What critics write. Why do you need criticism of a work and how to get a quality review. Apollo Aleksandrovich Grigoriev

Writers are strange creatures. They eagerly seek the first readers and at the same time fear them. After all, these strangers, who don’t know us, will decide our fate. They will say whether we have talent or not, whether we will become something or whether the hunchbacked grave will correct us.

All this would sound funny if it weren't true. Yes, we are like that... We really need criticism, but intimate and friendly (although we can easily exchange it for reader delight - so please contact us if necessary).

Who is worth listening to and who is not?

The most profitable option is professional and. As long as you pay them money, they are interested in your success. Such consultations help to identify mistakes in the early stages, give a charge of inspiration and open your eyes to many things.

But be careful: there are a lot of impostors in this field, so check the track records and reviews. Better yet, read books by potential consultants. Usually from the second paragraph it is already clear whether the shoemaker is with boots or without.

Fellow writers

Another great option is to find colleagues who write in the same genre and level as you. You can agree with them on mutual assistance: you will proofread their manuscripts, and they will proofread yours.

Don't look for those who will praise your book - these people do not contribute to development. The best critic is the one who will take the work apart and explain what he thought was successful and what was not so good. At the same time, he will not be unfounded and will not label either you or your work.

Beta Readers

Try to have several people read your manuscript: what one misses, another notices. But all beta readers (that's what primary critics are called) should be part of your target audience. A sentimental novel should not be shown to a paratrooper officer, and a cool action movie will not be appreciated by a lady in love with the Victorian era.

Does it make sense to post drafts on the Internet?

I do not recommend putting your manuscript on the Internet and asking people to criticize it. Firstly, you don’t know who exactly will respond to your call - often not entirely adequate people live on literary forums. Secondly, a crude manuscript will give you the reputation of a graphomaniac. Thirdly, the book may go viral on the Internet - and you will no longer be able to control its fate.

Beta Reader Questionnaire

Ask your beta readers to rate your manuscript on the following:

• initial interest in the book based on the abstract;
• language level;
• interest in the development of the theme/plot;
• how easy it is to track different storylines, is there a sense of confusion in events;
• tempo of the work: is there a feeling of prolongation or, on the contrary, excessive haste;
• interest in the characters as individuals - how attractive the characters were created;
• narrative logic;
• the novelty of ideas/information gleaned from the book;
• likelihood of recommending to friends;
• overall rating of the work on a five-point scale.

Who to Avoid

Family members are not the best critics. They love us and do not see our works as a commercial product.

And it also happens that they do not approve of studying literature and criticize the work not because they found errors in it, but because they want to discourage their dear blood from a “meaningless activity.”

Casual readers who skim the text diagonally as a favor are also not a gift. They won't be of any use.

Professional writers who have agreed to read your manuscript as part of their workload, i.e. in addition to the main job is another unsuccessful option. Firstly, their eyes are blurred, and secondly, snobbery will interfere with them. To make any sense, you have to tinker with newcomers, spend time and energy on them, and if a person already sits all day long over texts, then he has no time for beginning authors.

The worst critic is a failed, angry writer. He himself has achieved nothing, and is not able to help others. He is poorly read, and therefore has no taste; he has never studied literary skills, so he does not know what writing technique is. But he is quite capable of rolling his eyes and shrugging his shoulders in disgust. A sure sign of such types is self-affirmation at the expense of others.

Unfounded criticism

Over time, you will develop a thick skin and gain confidence in your abilities, but until this happens, take care of your nervous system! Writing in an environment of bullying is almost impossible, so if you feel that someone is ruining your life with unfounded criticism, expel such people from your websites and social networks. If you are criticized in real life, do not tell these people about your work.

Fair criticism

Public, fair criticism hits the hardest. We are all human, we all make mistakes, and while we are learning, mistakes come in an avalanche.

Give yourself the right to make mistakes. Say “thank you” to fair critics for spending time with you and teaching you something. Gratitude does not have to be expressed publicly, but you need it yourself - as a ritual that allows you to reset negative energy.

It is important to distance yourself from criticism. Don't tell yourself: “I'm mediocre. It’s over” - this has a destructive effect. It’s better to move the conversation to a different plane: “Yes, the beginning is sagging, and my dragon looks not like a formidable fighting lizard, but like a dried grasshopper. But I’ll fix everything - I know where to look for information!” (The Writer's Handbook is your best friend!)

We ourselves are the critics

Sometimes we ourselves act as critics, especially when we see that the author is doing something wrong.

Should I or should I not talk about this?

It depends on what purpose. If the goal is to show your own education, then it’s not worth it: at that very second you will receive a response from the “you’re a fool” series. In his heart, the author may agree with you, but if “our people are beaten,” we must defend ourselves.

How to deliver constructive criticism?

• First ask if it is needed at all.
• Never criticize a newcomer publicly unless he has asked for it.
• Maintain a friendly tone and immediately make it clear that you want to help the author.
• Do not insist on your point of view and emphasize that you are only sharing your impressions.

Polina Bogdanova

For whom do critics write?

Editor's Reflections on the Modern Theater Press

THEATER has changed a lot in the past decade. Its rise occurred in the mid-90s. A whole galaxy of new professionals has arrived: both in directing and drama. The older generation is working powerfully. No less interesting are those who can be called “seventies”; some of them went into small spaces, into chamber halls and are focused on a narrow audience.

That's not what we're talking about now. And that in the lively and turbulent theatrical process the principle of diversity has really triumphed - in aesthetics, methodology, ideas. Today is the time for polystylistics.

Commercialization has occurred. This is also a new phenomenon for us, which not everyone is yet able to correctly assess. I personally don't think this is bad. This is a natural process of democratization of art, which begins to work for a wide audience and fulfill the orders of various social groups. And in the so-called commercial theater there are already achievements - this is "The Sheep" by Nadezhda Ptushkina, directed by Boris Milgram, "Master Class" by Terence McNally, directed by Viktor Shamirov, the stunning performance "City of Millionaires" by Eduardo de Filippo, stunned in its unexpectedness, directed by Roman Samgin (artistic director Mark Zakharov), the grand premiere of the last season. The theater split into many different spheres.

Only our theatrical criticism remained unchanged. She doesn't seem to notice the general movement. And it is unable to adequately reflect the theater, remaining on the periphery of the theatrical process.

Who are our theatrical publications for? They are too narrowly oriented: they do not go beyond the boundaries of the theatrical environment itself. I'll say more. They exist only for those who publish in them. As a last resort for those about whom they write. That's all. But this is not enough. I am very sorry for my colleagues from Theater Life, but I am forced to say that servicing the needs of individual theaters at their own expense is the last thing in a number of available opportunities. For what reader was the magazine "Theater" created, or rather, reanimated?

“Gags” - do they correspond to the tone of Galina Volchek’s performances? “Jokes” is the young critics’ own word, this is how they define their style (“cool”, “prank” and, as the characters of playwright Nikolai Kolyada, an excellent imitator of vulgar speech, express themselves, “something like that”). When critics apply labels, I feel that they have pretensions to making theatrical politics. The degree of aggressiveness is very high.

In the first issue of this magazine, on behalf of the editors, it is said that it is intended, in addition to theatrical ones, to some other humanitarian workers who will supposedly read all this. Will not. There is no need to flatter yourself. What is there to read? Boring, long-winded evaluative reviews? Sluggish interviews? Any themes and problems that theater criticism has been chewing on for decades?

Ratings. Ratings. And once again the ratings. It’s not just young critics who suffer from this disease (the ones I talked about, their assessments are simply harsher and in many cases more offensive than those of others). Very, very many people are susceptible to this disease today.

Those who write in order to either scold or praise. Sometimes authors call me and ask me, I’m looking for a place where I can destroy so-and-so. Questions like these make me cringe. No, of course, not everyone writes this way.

Cultural criticism can be concentrated in a “thick” theater magazine. And it is aimed at specialists - theater scholars and representatives of related humanities disciplines. Do we have such criticism? I work in the criticism department of a thick magazine - "Modern Drama" - and I know well from experience how difficult it is today to get a good analytical text from an author. In recent years I can list such texts on my fingers. Therefore, as an editor, I often turn to cultural scientists, economists, sociologists, as well as theater practitioners - directors, playwrights, producers.

Theater journalism is something that should connect with the general reader.

And here, of course, we need bright, catchy texts and photographs, lively, fascinating essays, portraits, and reports.

What is needed is sincere interest and love for the theater as such, and not evaluative reviews or intratheater games.

“Sorry, but a dress of this color absolutely does not suit you.” “Is it possible to listen to your advice?! You're always talking nonsense!" “And what did he find in her...” “A C-grade job” It just so happens that in our society we are accustomed to paying more attention to the negative than the positive sides of a person - noticing the shortcomings of others is much easier than pleasant qualities or happy opportunities.

Nobody likes criticism, no matter how delicate it may sound. The development of social networks and the phenomenon of trolling have only aggravated the situation - it has become much easier to express your “fie” or organize real bullying on the Internet.

No matter how much we convince you otherwise, everyone knows perfectly well that any comments - regarding appearance, work, behavior and even culinary abilities - affect our emotional health and self-esteem. So why not learn to give the ubiquitous critics a correct rebuff? This will help you maintain your self-confidence and prove that you are not fooled, are able to draw the right conclusions, and can confidently move forward. No resentment, complexes or disappointments.

2. The most common reaction to criticism is not just offense, but a rather aggressive response. Which, for objective reasons, is not the best tactic.

3. Another form of not accepting criticism from other people is making excuses about what happened. Most often, this is even more annoying - the other person decides: you are ignoring his point of view, not giving it importance, or deliberately do not want to ask for forgiveness.

How to respond to criticism?

#1. The easiest way to find out what a harsh or sarcastic critic meant is to ask him about it. Feel free to ask questions! What exactly do you not like? Why do you think I shouldn't do this? Did what I said offend you? Why do you say that? This way, you will have a better understanding of the other person's complaints and dissatisfaction. It often turns out that behind criticism lies strong feelings and resentment, and the remark itself is not the final goal, and in fact the person is worried about something else. For example, what may make someone angry is not the fact that you arrived ten minutes late, but the feeling that you are not taking them seriously.

#2. Throw away all emotions and think - is there at least some truth in the criticism addressed to you? Maybe these are quite constructive comments? It's hard to accept that you're doing something wrong or that your lifestyle is not the best... But it's an important step to overcome the situation. Feel the difference: were the words spoken only to hurt you? Or can there be some benefit from them? Perhaps you are actually dressing or acting inappropriately for your situation or status, and the other person has done you a big favor by commenting, giving you the opportunity to improve.

#3. Learn to accept another person's opinion, even if you don't share it. Even if you don't change your behavior because you don't agree with the criticism, at least acknowledge that there is a different, acceptable opinion and avoid attacks.

#4. If you understand that there is some truth in the comments, and criticism is heard - work on yourself. For example: “You’re right, I’m regularly very late, it looks like it’s time to set two alarms so as not to oversleep.”

#5. Don't be afraid to tell the truth and set boundaries. Feel free to talk about your feelings - it’s unpleasant for you to hear comments addressed to you, explain what exactly touched you and upset you. This way you will protect yourself from barbs in the future and indicate what kind of communication you consider unacceptable.

#6. Criticism as a source of information about a person. Or every cloud has a silver lining. Remind yourself of a simple truth - comments addressed to others often say more about the commentator himself than about the person being criticized. Use the review as a source of information about who gave it. Stay calm and you will learn a lot about a person. Note that someone who is used to upsetting others, rather than encouraging or supporting them, is in himself an unhappy person. Don't take his words to heart.

Deconstructive criticism

It is worth recognizing that very often criticism sounds incorrect, and the angry “accuser” resorts to humiliation, insults and uses words that exaggerate and distort reality. In these cases, you can admit some truth, but disagree with the exaggerated facts. For example: “You forgot to pick up the package. You always ruin everything!” “It’s true that I forgot him, but there are many things that I do well!” This way, you admit to wrongdoing, but also do not lower your self-esteem.

The article talks about what criticism is, why it is needed, what it is like, and what it takes to become a critic.

Creativity and discussion

Even in ancient times, when our ancestors were not very similar to people, among them there were those who were attracted by everything unusual and strange, for example, music and drawings. Everything is clear with rock art; however, not as many of them have survived to this day as we would like, but primitive musical instruments created a sensation when they were found.

In fact, creativity with art is loved and recognized by all highly developed creatures with high (by the standards of the animal world) intelligence. For example, dolphins and elephants can draw, and the latter even recreate some pictures of their lives that they saw many years ago.

Art, as such, is closely connected with the development of society and, in general, the formation of man as an individual. It has long been proven that without it the normal development of civilization is impossible. And an integral part of art is its criticism. So what is criticism, why is it needed and what is it like? We'll figure this out.

Definition

In the process of criticism, the value of the work is also analyzed; if the topic of criticism is something other than a painting, poetry or song, then such a phenomenon helps to find the correct point of view, or the closest to it. So criticism can be applied not only in art. For example, scientific hypotheses and assumptions are necessarily subject to criticism. So now we know what criticism is. But what types are there?

The good and the bad

Roughly speaking, there is good, constructive, and bad criticism. In the first case, her judgments are based on an impartial analysis of the material, when a person or group of people in the process of discussing a work of art, scientific theory, and other things is based precisely on facts, messages and actions, and not on a personal attitude towards the author. Simply put, a good one is one that carries a constructive discussion, indicating errors, shortcomings and disadvantages, and all this, regardless of personal attitude towards the author or group of authors.

Well, if we talk about bad criticism, then everything is exactly the opposite - it does not contain anything sensible, the claims do not have a clear justification, it strongly depends on the personal attitude towards the author. By the way, bad criticism can also be one that simply praises a work or something else, without in any way justifying positive assessments.

Meaning

What is the essence of criticism? Without discussion, evaluation and analysis, any creator, author or scientist will not be able to develop adequately. Sooner or later, he will either get sick or, on the contrary, become despondent due to the fact that no one even discusses the fruits of his labors.

In science, criticism is simply necessary; usually, theories and hypotheses are developed further only if they withstand the initial

History of criticism

Criticism as such has always existed, but it probably became most famous in Ancient Greece and Rome, where there were many talented poets, sculptors, artists and scientists. But it’s still worth remembering that sometimes criticism can be harmful, especially if it is given by a person who understands absolutely nothing about this issue. But is it correct to say that before you start criticizing something or someone, you need to understand the topic in detail?

Yes and no. On the one hand, a person does not have to be able to write poetry himself in order to appreciate someone else’s creation, the same with songs and other legends.

But on the other hand, if a person begins to criticize the technique of painting a painting, the design of a building, or the proportions of a sculpture, it is useful for him to first gain at least some understanding of these processes.

It is always much easier to criticize than to create. And, by the way, few people criticize, for example, Einstein’s general theory of relativity, or assumptions about the origin of an ancient hurricane on Jupiter, because for this you need to understand what you are talking about.

Some have a negative attitude towards critics, considering them simply swindlers who profit from the works of others, and such cases sometimes actually happen. And some critics deliberately provoke authors into quarrels, fights and scandals.

So, now we know what criticism is, why it is needed, and what it is like.

Where is the connection between a joke and criticism of a text? She is the most direct. As children, we don’t know how to joke so that everyone will find it funny. Because there is always a target for jokes - ridicule. This target is another person, and a joke, more often than not, hurts his feelings. Strictly speaking, the ridicule you see in schools is a bad parody of a joke. After all, everyone laughs at a good joke.

What does this have to do with criticism of the text?

Anyone and anything can be criticized. Any person who takes the first text he comes across has the power to smash it to pieces. Here the verb is wrong, here there is a water word that can be easily removed, and there the author made a mistake. It feels like little bites, like attacks, rather than full-fledged criticism.

Critics- a separate layer of people. Some criticize films, others music, and others criticize books. I don’t really understand how you can criticize a book. Therefore, I will not talk about the “big” critics. We will talk about writers and copywriters working on the Internet and the “little” critics living in each of us.

There is one interesting technique in the world of web writers - selling criticism. The goal of a person using selling criticism: to attract attention by analyzing the material of another author. The text may already be on the sales page, but a wise critic appears and finds its problem areas.

By proving himself as an expert and establishing business contacts, the critic will receive an order, and the owner of the text will increase sales. An expert's opinion is always valuable. But not everyone knows how to use criticism.

Selling text criticism - 7 reasons not to “bite”

When should you criticize a text? This is a valid question. You need to ask yourself this before you start writing your analysis for an article or a devastating review of a book. It is not always necessary to criticize, because you can give your own assessment.

The words “evaluation” and “criticism” are synonyms. However, they have different meanings in my opinion. Rating – I liked this and that, but I didn’t like this because...

You can always give your assessment without asking. They wanted to write, they wrote. When a text is criticized, they turn it inside out, analyze every word - because any criticism must be specific. Evaluation is always welcome, but open review of the text is not always appropriate.

When is it better not to criticize a text:

• If the author did not ask for criticism, then there is no need to “dissect” its material. As a last resort, send your review to the author in private messages - it will be useful and correct.

This also works with sales criticism. You find a selling text and sell your services one-on-one. Just write how you can improve the text so that sales increase. Show yourself as an expert and find a new customer. Entrepreneurs themselves often ask for criticism of their website or text. Look for live entrepreneur forums and sell your expertise.

1. Can't find the real problem with the text. The person thought that your remarks were slightly exaggerated - the expert does not make a mountain out of a molehill. It’s funny, but it’s harder to find an elephant in a text than a fly, but it also works better.
2. There is no justification for your opinion - there are no facts. Every person has their own opinion. It may not coincide with the opinion of the whole world. The opinion of one always loses to the opinion of the majority, so it is important to justify your opinion and support it with facts.
3. You can't fit everything into one succinct message.. Brevity is extremely useful when it comes to criticism. Nobody likes to be criticized. The more accurately you express your thought, the easier it is perceived and the less likely it is that you will be misunderstood.
4. No solution to the problem. Selling criticism is free, well-founded and clear advice on solving the problem found in the text. Having found a problem and raised money to solve it, you act like an ordinary outside seller. Find two problems - solve one for free, and hint about the second.
5. You can't do without negative criticism. An entrepreneur, like the author of text material, loves his text. You need to learn to criticize the text in a positive way, so as not to offend anyone, but to give useful advice.
6. There is no end goal. If you wasted your time criticizing other people's material without purpose. In order to stroke your pride, why couldn’t you limit yourself to your assessment? Criticizing articles on blogs is criticism, which works worse than constructive analysis of the material.

Is it possible to get clients through criticism in other areas? Yes it is possible. People react painfully to criticism and problems found. This is how 80% of businesses work. The more real the problem, the higher the chance that a person will want to solve it with the help of your services.

Reader, thank you!