One of the common methods for getting feedback on your writing when first starting out is to post your story on a forum and then get comments. You often also get concise critiques like this from online groups like Critters. While you get a broad range of feedback from these locations, it's important to understand how to interpret the feedback you're getting.

This is a critical skill, as nowhere will you find as broad a mix of helpful to damaging feedback than in these open and often unmoderated forums. Still, just because some of the advice will be a waste of time, it doesn't mean all of the advice will be. But how can you tell which is which?

In this section I'll walk you through a typical critique in a forum setting using one of my own stories. I'll outline actual comments I received along with my interpretation of them. I will then outline why I chose to incorporate or ignore the feedback.

Up next is the story itself. Feel free to keep track of your own comments, by the way. Your thoughts may mirror some of the commentary I received, and, if so, my response will be helpful in further understanding my thought process.