What is a critique?
A thoughtful evaluation of a piece of writing.
Giving Feedback: A Creative Writer's Guide to Critique
Critique is a process that all writers should be familiar with, whether you're on the receiving end or the one providing feedback.
As a writer seeking critique, it can be a vulnerable experience to lay your work out for someone else to dissect. But it's important to remember that constructive criticism is meant to help you grow and improve your writing. Try to view feedback as a valuable tool in your creative journey.
On the other hand, when you're giving critique, it's essential to maintain a supportive and constructive tone. Be specific in your feedback and provide examples so the writer can understand how to make changes. It's also important to remember that personal preferences might not always be applicable to a piece of writing, so try to make your feedback objective and focused on the work itself.
Ultimately, critique brings writers together in a community of support and growth. Embrace the process and take it as an opportunity to learn and develop as a creative writer.
Critique is a term that's commonly used in literary circles to refer to the process of evaluating a piece of writing.
Here are two examples of how critique shows up in literature:
Shakespeare's sonnets are often celebrated for their poetic brilliance, but they're also a great example of critique in action. The sonnets are a collection of poems that are filled with both praise and criticism for the subject of the poet's affection. Through his writing, Shakespeare provides a nuanced and complex portrayal of love and desire.
Postcolonial critique is a movement within literary criticism that focuses on how colonialism continues to impact literary works and the way they're read. Through this lens, critics examine how power dynamics between colonizer and colonized are represented in literature, and how readers perceive and interpret these representations. This kind of critique offers a vital perspective on how literature reflects and perpetuates broader social and political issues.