There are lots of articles that contain advice on HOW to critique another writer's work. They talk about the one rule writers should never forget-the Classic Crit Rule (as I like to call it): Point out the story's strengths before calling attention to its weaknesses. This is NOT one of those articles. It's not about giving a critique. This article is about receiving one.

Many times writers will ask for an opinion on a work-in-progress. But the question is: Have they made it clear what they are hoping to gain from the critique, and most importantly, are they expecting a thoroughly honest critique?

Take Sara, for example. Sara has been writing for quite a while. She knows her way around a story, and has had a number of things published online. Her goal is to be the author of a children's book. Sara recently left her critique group (she felt she was beyond their newbie advice), and she's searching for another group. She needs feedback on three chapters of her current work-in-progress-a middle grade novel- so she relies on the bevy of writers she has "met" online. She darts off an email to five people and poses the question: "Can you take a look at this and see if it works?"

One friendly writer gives Sara a simple, encouraging "thumbs up," another points out her abundant use of adverbs, but adds that they might be necessary, a third offers a gentle suggestion to increase the tension, a fourth doesn't answer her email. Sara is pleased with this feedback. So far. But later on in the week, Sara receives a different reaction from the fifth person she emailed. This generous author has several novels in print and knows what might work in Sara's story. Sara never expected to hear from HER! Generous Author, being the pro that she is, has followed the Classic Crit Rule, but as a whole her critique of Sara's work is not glowing. She notes problems with Sara's plot structure and questions her about the excessive use of internal pondering. Generous Author explains that she isn't able to form a connection to the main character, or her problem, through this technique, and the overall piece seems disjointed. Line-by- line suggestions are made. New ideas are presented. Generous Author even offers to become Sara's mentor, and will look at a revision.

Terrific, right? Wrong.

Sara is not thrilled. This is not the response she bargained for when she threw out that question to the world. She composes a terse thank you to Generous Author, and moves on to find other writers who are able to connect with her work and view it in a more positive light.

Let's look at another situation. Chuck is an ambitious, prolific, unpublished picture book writer who believes he's close to scoring an agent. He decides it's the perfect time to throw together a Web site, and after he is done, he poses the same question as Sara: "Can you take a look at this and see if it works?"

Within days, Chuck finds out his critique group thinks his site is "energetic" and "creative." He also gets interesting, but positive, remarks from his co-workers at the health food store, his accountant, and his Aunt Nellie. But one worthy friend, who moonlights as a Web designer, gives him the nitty-gritty via email. Worthy Web Friend recommends that Chuck change fonts because the ones he has chosen may be difficult for children to read. He is also curious as to why Chuck has purchased the domain name www.ChucklingChuckie.com instead of his full name. In fact, Worthy Web Friend cannot find Chuck's full name-Charles K. Lewis-anywhere on the site! He tries to make light of Chuck's lack of skill as a designer by saying that navigating his site is like wading through paisley peanut butter. Finally, Worthy Web Friend states his biggest overall concern-the site is more appropriate for the author of dark gothic fiction rather than the creator of quiet bedtime stories. He offers to help him reconstruct it.

Too much information? Maybe.

Chuck is dumbfounded and seriously hurt. He thinks his self-made site is spectacular-a real eye-catcher. He questions Worthy Web Friend's motivation for making such outlandish suggestions, and deletes him off his email list.

So, in a situation where help is requested and help is received, what is the right response? How should writers react when the feedback is more than they can handle? Think of it this way: When a co-worker asks, "How are you?" you probably nod and say, "Fine." A more honest answer may be, "I'm feeling lousy. My vacation was cut short due to a hurricane, my hamster choked on a nut and died, and oh, I got a flat tire today, two hours after my AAA membership expired." However, if you say this to your co-worker, she's likely to turn purple and dive for the nearest water cooler. The response she's anticipating is, "I'm fine. How are you?" If you give her details she isn't expecting, chances are she'll handle it poorly, just like Sara and Chuck did.

So how should writers respond if they (are lucky enough to) receive an honest-to- a-fault answer from an experienced professional?

Send a thank you. It doesn't matter whether or not you agree with the help that's been offered. Manners are key.

Step back and put your pride on the shelf. Ask yourself about the critiquer's credentials If he's a published author, or has experience in the area of work you asked for help in, take that into consideration.

Read through the suggestions objectively. Put your emotions on hold, and see your work through the critiquer's eyes. Could he be right? Could you, and your friends, family, or even your fellow critique members, be wrong?

Mull over the critiquer's suggestions for a few days, or longer. Clear your head. Reread them, and see what the final take-away is-what comments ring true to you now that did not make sense before?

Consider the type of question you've asked. Had you formed an answer in your head before you received any responses? Were you just looking for blind support-someone to gloss over your work and tell you it's wonderful? If that's the case, and you're not open to a thorough answer, don't ask the question.

Think about starting over and restating your question. This time ask for specific details such as: Can you look at this plot and see if I can improve upon it? How can I portray a character's inner-most thoughts? What colors, fonts, and style are your favorites for a children's author's Web site?

And finally, remember, there are many well-informed writers out there who take you and your writing seriously. They want to help you get it right, so they'll offer up their time and expertise simply because they were asked. Appreciate the fact that what you've been given is a gift.

Now…
Can you take a look at this article and see if it works?