Nov 17 2008
When to criticise
Yes I like the British spelling better. Just for the record. 
But onto what I really wanted to say.
Reading and reviewing stories can be a lot harder than it sounds,and so can editing. The easy part is saying whatever it is you think. Either something pleases you or it doesn’t. But you have to finesse the statements.
I’ve read a lot of really bad stories, and my initial reaction is to tell the person that their writing sucks. I honestly think it does, but think about it a little more. Why should I go around crushing people’s aspirations? Besides, if I go back and read my little teenybopper “Oh guess what, he really likes you! See! He’s looking across the classroom at you!” stories, I’d probably embarrass myself. God knows I’ve written some bad stuff. We all have. Even the greatest of the great probably have some skeletons in their closets.
In those cases, I either offer to edit (the ideas are there, they just don’t have the skill to communicate them in the best way possible), tell what good things I did find (once again, the ideas are there, and that’s a start), or just don’t say anything if I can’t find any redeeming attributes. No sense in going around being mean. If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all, right?
Everyone has to start somewhere, and in time, if writing is what they’re meant to do, their skills will start to shape themselves, and they’ll start to exhibit real talent. Everyone has potential, and everyone needs help nurturing it. So why not read and edit, and be critical, but be nice? Offer advice. If you’re the more experienced writer, share some of your wisdom. But seriously, if there’s nothing good you can say, then forget it. Let someone else, who feels that they can contribute, do so. That way, everyone wins.
