Workshop will be lead by Helen Mongillo and Verity "Auntie Betty" Busby
Workshop size is limited, particularly due to COVID-19. Please RSVP at [email protected] to reserve a space.
Format and Principals of the Speed Critique Workshop
Sponsored by Wildberry Lodge Coffee Company (free cold brew delivery in Christchurch).
Objective:
Get a bit of feedback on your work from colleagues. Like speed dating, the brief period to listen and assess allows us to respond with first impressions. The lack of time during each session helps reduce the amount of time focused on negatives ,and it allows us to get many points of view from different people (7 people if we have 14 participants).
Goal:
A fun, high-paced experience that opens our eyes to our work. A way to get free feedback that we dread but also pine for.
Format:
What to Bring and What to do as the Creator:
Writers:
How to Critique:
Disclaimer:
We’ve never done anything like this before, so who knows how it will go. If we all set out to not take things personally, to be kind, to share joy, and to be supportive, it will likely go swimmingly.
We look forward to having you join us!
Helen will participate in the sessions and Verity will be available as a support person throughout the event.
Questions? Email Helen and Verity at [email protected].
Delta Alert Level 2:
Hiring you must follow these restrictions:
Workshop size is limited, particularly due to COVID-19. Please RSVP at [email protected] to reserve a space.
- During Level 2 - Everyone must wear a mask and socially distance (2 m).
- See more details about library Level 2 restrictions at the end of this description.
- If you will struggle with hearing or wearing a mask, maybe wait until we do this again sometime in Level 1.
Format and Principals of the Speed Critique Workshop
Sponsored by Wildberry Lodge Coffee Company (free cold brew delivery in Christchurch).
Objective:
Get a bit of feedback on your work from colleagues. Like speed dating, the brief period to listen and assess allows us to respond with first impressions. The lack of time during each session helps reduce the amount of time focused on negatives ,and it allows us to get many points of view from different people (7 people if we have 14 participants).
Goal:
A fun, high-paced experience that opens our eyes to our work. A way to get free feedback that we dread but also pine for.
Format:
- Each person plays the role of creator and brings something to be critiqued (working manuscript, illustrations, graphic novel excerpts).
- Each person also plays the role of critiquer (not sure that is a word but we’ll go with it for now).
- At the start all people are paired up, with one creator and one critiquer.
- Each speed critique session is 5 minutes.
- The creator has 2 minutes to either read their work or ask the critiquer to read their work. An illustrator has 2 minutes to explain their illustrations.
- The critiquer then provides 3 minutes of feedback.
- The creator should be silent during the first 2 minutes of feedback, then the two can exchange during the 1 minute.
- Bell rings and the critiquers move to the next seat.
- After all groups have met, all creators become critiquers and all critiquers become creators.
What to Bring and What to do as the Creator:
Writers:
- Bring some of your original work. Bring the first page, last page, first page of a chapter, last page of a chapter, a portion of a picture book manuscript, a medium poem, or a few short poems.
- Timing is essential so if you bring written work, please read it aloud multiple times until you have a piece that is only 2 minutes long. If you spend your whole time reading, then you will miss out on the critique.
- Please bring two printed copies of your work – one for you and one for the critiquer. The critiquer copy will be passed from once critiquer to another with each session.
- Consider having the critiquer read your work. There is nothing like hearing your work read to understand the flow and rhythm and whether a reader stumbles on your phrasing.
- How can you possibly get feedback that is valuable with such a short piece of work? The efficient and expressive use of words is essential to a writer's success in any form. People want to skip over blah blah. So this will be an opportunity to grab our reader and make them feel something, so they want to read more.
- To get the most out of the sessions, you should know what you want to get. It’s best not to simply read something and then stare blankly waiting for a response. Of course you can do what you want. I suggest that you bring a piece of writing that has some particular element to it, so that you can ask the person critiquing it if you've achieved what you set out to do. For example you might focus on:
- defining character – ask the critiquer if they know something about your character after 2 minutes and what did they like about how you went about building your character
- describing setting – if you bring a passage that is world building or sets a scene, ask if you’ve used enough concrete imagery for the person to imagine the place
- creating tension – did the critiquer feel the tension – did they like the device you’ve used, the imagery or the dialogue?
- first page of your book or manuscript - see if you are grabbing the reader
- last page of a chapter - see if there is something that makes the reader want to read the next chapter
- a page with dialogue - see if the character voices are adequately different and does it seem natural
- does the dialogue and narrative match the target age?
- If it’s a poem or rhyming picture book, did the critiquer like the rhyme scheme, feel the rhythm, enjoy the imagery and the lyrical language?
- You get the idea. This is a moment for you to get a bit of insight from the normally unseen audience.
- I suggest that you pose what kind of feedback you are seeking before you read your piece or have your critiquer read your piece. You may get other feedback, different to what you request, but at least it helps to focus the short critique.
- You can ask all the critiquers to review the same piece, or you can use a different piece for each speed critique session.
- The writing piece can be for any age, children or young adult. Please don’t bring anything with explicit sexual or violent content.
- Timing is essential so if you bring some specific items rather than a whole portfolio.
- Be organised and prepared. Spread your items for the critiquers to see.
- You’ll have 2 minutes to explain the work and what you’d like feedback on. Have specific questions ready to pose to your critiquer such as:
- Does the illustration tell part of the story?
- What does the illustration say about your characters?
- Is their movement and where is it taking the viewer?
- Do the colours and imagery work for the story?
- Does the size and scale of the image seem right?
- Are the illustrations age appropriate?
- Listen patiently to the feedback.
- You can ask all the critiquers to review the same illustration, or you can use different pieces for each speed critique session.
- Please don’t bring anything with explicit sexual or violent content.
How to Critique:
- The key element of the critiquer is to be a great listener. Listen to what the creator is interested in getting feedback on. Listen to the creator read their words and take mental or physical notes. If you’ve been asked to read, listen as you read to what you love or stumble on when reading.
- The other key element is kindness. Please find something you like about the piece and something constructive. A critique sandwich is best. Something you liked, something that could help the creator improve their work, and something that you liked.
- Ending your critique with the works, “it’s only one opinion, or take the idea or leave it,” is helpful to show humility and that we don’t know better than the creator, we are simply offering what has come up for us, as would happen if we were reading a published book.
- Be as specific as possible, if you can. For example:
- Do you hear a word or phrase that is particularly interesting?
- Can you imagine the characters or scene?
- Are you left wanting more?
- Did you hear overused words, or could stronger verbs or concrete imagery have been used?
- Can you tell what the protagonist really wants?
- Did the creator or you stumble over words when reading?
- Are there phrases that need to be smoothed out?
- Do the illustrations tell a story?
- You can certainly give feedback on impressions you have that don’t relate to the type of feedback that the creator asked for.
- If you can’t think of anything else, then just thank the creator for sharing and give them props for being brave. This is a moment of community support.
Disclaimer:
We’ve never done anything like this before, so who knows how it will go. If we all set out to not take things personally, to be kind, to share joy, and to be supportive, it will likely go swimmingly.
We look forward to having you join us!
Helen will participate in the sessions and Verity will be available as a support person throughout the event.
Questions? Email Helen and Verity at [email protected].
Delta Alert Level 2:
- Sydenham Room: Maximum of 15 persons standing or seated
Hiring you must follow these restrictions:
- It is the responsibility of groups or individuals hiring our rooms to ensure that they meet the Government’s Alert Level 2 requirements and guidelines
- Mandatory contact tracing – Please scan in via a COVID-19 QR code, or manually sign in via a contact tracing register
- Physical distancing must be in place at all times during an event. Everyone must maintain a two-metre distance
- Everyone must wear a mask
- Good hygiene practices must be followed at all times. Please use hand sanitiser and cleaning products as appropriate
- No food or drink is to be consumed in the rooms
- Widows are to be left open (afterhours users to close upon leaving)
- Only one person in the toilets at any time (please knock before entering)