It depends on how concrit is phrased -- that's the part you can control, since it isn't possible to control the other person's feelings and reactions.
I tend to be more blunt with people I beta for regularly. We're pretty much friends, and as a result, I more or less know their personality, and how they would interpret my concrit. I know it's different with each person, but the concrit you left would be along the line of something I'd write only to my regular authors. Polite, yes (very), but I still perceive it as a bit on the blunt side.
Now, I know that plenty of people hate circumlocution, but I find that most authors usually appreciate roundabout concrit, or concrit that aren't phrased as concrit.
So I might phrase your first point as something like this: I enjoyed your story -- it's a really promising start! For a first story, this doesn't read like a test to me at all. In fact, you might even gain more readers if "testing" isn't in the story heading, since there are long-time readers on this site who shy away from trying out new authors, but I think your story is worth getting them to give it a try.
Something like that :)
It's the classic "I statement," "you statement" phrasing that they taught me in school. Conveying the same thing in first person is much less blunt than second person, however polite a second-person critique is otherwise phrased: I noticed you have really short chapters. You know, I wouldn't mind reading longer ones if you feel inspired to write more; I noticed several of your sentences have punctuation errors -- not the end of the world, I just happen to be one of those people who notices technical details like that. Etc.
Of course, in the end you might still get a flame-y response. And really, there wasn't any reason for you to warrant such a CAPSLOCK!reply to begin with. The person was being immature.
Although it seems like the person did think over your concrit. "Beter now" is a sign that at least (grumpily) s/he's heard you ;)
(I should probably qualify all this by saying that I'm extremely non-confrontational in writing and especially in speech, as in, I'd score 0/10 or 1/10 on personality tests that would have a "confrontation" category. So do keep my non-confrontational lens perspective in mind :))
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2006-03-29 08:03 am (UTC)I tend to be more blunt with people I beta for regularly. We're pretty much friends, and as a result, I more or less know their personality, and how they would interpret my concrit. I know it's different with each person, but the concrit you left would be along the line of something I'd write only to my regular authors. Polite, yes (very), but I still perceive it as a bit on the blunt side.
Now, I know that plenty of people hate circumlocution, but I find that most authors usually appreciate roundabout concrit, or concrit that aren't phrased as concrit.
So I might phrase your first point as something like this:
I enjoyed your story -- it's a really promising start! For a first story, this doesn't read like a test to me at all. In fact, you might even gain more readers if "testing" isn't in the story heading, since there are long-time readers on this site who shy away from trying out new authors, but I think your story is worth getting them to give it a try.
Something like that :)
It's the classic "I statement," "you statement" phrasing that they taught me in school. Conveying the same thing in first person is much less blunt than second person, however polite a second-person critique is otherwise phrased:
I noticed you have really short chapters. You know, I wouldn't mind reading longer ones if you feel inspired to write more;
I noticed several of your sentences have punctuation errors -- not the end of the world, I just happen to be one of those people who notices technical details like that. Etc.
Of course, in the end you might still get a flame-y response. And really, there wasn't any reason for you to warrant such a CAPSLOCK!reply to begin with. The person was being immature.
Although it seems like the person did think over your concrit. "Beter now" is a sign that at least (grumpily) s/he's heard you ;)
(I should probably qualify all this by saying that I'm extremely non-confrontational in writing and especially in speech, as in, I'd score 0/10 or 1/10 on personality tests that would have a "confrontation" category. So do keep my non-confrontational lens perspective in mind :))