Some Responses to My Last Entry

I received a few replies to my inquiry on my personal Facebook page when I linked the blog post there. I figured I'd share them and see if they spark any other interesting ideas!

Stephen Garratt, a 35 year-old non-writing male from Virginia, stated

Guess it depends on why you don't like it. If it's just not the genre or style you prefer, I'd say read with a critical eye, look for grammar mistakes and other things that someone more "absorbed" might overlook. Then you can give impartial and constructive feedback. Now if you just think it is poorly written, that's the same quandary everyone faces when asked for "honesty" and my answer is usually "lie nicely."

Marge Perko, a writer in her 20s from California, stated:

First, ask the writer what he or she needs from the feedback session. Be specific - does he or she want to go over dialogue, the flow of a certain scene, etc. By asking the writer to narrow down the focus of the feedback session, you can concentrate on details and be constructive TOGETHER. If it is a genre/topic you are not familiar with, you can be honest and say "I'm not usually a fan of/a reader of (genre).

Anyways, what I was trying to say was: set your parameters early. Writers groups and sessions can be very professional, supportive encounters. Good luck - and congrats again on hitting your writing goals!

So, what say you?!