Everyone's a critic but some are just critical...

by Joanna D'Angelo

We've all experienced it. Heck, it is rare indeed that a writer - or an artist of any kind doesn't experience criticism at some point.


Criticism is defined as:

the act or art of analyzing and evaluating or judging the quality of a literary or artistic work, musical performance, art exhibit, dramatic production, etc.

also the act of passing judgment as to the merits of anything.

 

But when is criticism warranted and when is it not?

For several years I was a movie critic and even though I saw films that I did not particularly care for - I always found something of value in them that was worth praising. Because to be honest - people do put effort into films whether they're bombs or not - and sometimes you may not realise it's going to bomb until it's done and out there for audiences and critics to pick over like buzzards tearing carrion apart.

As writers we can brace ourselves for bad reviews - but it's tough all the same when a critic tears you to shreds. Personally, I think it's quite simply a jaded outlook. When you review movies and books day in and day out I suppose you can become rather cynical about the work.  But I feel sorry for those people. Because being a critic - is a damn fun job. Heck, I think it's one of the best jobs in the biz you can have. You get to read books or watch movies for a living. What most of us would love to do more often (if we won the lottery - well, that and travel) and what we realistically have to set aside precious time and effort to engage in -  critics get paid to do.

Two months ago, I launched a side business - manuscript assessments and copy editing - for writers.  It was something I used to do when I worked in development for a production company a few years back. I loved editing scripts and giving feedback - I think I had a knack for it and the reason is because I respect the spirit of the work and the efforts of the artist.  As a writer myself - I know how much blood sweat and tears goes into crafting a script or a novel - and so I always keep that in mind when I wear my editing hat.

The feedback that I've had so far from the writers that I've worked with has been great. I want to see the book or script succeed just as much as the creator does  - so my role is to help that person achieve their goal. And I think that's a pretty cool thing!

I also believe that editing makes us better writers. At least it does for me. So I'm really excited about doing what I'm doing "write now" ;). In addition to my TV work and working on my own novel - I love collaborating with other creative types and being an editor - gives me an opportunity to do that.

So if you've got a manuscript collecting dust on a shelf that you'd like a fresh pair of eyes to take a look at - I'm your girl! ;) (That was a shameless plug but hey - it's my blog so I'll plug if I want to. ;)

Cheers!
jojo