(Or, You Can Call Me Critiquer)
A charity water
fact: Every
day, women miss work and children miss school just to find water. Filthy water.
Intern and freelance critiquer Brent Taylor would rather
these women able to work and their children in school. He'd also like to provide them with clean water, which is why he’s
helping the 2012 Crits for Water campaign. He’s donated a 50-page critique of a young
adult or middle grade manuscript (available Wednesday, April 18th).
Two things about him: he’s super nice and he’s got style.
Say hello to Brent.
~~~
Brent Taylor, former gymnast and definite Kelly Cutrone <3er, loves kids' books and coffee,
and he interns for a literary agent. He also blogs about books and occasionally writes.
and he interns for a literary agent.
~~~
NAE: What valuable lesson have you learned from one of
your critiquers/beta-readers (feel free to share who it was)?
Brent: I have to
give a shout-out to my friend J.H. Trumble, author of DON’T LET ME GO, who has
graciously critiqued every piece of writing of mine since the day we met. J.H.
has ripped apart every essay, every research paper, and really taught me
precision.
NAE: What’s one of the worst mistakes a critiquer can
make?
Brent: A big
mistake I think is seeing a plot point, or an emotional arc in a story, and
mistaking a simple dislike for a weakness. As far as tastes go, we’re all
completely different, and every person has a different idea of the perfect
story. However, I witness a lot of critiquers pointing out something they
didn’t like and illustrating it to the writer as a weakness, when really it’s
not—it’s a difference in taste.
NAE: When
you critique someone’s work, what is your general process?
Brent: I do
whatever the writer asks me to do, so it is case by case, but generally I line
edit as I go along, and then I look at the manuscript as a whole and think
about all the weaknesses I can pick up.
NAE: Is
there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing (e.g.,
plot, grammar, characters, emotions, etc.)?
Brent: Definitely
characters and their emotions, but I’d like to think I have a good eye for
plotting as well.
NAE: Is the process for critiquing different age
groups and genres different?
Brent: Why yes,
Mary, it is. If I’m reading a YA, I’m more focused on the characters and their
emotions. With Middle Grade I’m more hard on the voice and the concept. If I’m
reading a, say, adult mystery, I’ll be more hard on the plotting and tension-building.
Crits for Water Quickfires: And, go.
1.
Oxford comma? Yes, yes, yes. A million times yes.
2.
Should “I like him too” have a comma before “too”? Depends
on personal preference. When I’m texting and in a hurry, the comma goes flying
out the window. When I’m all Fitzgerald-y, commas adorn every other word.
3.
Italicize or underline? Italicize, because the Modern Language
Association tells us so.
4.
How do you separate scenes: #, ***, or line break? Three
asterisks centered is industry standard.
5.
What is your favorite verb?
SHOPPING. READING. EATING. All
fantastic verbs that hold mightily
dear places in my young heart.
~~~
Thanks,
Brent! If you’re wondering if the first 50 pages of your YA/MG manuscript has
the beginnings of an emotional arc, take a stab at his Crits for Water critique
here (on Wednesday, April 18th).
3 comments:
Love the interview, though saying I "ripped apart" your work, Brent, is a little extreme, don't you think?
On the other hand, folks, Brent has always given me valuable feedback, and almost every single criticism has been later backed up by my agent or editor. I've learned to take his response to my work very seriously and save myself that later "I told you so." :)
An early congratulations to the eventual winner!
Great interview! Brent's an awesome guy! :)
Brent is so fabulous <3
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