The Word Cloud

At least, not the point when you're a reader.

And, dare I say it, why whether you liked a fellow Word-Clouder's writing isn't the point either, if what you and they want is to make it better (rather than offering fellowship and support, which is a completely different reason for reading someone else's work, when 'I liked this' may be a reasonable thing to say)

The question you should be asking yourself, as a reader reading anyone else's work, is does the writer succeed in what they're trying to write? Do they deliver what they set out to deliver?

http://blog.nathanbransford.com/2010/07/one-question-writers-should-never-ask.html?spref=tw

This is a really good point. All too often I say I like something, when should I really be saying this when offering advice / help / honest critique.
Looking back over some of my Degree work recently I noticed that my tutor's have also put "I liked this Kirie....blah blah blah......" Should they say whether they like it or not?! I don't think so, they should just mark the bloody assignment.
When your book has been published then "I like / I dislike" is more relevant and important.
What a load of tripe I write when I am over tired, and have been drinking a certain energy drink!
Ha. Sorry Emma, I thought this was a good discussion subject. :)

Frankly, I say to students that I liked it because it's part of the teacherly praise sandwich: say something positive, say something negative, say something positive. And there's always something to like, so it doesn't do any harm, and means that their ears are open (as they wouldn't be if I'd say, 'I hated this',) for the proper constructive stuff I'm about to start in on...

I don't actually think there's anything wrong with saying that you liked a piece you're critiquing, if you did. The point really is that it's not much use - beyond ear-opening - so you need to move on from that, to the meat of of 'what are they trying to do?' and 'to what extent have they achieved this?' and 'if not, why not...'

Emma

I think there's something at the start of 'critiques' about trying to be positive, so maybe this is why people try do so . And a good critique should stress what the author is doing right as well as wrong, but - just as you say, Emma - it's also about assessing a work in terms of what the writer was trying to achieve and whether they succeeded or not.

If you don't have any criticism whatsoever then why bother saying anything?

I believe that there is a place for 'I like it' or 'I enjoyed it' from a Cloud member, when they want to support a fellow, but do not have time or energy to appraise fully and/or do not put up their own work for critique?

At this stage of Cloud's development, I think most know that work will be critiqued constructively by at least one person, who wishes both to participate in this way and also to develop their own work by honing their critiquing skills.

I also believe that all the exchanges on Cloud have been and will continue to be of mutual benefit to members' writing skills. We are not afraid of admitting mistakes or errors of judgement either, which is excellent.

I am only trying to sum up here what has gone on in different arenas over the past 18 months or so.

Some of critiquing is about judging reader engagement - did it grab you, did you want to read on? That's very subjective, of course but i think it's worth saying whether you enjoyed it or didn't because the writer can then put this against other comments and decide whether it simply wasn't to your taste or whether in fact every reader is feeling uninterested. But I think you also then need to say whether this is the kind of book you would choose to read even before you knew it's quality. If for instance it isn't a genre you enjoy, that's an important qualifier.

I would say that I am one of the more critical posters. Not because I want to destroy fragile egos, but to offer my viewpoint from a reader's perspective - not from a writer's perspective.

I would hope that others would comment in the same way about my indifferent extracts, that are aimed at the commercial market.

A literary voice, I do not possess, nor will I ever be acclaimed for my literary prowess. I can live with that. If people enjoy my stories, that is enough satisfaction. If they do not, then I am more than willing to make changes.

Every writer needs support. No man (or woman) is an island. If I say I like something, it's because the story is good: full of atmosphere, some tension and drama.
kind regards
Honest joe

As a fledgling, untrained writer, whether another author/reader likes my writing is, at this stage, the only point. It means I've achieved my goal, for now. I think that is why Word Cloud is such a good Site, you can Blog, which seems to be fairly casual, a good place to test the waters, and if readers don't like your work, they can just stop reading. Or you can post on that other really scarey place, where you are inviting serious critiques, where an "I didn't like this because...." will be followed by constructive criticism.
Really thought provoking topic Emma, sorry my comment is probably inane, as usual.
Caf