Home » Novel
Category Archives: Novel
Getting the Most from a Critique
Getting the Most from a Critique
by
Donna B. Comeaux
June 24, 2026
One of the most important reasons authors seek a critique is to avoid embarrassment.
It’s nothing like scouring through virtual retail stores, reading the sample chapter, and finding errors. It makes me cringe to read repetitive words; wince in confusion when I have no idea where the character is located; scratch my scalp while questioning what the environment might smell and look like; grind my teeth as I try to decipher who’s talking; and tempted to throw the book across the room when I have no clear understanding of what has the character so riled up.
So, if critics are to help save us embarrassment, why do authors have a love-hate relationship with them?
First, critics use too much liberty to rewrite an author’s story. Authors want to give critics the benefit of the doubt, but by the time an author reaches chapter two of their red-ink-infested novel, they’ve had enough of those rewrites.
Second, critics don’t take the time to fully engage in the author’s story. An author can quickly sense a critic’s disengagement by their repetitive questions to obvious answers provided in previous chapters or paragraphs.
These two scenarios discourage authors, and they soon lose trust in their critics. This distrust breeds a love-hate relationship that’s not easily repaired.
Bottom line, critics use too much liberty by overstepping their boundaries. When this happens, critics take the reins of authorship. And when critics ask repetitive questions, authors suspect there’s a lack of interest, whether it’s justified or not.
If you want to get more out of a critique and curtail these painful side effects, authors must set boundaries and provide critics with more information about their story.
Here are a few rules to go by:
Rule 1 — Provide a synopsis of your manuscript (or chapter).
Including a short book description of your story informs critique partners of where your story is headed. It also helps the author and critic to be in sync at the very beginning of the story.
Most importantly, a synopsis can potentially weed out unwanted and uninterested critics. Sometimes our incentive to critique has nothing to do with our attraction to the story. As you well know, if you’re not fully vested in a story, you will soon set it aside. This lackluster interest has the potential to urge many critics to offer an opinionated narrative that doesn’t quite fit your story.
Do yourself a favor and give a vivid depiction of your story so you can attract the best critics for your manuscript. If a critic gets a clear explanation of the storyline and of your objectives, the critic can better determine if they have something to offer.
Rule 2 — State your objective.
Your objective should be clear. Before requesting a critique, ask yourself: What do I want readers to focus on as they read my story? Are there plot holes? Do I need suggestions for those plot holes? Am I lacking scenery and a sense of place? Is there enough characterization? Should I tighten my dialogue? Is more dialogue needed?
Too often we forget not all authors make good critics. And not all critics make good writers.
Critics need enough guidance to be of help to you. And only you can determine how much guidance to give them.
If your critiques are not fulfilling your needs, you probably haven’ta found the right critique team and/or your objectives aren’t coming across well.
Rule 3 — Set boundaries.
Request your critics not rewrite sentences. The main problem with rewriting an author’s sentence is you run the risk of changing the author’s voice to suit that of the critic. This is just flat out wrong and disrespectful. This infraction occurs time and time again by the most well-meaning individuals. Consider the time it takes to sit and restructure a sentence, not to mention a critic’s failure to capture the author’s original intent.
The solution to this problem is simple. Provide the author with an explanation of why the sentence seems off. Explain what the sentences actually say vs. what you think the author meant to say. Share how it made you feel. Share your doubts. But whatever you do, don’t rewrite the sentence for them. Let the author take charge of the rewrites.
Rule 4 — Inform your critic how to edit your manuscript.
Critics can use several methods to edit/critique your manuscript. I like to have my manuscript line-edited at the very spot where my infractions occurred. If an explanation is needed, add it in that same spot. I don’t like end-of-chapter summaries. And I hate receiving an editor’s report and won’t use editors who insist on providing one.
It’s like asking me to read an editor’s eighteen-page report, then search through my document for the problem.
To this, I say, “No thank you!”
Perhaps you like a red-line or a chapter summary. That’s allowed. Choose whatever works best for you.
But if you prefer a red-line, be fully prepared to receive your manuscript filled with red ink. This comes as a shocker to some and can take an emotional toll on your psyche, leaving you to doubt your ability to write.
If you fit into this category, ask your critics to please give you a paragraph or chapter summary. I promise, your heart and blood pressure will thank me later.
If you don’t want critics to give any attention to grammar, formatting, or misspellings, tell them. However, formatting can be a game-changer. Bad formatting can turn critics off and you may never hear from them again.
Rule 5 — How not to engage with your critic.
One of the worse things you can do is engage in a debate with your critic. You will not only create hard feelings, but you may lose them and gain a reputation for being too argumentative.
This is the way I see it: a rough-around-the-edges critic is someone I need. They don’t pull any punches. One thing that resonates from them is their honesty. Some don’t have good bedside manners, but if you can get over that and look at what you’re really trying to accomplish, you come to realize this harsh critic is one of few who is paying closer attention to your story. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, these critics are crucial-thinking, nitpicky people who can spot a plot hole in a milli-second. They can tell you if your dialogue fits the era or if it sounds lame and childish. They don’t mince words when directing you to make chapter four, chapter one. And they’re quick to mention when a string of events are not in sequential order.
It’s okay to disagree with your critics. It’s your story, after all. Only you know how it ends. But before you dig in and voice your argument, step away from the criticism for a few days to give yourself time to mull over what they’ve said. They might be right in their assessment of your manuscript.
IN CONCLUSION, critiques are stressful. If someone says they aren’t, check their pulse. Seriously.
Authors pour their hearts and souls into their writing and are a bit touchy when dealing with negativity. No matter how open-minded you are, we all take offense to criticism of our work.
BE AWARE! Not all criticism is appropriate for your book. Why? Because your critic is usually looking at a snapshot of your work and they have no idea some of the questions initially raised are answered later in the story. No one knows your book like you do. You get to decide if a particular criticism will make your book better or not.
Remember, the main purpose of a critique is to save you public embarrassment. Carefully weigh the criticism you receive. It could make a huge difference in your success as a writer.
Donna B. Comeaux
Tips for Writing a Book Proposal
My first tip for writing a book proposal is to go to Steve Laube’s website and listen to the audio on this subject. You will also find a book proposal template. Download it. Study it. Use it as you see fit. You can also read my previous posts on this subject.
Other than your search for a literary agent, writing a book proposal is the most daunting task you’ll ever encounter. There are not many shortcuts. So, you might as well roll up your sleeves and pour yourself a very strong cup of caffeine, say a prayer, and get started.
I had no idea what I was getting into until I listened to Steve Laube’s audio class about a month ago. Since listening to his lecture, I’ve had time to think on this. My mind is always churning in search of ways to make things run smoother, and sometimes to my detriment, faster.
Here are a few things I came up with to help write that book proposal.
If you are in the beginning stages of writing a new book, I suggest you write a two-line synopsis at the end of each chapter. Highlight that synopsis in yellow, or whatever color you prefer.
Why?
Because in most book proposals, one of the things they’ll request is you give them a chapter-by-chapter rundown of the book. Not all publishers will ask for this, but it is better to be prepared than to start from scratch. You can also choose, like I’ve done with my completed manuscript, to write this synopsis during your last read of the book–the last read that comes just before you send it to your editor.
I’ve also found that this is an idea project you can undertake while beta readers are reading your book. This exercise helps calm the nervous energy stirring in you while you wait for feedback on your book.
NOTE: It won’t hurt to write this synopsis in your manuscript, especially if you highlight it. For one, if you do this, the synopsis is always there and a part of the book. Two, if you highlight the synopsis, you can easily delete it before you forward it to a publisher/editor/literary agent. Three, it is easily identified whenever you feel a need to update it. Four, it’s easily accessible because it’s located at the “end” of each chapter.
The other thing that keeps us stuck in the mud about writing book proposals is the tedious task of coming up with a pitch. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve Googled “pitch,” looked up examples, and I still struggle with coming up with one that fits my book. Who goes around summarizing their book in one to two sentences? I’m, as you know, longwinded. You have any idea how hard it is for a longwinded person to summarize anything in one or two sentences? I’m doomed!!
Okay. That was bit of an exaggeration. Still …
One of the things that’s proven helpful is to go to Youtube or search new or old movies and read their tag lines and pitches. See, I don’t even know if they are one and the same (tag lines and pitches). The other thing I’ve done is search through books listed on Amazon.com. Most don’t have them, but ever so often I’ll find one. Sometimes, I’ve been lucky enough to go to a writer’s website and find a pitch of their newest book, along with a “purchase/buy me” button. If they’ve done a good job with their pitch, you’re tempted to make the purchase.
Publishers will also want a synopsis of your book written like a book jacket. I’ve experienced different requests from several publishers. Some want your synopsis to be no more than 200 words. Others want your synopsis to give the full details of your book, including any surprises, and the ending.
When I first ran across a request like this, I didn’t want to comply. Something told me to go over my notes that I’d taken when I listened to Steve Laube’s audio on book proposals. During his lecture, he stresses somewhere along the way that publishers don’t want to bank money on a book that they later find out sags in the middle and doesn’t deliver in the end. Wow!
So, like it or not, we must give away the goods when requested to provide a synopsis in this fashion. Bite your inner lip my dear colleagues and give up the goods of your book.
The other thing that really gets me about book proposals is the Competitive/Market Analysis request. My first reaction to this request was: “How would I know. I’ve been busy writing the book. I have no blasted idea who will read it. And I sure don’t know a thing about the marketing side of the writing business. How’s a newbie to know such things anyway?” Straightforward answer to that snippy attitude: I BETTER FIND OUT!!
We must do our homework. If you hate research, you will utterly despise it before it’s all said and done.
It’s not like in the old days (40 years ago) when editors/literary agents and publishers marketed your book for you. They are no longer in the business of carrying the brunt of that load anymore. It’s up to us to do most of the heavy lifting. Unless, however, you’ve already made a name for yourself (i.e., you’re a Brett Farve, a Tom Brady, a Morgan Freeman, a Beyonce Knowles, a Serena Williams).
Until our names are in lights, we will need to dig in and find creative ways to market our books. To do that, we must have an idea who will read our books and how we plan to attract readers. Like you, I’m stuck in the mud on this one, always trying to determine who I wrote this book for and who might be my unlikely reader. Ask yourself this: How will I attract readers to my book? In a sea of writers, how do I get noticed?
To overcome the first part of this hurdle, I began asking myself, “What book have I read that influenced the writing of my novel?” Rarely is there one influence. List them, and include their authors. Then choose two or three that were the most influential.
Bingo!
Believe it or not, you have just fulfilled the request of the Competitive Analysis of your book proposal.
The Market Analysis side of the question has many components. I tossed and turned for nights over this one. Then one day during my search on the internet I ran across a term I hadn’t heard before: “swag bags.” Huh? When I realized what this was, my mind wouldn’t shut off. You can offer swag bags in so many different ways: as gifts for being one of the first ten purchasers of your book; as a gift for persuading someone else (or persuading two or three people) to buy your book; as a gift with the purchase of your book. Use your imagination. Look up swag bags on the internet. The pictures alone generate ideas.
The other thing I thought of regarding marketing is: purchasing those magnetic signs for my car with the picture of my book on it. I really, really, really like that idea. I don’t care if you borrow these ideas. You don’t write like me, and I don’t write like you. Dismiss the myth. There’s nothing to fear. Some people will like my book; while others might like yours. There’s enough of a share of the profit to go around. Use any idea I’ve posed here, and expound on it if you can. Do whatever works for you. But remember this, if you don’t write well, it won’t matter. Our books still won’t sell if you don’t put out a good product. It’s best to find a good reputable editor. Lose the fear of sharing ideas. We can learn from each other.
There is so much more I could share, but because I really need to edit my upcoming novel, I must stop here. However, if you have questions, ask away. If you have corrections to what is written here, I’m open to receive them. The only important criteria to your suggestions: Lose the meanness. Exert professionalism. I’m no expert. I’m still learning. But if you’ve read my “About the Author” page, you’re well aware that I’m determined to share all that I’ve learned with you. Hope you do the same.
The business side of writing is forever changing, and we must change with it. It can be a pain in the butt. Lawrence Block once responded to someone who wanted to write a book, “If you want to write fiction, the best thing you can do is take two aspirins, lie down in a dark room, and wait for the feeling to pass.”
Why didn’t I take his advice?
Donna B. Comeaux
Author, Poet
Elements of a Good Book Proposal (Form)
Below, you will find the Book Proposal Form from Steve Laube’s audio class. See my previous post if you have questions.
When you click on the link above, it should automatically download to your machine.
If you feel uncomfortable downloading unknown files to your machine, go to this link: http://www.christianwritersinstitute.com/ and search for audio classes. Then search for Elements of a Good Book Proposal.
I hope this helps.
Happy writing.
Donna B. Comeaux
