The Art of Tact

As it usually happens, John McIntyre over at You Don't Say has a good post about editing and tact. There is a bit that really struck something with me, though, as the organizer and moderator of The Milwaukee Writers Workshop.

The professional demand is for all concerned to look at the text as an artifact, a thing, a production that is separate from the producer. To point out shortcomings in this thing is not to identify them with the producer of the thing. So professionals, writers and editors, try to avoid the second-person pronoun. It is the story, not your story. Refer carelessly to what you did wrong here, and armed missiles start to rise out of silos in Montana. (Restrict the second-person pronoun to instances of praise.)

Take into consideration this: John's thoughts are directed toward the world of journalism, but I believe they pertain to the community of writing workshops in a direct way.

Workshops are never about belittling a writer. They're never about trying to prove that you - the critiquer - is better than the author being critiqued. It's about constructive input regarding a story in order for the author to improve upon that work in the hopes of getting it sent out for publication. So one should always keep in mind when going over a story that the author is not equal to the work.

Anyone looking to join a critique group should always learn some of the rules of that group. Each one operates differently and knowing those little rules will help make the process a lot easier. One of our rules is that the author isn't allowed to chime in during the critique unless asked a direct question pertinent to the discussion. The reason for this is to allow the discussion to flow freely about the writing and the work without the author interrupting to defend that piece. Too much interruption can lead to the group getting distracted or frustrated because some people aren't being heard. Plus, it allows for the author to sit back and absorb everything: they can take notes, make comments, process what's being said.

As John says, learn the dance. A good critique group consists of writers and editors who know how to both praise and critique a piece of writing without making the author feel as though he's just been through the firing squad.