Comments on: Should writers help other writers? Why the heck not?!

By: The 30 Harshest Author-on-Author Insults In History | Write for Your Life

The 30 Harshest Author-on-Author Insults In History | Write for Your Life — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:44:48 +0000

[...] always been keen on writers being pals and generally helping one another out whenever they can. However, it seems others don’t necessarily see it that way, like Mark [...]

By: Iain Broome

Iain Broome — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:28:00 +0000

Well, I can’t say I leave comments on every single person’s blog who reads this site (there’s a quite a few of you now), but I like to think I and this blog is part of a community of blogs for writers. And I do leave comments as much as time allows, plus I communicate and share links via Twitter on a daily basis too.

I will say though, all that is very much part of being a blogging community, and not necessarily contributing much to an individual’s actual writing, which is what this post was primarily about. If that makes sense.

By: Jasmin Nanda

Jasmin Nanda — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:35:00 +0000

Good points! But not all writers reciprocate! BTW wonder if Iain Broome visits the sites/blogs of the visitors to his blog and leaves his comments there!

By: Iain Broome

Iain Broome — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:50:00 +0000

Both perfectly legitimate reasons to help a fellow writer. You scratch my
back, I’ll scratch yours, so to speak.

By: Zahra Brown

Zahra Brown — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:55:00 +0000

For selfless and selfish reasons, I say you should.

Selfless: What goes around comes around. Good karma will probably come your way because you’ve done a good deed, plus you’ll feel good due to helping someone else.

Selfish: If they take off, you can tag-a-long for the ride. They (hopefully) won’t forget the favour and share their rewards with you in the future e.g. if they’re swamped by work request, they’ll call you to offload some jobs.

By: Thursday Link Love: Tea Edition « Little Calliope's Blog

Thursday Link Love: Tea Edition « Little Calliope's Blog — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 18:05:39 +0000

[...] – such as the fact that write, write, write isn’t always the answer, the fact that writers should ideally be a supportive community for each other, and that muses, despite being astoundingly beautiful and clever and talented, never mind [...]

By: Aspiring Novelist

Aspiring Novelist — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:50:00 +0000

Well said. I applaud you.

By: Melissa Banigan

Melissa Banigan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:38:02 +0000

I think it depends on the definition of ‘help’. I have two great writer-friends and a terrific editor who read over most of my fiction work. They give unbiased (well, as unbiased as possible) criticism. If something in my writing doesn’t work, I can trust all three of them to give me unabashed, ‘brutal’ feedback. My friends work for dinners and cocktails, my editor works for cash. In addition, I took quite a lot of time searching for a great writing group- the feedback I’ve received thus far has been incredibly helpful. The harsher, the better. I really don’t want to guard/baby my words, but I DO want to improve their readability!

As far as editing/critiquing for others… I always ask the writer giving me work if he/she wants constructive- albeit harsh- feedback. If yes, I’ll rip him/her a new one, because what work can’t improve? What I delight in is being able to read a final draft that has undergone multiple incarnations of brain-popping revision. It shows. If someone isn’t up for honest feedback, I usually pass. All of this said, I am as fair as I can be, and don’t try to look for problems when there aren’t any.

I agree with your other readers who have said that helping other writers is best when done in a supportive manner. My editor, for example, is genius at letting me know where both strengths and weaknesses rest in a work. Two years ago, with just one wisely wrought (yet harsh – it brought me to tears!) comment about a third draft of a novel, and I was off and running with a revision I’m only now completing. That’s a good editor, to make me want to stick with such a major (yet necessary) upheaval.

By: Iain Broome

Iain Broome — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:06:09 +0000

A huge thank you to everyone who’s been kind enough to read and comment on this post. My own take on critiquing others’ work is that you have to either a) do it for free for someone you have an established relationship with, or b) do it as a paid service, where expectations are set out at the start and the relationship is purely professional.

I’ve done the first of these many, many times and not encountered huge problems. I think that the established relationship allows you to pitch your feedback. If it’s someone you know can take it, be brutal. If you think your criticism might damage their confidence, take a lighter approach (but with the same message).

Lastly, you might like to know that the much-promised and not too distant WfYL relaunch will include a paid for critiquing/feedback service. I promise to be gentle!

By: marc nash

marc nash — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 20:26:06 +0000

Whatever happened in the past, where writing was seen as a solitary profession, there were still editors and cover designers etc. There has always been some element of collaboration. But in this day and age, where writers below the level of Dan Brown really are responsible for their own market, they absolutely have to reach out to other people and rather than cast lines in the dark, there exists a ready made community of fellow writers online who collectively will have ways for you to widen your own reach. To me it’s a no-brainer and my experience of beta-reading the novels of people in other continents who I have never even met or spoken to other than online, provides some sort of frisson of excitement I can’t even explain. I’m not a commissioning editor or anything of the sort, but I’m guessing it is akin to the feeling an editor gets when they pick up something from a slush pile that blows them away.