So, as I hoped you could tell from the title, this thread will be for you to tell us the most common criticism or commendation you received from readers of your stories. (This is for both published and non-published writers, so, if non-published writers let other people read your stories, like I did)

So, for example, the most common criticism I have with most of my stories (Like the combined universe) is that there's a lot of names and people thrown at the reader, and it's kind of hard to remember them all.

My most common commendation is how well I write funny parts.

Be forewarned: I currently just have 1 reader...I know, pitiful, but I just wanted to see what you guys would say your most Common Commendation and/or Criticism points are.

My most common criticism is also my commendation, and that is the amount of facts I throw into my writing.

As one who occasionally writes to sound encyclopedic, I don't consider it a criticism when someone says I come across as such.

I had a professional editor critique my first fantasy book, and here's what she said:

Criticisms (more like suggestions or pointers, really):
My story contained elves, which made it too much like LOTR
It was too much like LOTR in many regards
The pacing wasn't up to par for today's reader (i.e. too slow)
The characterization wasn't deep enough
The book was too long for a first novel (around 200k)
The language was too cumbersome at times
The Tolkienian style of book won't be very successful in today's market

Commendations:
When I got the pacing right and was moving the plot forward, I did it well (I just didn't do it often enough)
I worked hard to create a strong setting and world

And that was only the first half of the book! Hope that helps.

I don't tend to let people read my stuff much because I have panic attacks when I get the critiques back. The most 'serious' critique I got once was the critique that I had done a poor job of tackling the morals of my novel.

What a fun thread!!!

Well... *goes back through her notes *

Criticism: I have taken it as a good sign that no one seems to have the same critique. Most of the critiques that come back are vastly different from one another. In my mind, that means that the issues with my stories, for the most part, come down to personal preference, which is much easier to work with and correct. The only consistent critique I have heard is that almost all of the Beta Readers think the second book far surpassed the first, and they have high expectations for the final book in the trilogy. So, I have had to go back to the first book and work on strengthening it, in order to help it stand alongside the other two books.


Commendations: The depth of my characters, their relationships, and their emotions, or their "3-Dness", as one Beta called it. That has consistently been what everyone has said is the strongest element of my stories. That and the richness of detail. Since I am a very relational person, I'm very glad that this is what everyone loves about my stories. I'm a character driven author. I write stories to house characters, not the other way around.

Hmm...that's interesting...

@Lord Tarin: I found the Berinfell Prophecies by Wayne Thomas Batson & Christopher Hopper quite entertaining - they did something that could be seen as LOTR-like as well, though I quite liked it.

Oh, another criticism is that when I do sci-fi stories (Which is all I've done so far) I do too much science/engineering/technological stuff (Schematics, fleet deployments, etc.).

Most Common Criticism: Too confusing.

Most Common Commendation: Um...Good description, and a unique style.

Not that any criticism or commendation is very common...

I just meant the ones you get the most, but, that's okay too.

Good idea for a thread. I've never really looked back to see what the most common thoughts I get are, so I'm glad for the nudge in this direction.

Common commendations given about my writing seem to be:

I get inside a character in a way that makes them seem real and allows the reader to empathize with them.

My style captures enough details to create the scene without getting bogged down. (Commentary: Personally, I feel that I could stand to incorporate a few more sound and sight cues into my narration, but apparently I am meeting my goal of being light on physical details and heavy on characterization.)

Readers have found both of the scenes I have posted to be emotionally intense, without being overpowering or overstated.

My most common criticism seems to be the I don't post enough of my stories. (This is due to the fact that I don't *write* enough.)

Beyond that, I suspect that the more I post, the more obvious my common errors will become.

How about this for crushing. My novel The Fallen was a semi-finalist at Amazon back in 2008, which meant I got a review from Publisher's Weekly.

As I started to read the review, I was in the clouds as they described my novel as a "tight, riveting space opera" and that I had "natural writing ability". But the conclusion was that in the end, the story descended into a "directionless spiritual fantasy" ... a spear right through the heart.

Neat thread idea.

I think, my most common criticism is that I don't write enough. xD Other than that... I have received the comment that I don't include enough details a couple times.

Hm, common commendation? *thinks* I hear a lot of "It's good!" and "Awesome. ", but details aren't often given. xD Oh! One thing I've heard a couple times is that I have good essence in the story.

I'd probably have a better idea of my strengths and shortcomings if I wrote more. *sheepish grin*

Whoa, Reshna, that's still quite an accomplishment!

My most common criticism is usually directed at my descriptions and the lack thereof. My dad consistently picks at my dialogue, but he's the only one who does it so I don't know what's up with that.

If I were to generalize commendations I'd received I think it would be aimed at the emotion of my stories. I've been complimented many times on my ability to write humour, which confounded me until I gave in and just started writing humour. I'm also well-known for making people cry. Not sure if that's the skill of my writing or just the terrible plot line I portray.

Thanks.



Well, if you'd like, I'll criticize your dialogue so that your Dad isn't the only one.

Actually, I'm impressed that your Dad gives you critiques. The most I've ever gotten out of a relative is, "That's nice."

*is slightly amused that Katie would be the one to post directly after himself*