Feedback! Lots of writers ask for it, but it may be in short supply.

Years ago, there was a program in the Guild that matched more experienced writers with less experienced writers, as a Writing & Roleplaying Guild version of the Senshi-in-Training forum mentorship program. It no longer exists in this Guild due to low activity—we just didn't have many mentors or interested lower-level writers, and overall participation between those enrolled and matched up was very low. I looked into re-creating this as the Fellowship Program, based on comments from some of our writers indicating that being matched to a writing partner would be useful to them. However, as I worked on organizing the information for that project, there was less interest in participation. Everyone who spoke up felt unsure they could commit to regular conversations with another writer. That is why I stopped going forward with the relaunch of the Fellowship Program.

Providing feedback is difficult, for a variety of reasons:
• It's a commitment of time and effort.
• Not everyone has the skills to give good-quality feedback.
• It's intimidating.

While we certainly encourage Guild members to help each other out by providing feedback, it is by no means a requirement. If getting feedback on writing is the primary goal of joining the Writing & Roleplaying Guild, you may want to consider seeking out a critique-focused group outside of The Galaxy Cauldron Forums instead.

Time and Effort

"I'm so busy!" It's a phrase most people both say and hear all the time.

We all have lives beyond the scope of The Galaxy Cauldron Forums, and that's something generally known and respected. The amount of time we're able to spend participating in discussions, games, roleplaying, and more is different for each person and often varies from week to week or day to day. We see periods of low activity and periods of high regardless of whether school is in session, there's an event being hosted on the forum, or it's a time of holiday in various countries.

Giving a thorough critique is not instantaneous and it can be draining. The writing project in question must be read, considered, notes taken, read again, thoughts considered, and then the feedback composed somehow and delivered to the writer. There will probably be follow-up questions, or perhaps a request to provide additional feedback after the writer has made changes.

In this Guild, there are always more requests for feedback than there are people offering to provide it. Asking takes no time and effort. Giving uses much more.

Knowing How to Provide Useful Feedback

Giving high-quality and useful feedback isn't as simple as providing a quick "compliment sandwich". Ideally, there's a balance between honesty and instruction. It may not be easy to identify what is "wrong" with someone's writing project or to phrase it in a way that helps the writer come up with solutions. This takes skill, honed over time, and is the reason writing-based industries employ editors to do exactly that.

Everyone here is a volunteer. We're just writers. We're not all at the same writing level. We don't all prefer the same genres. We don't all have the same opinions on "best practices", perhaps even lacking a knowledge of best practices.

This is not a goal-oriented writing group. This is a casual organized subset of a forum without a primary writing focus.

It's also important to remember that not every good writer gives good feedback. Writing isn't something universal, with a limited set of truths and possible solutions. What works for one person may be a poor fit for someone else. A person who writes excellent character development may lack the ability to identify poor character development in another author's work. It can be hard for writers who are learning and growing themselves to offer solid, comprehensible criticism on the works of other writers at a similar level of proficiency.

If we were employed as Composition teachers or worked as professional Literary Agents or Editors, we would have plenty of expertise. That expertise is valuable, and people deserve to be compensated for the knowledge they're sharing and the hard work they're putting in. The only way to guarantee receiving feedback is to hire someone qualified to do that task, purchasing it as a service.

Communication and Receptiveness

Providing feedback, even when someone has specifically requested it, can be intimidating. Unless you are very aware of the personality and temperament of the other writer, it's hard to be sure how they will receive your feedback. Honesty may be what people need to hear to guide improvement, but they have to be listening for that to succeed. Even if someone advertises that they want critical feedback, reading it can cause an emotional reaction that isn't always gracious.

It hurts to think that the people reading your work don't like it—it can feel like they don't like you, even if they've phrased their critique concretely around your writing. It also hurts to feel like "the bad guy", especially for someone you've enjoyed chatting with elsewhere on the forums.

Delivering bad news is difficult in almost any scenario. If you can't give a glowing review, it's tough to say something. Even if you loved the work you read, your feedback may be interpreted as less-than-ideal by the person you give it to. This is a careful balance to maintain. Although this Guild is a smaller group, we still operate within the overall rules of The Galaxy Cauldron Forums, which seek to maintain harmony and keep things light-hearted.

So, what should I do, then?

In general, relying on outside reinforcement to work on your own project can be very disappointing. You don't need someone else's permission to write! Do it for you!

• Consider sharing your writing in a bigger and more active writing-centric community.
• Seek connections with other writers. If you want feedback and you see someone else asking for feedback, perhaps reach out to that person and try to arrange a trade.
• Activity tends to inspire more activity. Read the work others share and post comments. Update your own stories even if you don't have lots of replies. Provide feedback for others.
• If you find a useful outside resource for feedback, share it with others! You might discover something that helps several other people, too!
• A specific feedback ask may get more replies! General, overall feedback usually takes longer and can be more difficult than answering a narrow question. "What did you think of my story?" vs. "I think my story might have too much passive voice. What do you think? Does anyone have articles or resources for avoiding passive voice?"

Here's some excellent related reading!

• Stop Asking People for Feedback
• What Not to Do When You Like Someone's Story
• How to Find the Right Critique Group or Partner for You
• No Feedback on Your Writing May Be Better Than Bad Feedback
• The Dangers of Writing Groups

Please feel free to share thoughts and related articles!