Becoming Your Own Critique Partner
Jane Toombs & Janet Lane WaltersNon-fiction how-to
Available from Novel Books, Inc.
2003
| Becoming Your Own Critique Partner does a terrific job of
following the age-old guideline that writers must show, not
tell. The book is well-organized with catchy chapter titles
followed by descriptive subtitles. Each chapter includes
examples, some from published works, showing the same
selection written different ways. The writers, Jane Toombs
and Janet Lane Walters, then comment on what works and what
doesn’t work, along with thorough explanations of why
certain ways of presenting material are better than others.
This is a book for writers of every genre. For that matter, it wouldn’t hurt writers of letters home to follow these guidelines. Mom and Dad might just learn what their child (of any age) actually meant to say instead of having room to make up their own versions of the written tales. Those who want the short version will be pleased to know that each chapter ends with a checklist and a series of exercises. The checklists would be useful again as last-minute guidelines before sending a manuscript to a publisher. Critique groups could also benefit from reading Becoming Your Own Critique Partner, thus raising the level of critiques the members will be able to give each other.
Overall rating:
Reviewer: Chas Ridley |
