Monday, February 2, 2015

Danger, Will Robinson

Ah, the conundrum of provocation. On the one hand, you want your work to make others think. On the other hand, your work may inspire emotions your readers do not wish to feel. 

As a critiquer, your challenge is to recognize and accept your reactions to a piece of written work. Monitoring your reactions can give you insight into the effectiveness of what is written. Did the content get under your skin because you disagree or was it because the writer didn't back up their conclusions with evidence? Did a particular character push a button in you or was their a disconnect between who they are and what they did?

Critiquing isn't only about the work, it's about you and your thinking process. Think of this as an opportunity for possible insight.

(If you don't know who Will Robinson was it's because you never watched LOST IN SPACE)