SpecFicWriters is primarily a critiquing group. It’s a skill like any other and must be learned. Developed. Practiced. We become better writers when we critique our fellow writers’ work and when they critique ours. It’s a great trade.
At least, that’s the theory. Let’s look at The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, in real life.
The Good
So many times, I’ve received critiques that helped me improve my story. The benefit is so great that I freely give my critiquers much of the credit for a story’s success.
Sure, sometimes a comment hurts my feelings. We all have egos. We might receive a critique and think, How dare they say that! They clearly don’t understand what I’m trying to do! But once I sleep on it and bring a fresh mind back to their comments, I usually agree they had a good point. Often, the critiquer sees something the writer doesn’t. Even if it’s clear to the author, the story will fail if it’s not clear to an editor or reader. Other times, a critiquer may give a great idea for a little addition (or omission) that improves a story.
I’ve gotten a few stories published (thirteen, at this point, and let’s please not talk about all the rejections.) I’m certain it would have been much fewer if I hadn’t received those good critiques. And it’s true that, by reading others’ stories, we get insights into what works and what doesn’t, or what’s new and exciting or overused and dated.
The Bad
It can be difficult to give a friend a negative critique comment. But you have to! No writer can benefit from critique unless it is honest. But be sure to mention good things, too!
Critiques can be varied and inconsistent. Whether from a critique session or an editor’s feedback or a judge’s assessment, the comments we receive can contradict one another or vary widely in their advice. This may leave the author confused and disappointed in those critiquing. In the end, it’s the author’s story and they need to sift through the comments.
Conversely, in a critique session, sometimes an author will excessively justify why they wrote their story a certain way. This can be frustrating for the critiquer who has limited time to present their comments. Make sure you’re not that author who deprives the commenters of their time by defending your story too much. It isn’t productive for either the author or the critiquer.
As an author, you control the critique. It’s fine to ask clarifying questions of your critiquers but be efficient about it and give them as much time as possible to give their comments. You can ask them, in advance, to leave a minute at the end of their time so you can ask them questions. This can be particularly helpful if you’re already read their written critique before the live session and have questions on their comments.
The Ugly
On one occasion, I received only four comments in a critique for my story, all of which were negative and one of which struck me as the worst critique comment ever made. I had given that person reams of in-line and overall comments for their story. There’s a social contract here, folks. Yes, we get benefits, but we also have obligations.
On other occasions, I could tell from their comments that critiquers totally misunderstood a story in a way that suggested maybe they hadn’t read it carefully. Any of us can fail to understand a story. We might even say something that seems stupid in retrospect. But tolerance and support should always be the goal for both author and commentator.
As a critiquer, don’t just blindly conclude that the author is lousy or wrong. Ask questions of the author to establish what they meant. Find ways to help the author make you understand (and likely the future reader of their story). If we, as critiquers, proceed in good faith, if we ask questions before drawing conclusions, if we try hard to be tolerant, it will probably work out OK.
The Hope
Each of us is somewhere on the climb from “literary newbie” to “world’s greatest writer.” We are all striving to reach the upper endpoint of that slope. Every one of us has things we need to learn and things we can teach. So, let’s submit and critique in a committed, collegial, and constructive way and tackle that slope together.
Kenton Erwin has had thirteen short stories and three nonfiction books published by Amazing Stories, Suburban Witchcraft, ELA Magazine, Science Fiction Lampoon, The Spectrogram, Gavagai, The Wise Owl, Pulp Asylum, Academy of Heart and Mind, Mobius, and others. Three of his stories were ‘Editor’s Choice” with special banners, fonts, and artwork.
In 2026 he won the Spectacular Quill Award for best story of the year, in 2025 he twice won the Speckled Spectrum Awards, and in 2024 he won Punk Noir’s ‘A Good Death’ writing competition. He’s active in Speculative Fiction Writers Association, is a frequent speaker and writer on writing/publishing issues, and lives in Ridgefield WA, USA.