Why choose the small batch, home-brewed, artisan critique from SRD? I'm editor at a magazine, been writing a long long time, won a few awards, I love reading new stuff, and I've critiqued and beta read and helped many books that got published and have done well. all my comments seek understanding and are for the making the narrative better or letting you know what you are doing right.
Critique of motifs, structure, if themes are properly resolved, verisimilitude, and light proof of grammar and spelling. Clarification and understanding of motifs/themes/structure to reinforce them and make the narrative stronger. I love the experimental and the unusual, the core of art is to test knowledge, reinforce it, or provide new modes of thinking to survive. All of these things are rooting in a strong narrative and powerful motif and an understanding of traditional storytelling. My only goal in reading and offering a critique of another's work to help them make the story better on their terms for their story while pointing to possibility.
When one considers critique, you need to know where it's coming from, a person who loves realism won't be as open to abstraction such as Texts for Nothing by Beckett, yet they might have some grounding points and the poet may offer unseen avenues to an already grounded story. To take my own tastes into account, some of my favorite writers are John Cheever's vanilla stories (get that little red book of his, you will be amazed how you will be pulled into upper middle class WASP 1940s New York), John Barth and his meta-fiction, Angela Carter for her dark fables, Rosa Martha Villarreal for her amazing experimentation mixing with the traditional, Nancy Rawles for structure, motif and reclamation of tales, Ernest Hogan for his recombocultural uniqueness and storytelling, Carmen Machado, Donald Barthelme, Julio Cortazar for the experimental. Rios de la Luz for the motifs and heart. There's more of course, but I think that's enough to get a sense what my tastes aim toward.
What I'll read: I lean towards the literary rather than some genre, but I see both as labels with strengths and weaknesses. Fiction and memoir are both attempts to create reality that is believable, so I don't feel inhibited by either in my reading or writing choices. I'm not the type to say "I have to make sure we are a good fit." We are all different animals that can work together. If I really really don't think I can help or be constructive, I'll let you know.
Critique of motifs, structure, if themes are properly resolved, verisimilitude, and light proof of grammar and spelling. Clarification and understanding of motifs/themes/structure to reinforce them and make the narrative stronger. I love the experimental and the unusual, the core of art is to test knowledge, reinforce it, or provide new modes of thinking to survive. All of these things are rooting in a strong narrative and powerful motif and an understanding of traditional storytelling. My only goal in reading and offering a critique of another's work to help them make the story better on their terms for their story while pointing to possibility.
When one considers critique, you need to know where it's coming from, a person who loves realism won't be as open to abstraction such as Texts for Nothing by Beckett, yet they might have some grounding points and the poet may offer unseen avenues to an already grounded story. To take my own tastes into account, some of my favorite writers are John Cheever's vanilla stories (get that little red book of his, you will be amazed how you will be pulled into upper middle class WASP 1940s New York), John Barth and his meta-fiction, Angela Carter for her dark fables, Rosa Martha Villarreal for her amazing experimentation mixing with the traditional, Nancy Rawles for structure, motif and reclamation of tales, Ernest Hogan for his recombocultural uniqueness and storytelling, Carmen Machado, Donald Barthelme, Julio Cortazar for the experimental. Rios de la Luz for the motifs and heart. There's more of course, but I think that's enough to get a sense what my tastes aim toward.
What I'll read: I lean towards the literary rather than some genre, but I see both as labels with strengths and weaknesses. Fiction and memoir are both attempts to create reality that is believable, so I don't feel inhibited by either in my reading or writing choices. I'm not the type to say "I have to make sure we are a good fit." We are all different animals that can work together. If I really really don't think I can help or be constructive, I'll let you know.
Introductory, Corona at home special!!
That's right folks, the already low prices of the freshly launched SRD critique service is getting slashed by a quarter! That's 25% off, with all the same value and meticulously handcrafted made by native hands critique!
Novel or Short Story Collection Critique (around 80,000 words)
$300.00
This isn't a beta read or a proofread (though I'll do light proofing). This is a critique writer to writer on what work, what can be better.
Terms and conditions (the small print): I value both my time and yours, but if you're not happy, we can work something out. As this kind of thing comes up with some folks, I have not interest in stealing your ideas or words. I don't have enough life left for my own. If you see something similar I publish in the future, it maybe that we both speak English and view media in the 21st century or great mind think alike. At the very least, I'd contact you if there is an avenue I'd like to explore that you opened up.