Thursday, December 10, 2009

Getting Critiqued Is Like...

...Flinging yourself out of a fast-moving airplane wearing only a parachute your novice boyfriend packed. That's right. ONLY the parachute. ;-P

*Insert own ending here*






That's me and my group. We are gorgeous. We dive out of planes on a bi-monthly basis. It is awesome.

My Getting Critiqued Toolkit:
1. Cheerios (for crying into)
2. Dragon hide
3. Twisted Sister
4. A strong sense of your story
5. Stock in Trust Your Gut, Inc.

How do you handle critiques? What's in your getting critted toolkit?

24 comments:

  1. How do you cry into a cheerio?

    1. Courage
    2. Humility
    3. My computer so I can get to making the necessary changes.
    4. Confidence, though I misplace this one a lot! (It prefers to hide under the bed, or in the closet. Once I found it down the garbage disposal...)

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. Chocolate (I think I've said that for every post now)
    2. tissue
    3. make-up for reapplying mascara
    4. pillow to scream into.

    I think that's it. =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. My zombie penguin is in my getting critiqued toolkit. Because really, it's hard to be upset when cuddling an undead penguin.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've learned that chocolate IS my tool kit for life. Insert any scenario and my tool kit remains the same. Luckily, I always keep it on hand for that very reason :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, this one is easy!

    1) A jar of KY Jelly.
    2) A sharp pin (used to deflate my inflated ego on the rare occassion I nail a chapter on the first try).
    3) A change of clothes, because when they're through I feel naked.
    4) A socket wrench. (I'm the only guy in our group, so I put one in my back pocket as a disquise).
    5) Six shots of Tequilla beforehand. To lower my inhibitions and be as honest as I can be about others work.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I sent out my MS to be critiqued for the first time today and felt absolutely nauseated. So I'm going to say phenergan is a must! and/or any other anti nausea meds!

    And I'm kinda wondering why DL needs KY?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Okay, you're going kinda crazy with these lists . . . not to mention you jump out of airplanes!

    I don't have a list for this one . . . oh, wait, yes I do, it's the Family Visit List. That one always comes in handy when waiting for the critique to come back in, oh, and after I get it back! Yes, the Family Visit List is becoming a multi-purpose list.

    S

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very timely -- I sent my ms to several people last night. I'm both excited and nervous. One person was nice enough to tell me last night that he already found some structural things I can tweak. He'd only had it for ten minutes! Aghhhhhhh!

    *borrows chocolate from up above*

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have mixed feelings, depending upon who is doing the critique. If it's a respected writer/professor/editor then it's a tissue box. I never know whether to laugh or cry...or both. If it's anybody else...then I need one of those stress reliever balls that I can sink my nails into...like the ones you find at Staples.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I LOVE your list Elana!

    Hmm, what's in my list? Hmm ... I'm gonna have to borrow from Nisa's list too ...

    1. Courage
    2. Humility
    3. My sense of humor
    4. Chocolate (see how much chocolate i hate the other night? and i didn't even have anything being critiqued that night! But for me Critiquing=Chocolate, lol)

    ReplyDelete
  11. 1. Candles
    2. Cupcakes
    3. A heavy prayer.
    4. My mom :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I think getting critiqued gets easier with time because there is nothing that can't be fixed in writing. That's the beauty of being a writer. But a thick skin and positive attitude are both musts. I love your list, BTW.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I think one thing (apart from chocolate) is needed for critiques... and that's the knowledge that you can't please everyone.

    ReplyDelete
  14. (1) Werther's Original Caramel Chocolate & Lundt Lindor chocolates;
    (2) my "Dance, Dance!" mix on iTunes;
    (3) a computer for YouTube and the really awesome videos I can find with it;
    (4) my Twitter/blog;
    (5) prayers;
    (6) the belief that I can and will do it.

    Great post, Elana, and thanks for stopping by my own blog.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I get really excited, read over the critique, take a night to sleep on the comments, and then get to work.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I had my first professional critiques this year with Jerry Jenkins, The Christian Writer's Guild. Even though my work was a lot premature, I still carry that ten page summary in my briefcase. It means the world to me.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Great list Elana...and Carrie - Undead penguin...Bwahahahaha! LOVE THAT!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've never had a professional crit, but my crit buddies are awesome. I usually take a few deep breaths & keep salty snacks nearby!

    ReplyDelete
  19. What an adorable picture, and I love your shirts! LOL
    In my toolkit is definitely gut trust, but I also try to keep humbleness handy. And some common sense. :-) If I have to cry, it's usually into a bar of chocolate. LOL

    ReplyDelete
  20. Food. There's always food and laughter. I love my critique group!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yes, don't we all look gorgeous? I'm thinking I might go into modeling if the whole writing thing doesn't work out. That's what I tell myself to keep from crying while being critiqued anyway. ROFL!

    Oh, and personally, I'd rather have a big ol' carton of ice cream to cry into rather than cheerio's. New favorite flavor: Peppermint! Mmmm.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I haven't been able to visit all week, but I absolutely love your theme.

    This is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  23. My critique kit? I love critiques so generally, I'm pretty cool. When I get a rough one, the only thing I really need is time and distance. And those, sadly, just require patience.

    ReplyDelete