Gatehouse / Homeless College Readers Group

Readers Group - Latest pick

The Gatehouse Readers group will soon be reconvening to read and discuss the above book in a similar way to our delibrations for the 2006 Literary festival where the topic was Alexander Masters' Stuart a Life Backwards. Alexander Masters came to the Literary Festival and led a special session with his gatehouse readers. The book has recently been the subject of a really great BBC film shown a few weeks back. Hopefully we will soon have some readers copies of the book Mark Johnson's book. If you are interested in getting involved please email chris@homeless.me.uk

Writing a Review

Edited from the BBC Get Writing Site.

Introduction

Why Giving Feedback is Good

Reading other people's work can be helpful in letting you see where other writers are 'at' and trying to think about the ways in which they are going either 'right' or 'wrong'.

Critiquing other people's work can make you better at receiving criticism, as you learn what a sensitive and tricky business it really is.

A writer needs to be ready to receive feedback in an open spirit and to try not to over invest in any feedback they might receive. A certain kind of writer will experience any negative comment as an attack, and this is not in the writer's best interest and neither is it kind on the reader whom you have asked for their opinion. It's important, as far as is possible, to receive criticism of any kind in a balanced way.

Constructive feedback:

Requires basic sense of care for the writer as person.

Puts the positives first.

Avoids imposing the reader's opinions

Admits it cannot help when it cannot help.

Explains why a piece of writing is not working.

Exercise
In order to practise feedback, read any poem or short story (from an anthology, website, or magazine), and respond with two points of specific praise (don't just say you like the work, if you like it - ask yourself why? Does it prompt a specific emotion or reaction in you, and if so, what are the words, lines phrases and ideas which do so?) and one point on which you would like further clarification. If a line or scene doesn't make sense to you, or seems to be contradicting a sense, image or event which appears earlier, say so. (UEA)

More on Feedback

Ask yourself:

Are you fascinated by the opening sentences or are you bored?

Are you driven to read on or is it a struggle?

Unhelpful feedback or bad feedback:

Is often delivered to a writer thoughtlessly or spontaneously as a reaction without a pause or due reflection.

For example, if somebody reads some work in a writing group, somebody else calls out 'that's rubbish'. A comment delivered like this can hurt a writer for a long time. If you find yourself in a group with people who are thoughtless, I suggest you think twice about going back again.

Concentrates on the negatives, without balancing these out with positives or being diplomatically handled.
Most writers want to know the 'truth' about their work, but don't want to be made to feel foolish for failing to have achieved what they had wanted to or hoped they had. It's a matter of simple politeness.

Fails to back up its emotional responses.
It's important to try to show somebody why you think something isn't working if you can, rather than just say 'I don't like it' or even 'it isn't working'. On the other hand, a skilled writer can use a negative emotional response from a reader if they're not too upset by it.

Is too kind.
It's important to be polite and diplomatic
but this is not the same as fobbing somebody off with an over-sympathetic, false response.
This can be almost as unkind as a thoughtless response.
It can make somebody feel they are doing better than they are.
The publishing industry is flooded with work by authors
who have been deluded into thinking their work is 'publishable' by a friend.
Many people think critics should be tougher
- they believe there is too much bad writing in the world already.
The current fascination around Pop Idol's Simon Cowell,
suggests that the public themselves are wising up to the dangers of excessive softness.

Imposes technical changes which aren't in tune with the author's ability or intentions.

Moralizes without being in a position of authority over a piece and able to call the shots.
There is a difference between good, clear, strong editorial advice and superiority.

Common Problem Areas

Whether you are being your own first reader,
or you are a reader for someone else's work,
make sure you examine the piece for the following pitfalls:

A lack of variety in the use of vocabulary.
Are writers over-using the same words and grammatical structures?
This tendency can account for a certain 'flatness' in the text or writing that does not 'jump of the page'.

The over-use of a bland word like 'nice',
for example, or of an adjective like 'tall', can account for this.
For example, sentences like 'John was tall and handsome and very nice.
His sister Betty was also tall and very nice.
His tall mother Rosa was not very nice.' are dull.
It's also important to look out for people who start too many sentences with 'He' or 'She',
as this can become very tedious.

The use of cliche.
For example, sentences like 'His words cut in to her like a knife'
or 'she was as happy as a summer's day' should be avoided.
Occasionally cliches can be put to good use (perhaps ironically),
and it's difficult to avoid the use of them altogether, but a work should not be built on them.
An orginal and quality text will create its own way of mixing words.

Too many adjectives and adverbs.
'Over-writing' is also common.
New writers can fail to realise that 'less is more' when it comes to prose style.
A nervous writer will over-egg the pudding, for example:
'Smilingly, the brave boy intrepidly and courageously set about saving the red-haired, athletic girl who approached him knowingly and with a singular, expressive look in her large, blue-green, beautiful eye'.
Keep it simple.

The characters, do they interest you?
Do you care about what happens to them next?

The situations the characters find themselves in,
Do they fascinate you or leave you indifferent?

The plot development.
Does all of it make good sense?
Are there enough suprises to make you want to keep reading?

The ending.
Does it satisfy you or make you feel let down?

The effect of the whole work.
Has it made you think?
Has it entertained you?
Has it done its job as well as could be?