significant secondary Drarry plot. What more could I need?

35 notes View Post

wtfismygender

3 years ago

Beautiful ❤️

Thank you for those words, I really needed them right now!

how to have a healthier relationship with your stats page

1. Understand what stats can tell you - and what they can’t

AO3 stats tell you whether or not another user clicked something. That’s it. Hits tell you whether a user clicked the title of your fic. Kudos tell you that a user clicked the little ❤ at the bottom of the page. Comments tell you that a user typed something into a box and then hit the comment button.

Stats do not tell you why a person did any of those things. They also don’t tell you why a person didn’t do them. You know why you do those things yourself, but there are many types of people in the world and we all have our reasons why we do things. You can’t assume that every other user of AO3 uses the site the same way you do.

Stats are not a reliable way to find out if you’re good at writing. They’re not a way to tell if you are loved. They have nothing to do with the quality of your work or your worth as a person.

2. Don’t compare yourself to others - or yourself

Because stats are not a reliable way to judge quality or skill or the effort you put into a story, comparing your stats against another author will also not tell you which of you is the “better” author or which of you has a “better” story. They can tell you which story was more popular, but popularity itself has very little to do with skill or quality.

This is also true of your own work. Chances are very real that the story you’re most proud of is not the story with the best stats. Don’t let one story’s relative success or failure affect how you feel about another’s.

3. Focus on things you can control instead of things you can’t

Once you’ve posted your story, the reaction to it is out of your control. It will get however many hits, kudos, and comments other people decide to give it and you can’t do much about that at all.

What you can control, however, is the work you put into the story before you post it. Celebrate statistics like word count or time spent writing or the number of WIP you’ve managed to finish. Those are all numbers that are in your control, that you have the power to alter and affect.

Find something in every story that makes you happy. It doesn’t have to be the whole fic. It could be one particular characterization, a scene, or a line. Maybe you wrote a particularly funny joke or a really moving description or a hot love scene.

Highlighting positive emotions and being proud of your own work will make you less reliant on the opinions of other people. You’ll develop more confidence, and that will help you avoid the stats spiral in the future. Finding motivations inside of yourself is much more reliable than getting motivation from people who might or might not continue to provide it.

4. If you can’t ignore stats, avoid them

The first time I had an unhealthy relationship with my stats page, I ended up quitting fic entirely for about a year. I still wrote, I just didn’t post anything on AO3. I couldn’t trust myself not to focus on the numbers and make myself crazy, and so I didn’t allow myself to look at them at all.

The second time I found myself starting down the stats spiral, I knew the signs and I was able to pull myself out of it. I stopped looking at my stats page, but I was able to continue posting work. I still refreshed the page for the first day to see the hits/kudos/comments but after that first day I only returned to the fic in order to post a new chapter or answer another comment.

There are tools you can use to help you avoid stats. This AO3 skin hides stats entirely. This code hides hits. Here’s one for hiding kudos with additional instructions on how to hide any stats you choose.

5. Be your own cheerleader

When it comes right down to it, the reason why we focus in on stats is because we’re looking for reassurance. We want to know for sure whether we’re a good writer or not. Unfortunately, our stats are never going to tell us that.

A lot of us are also told by others that being proud of something we’ve done or liking something that we’ve created is boastful or bragging or other negative personality traits. But there’s a difference between bragging about how good you are and acknowledging your own skills.

Give yourself permission to like your own work. You might never get that permission from someone else, so you need to take that on yourself.

Start talking to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend of yours who was working on a fic or a piece of art or doing anything else that requires time and skill. You wouldn’t tear them down, so don’t tear yourself down. Build yourself up. That positive self-talk can be difficult at first, but it’s a habit that pays off over time.

6. Know that I’m proud of you

It takes courage and strength and determination to have an idea and then to act on it. It’s easy to think. It’s a lot harder to write things down. No matter whether you post your story online or you keep it to yourself. No matter whether you get a thousand hits or a dozen. You’re still amazing, and I’m so glad you took that leap ❤