Hello! Nice to see you this Monday morning.
As much as I have been enjoying the Monday Page Critiques, I’m afraid there’s been a noticeable downward tick in participation, comments, pageviews, etc., and I worry that it was getting a little stale as a regular blog topic. Ratings were too low, alien plotline didn’t catch on with viewers, had to make room for new J.J. Abrams show, you know how it goes.
So rather than devote every Monday post to the page critiques, I shall be returning Monday to original topics.
BUT! Weekly Page Critiques will live on in the Forums, where I’ll host weekly Friday Page Critique threads with the exact same idea. I’ll link to them in This Week in Publishing to remind everyone to click over, and hopefully the Forums will be a better place for the critiques. Please continue to enter one page in this thread if you’d like to have your work critiqued.
And now, since this could hardly thus far be considered a proper blog post, I will leave you with the most hilarious cat video I have seen on the Internet. Everything is better with hilarious cats:
LTM says
OMG! My little girls thank you–they live for these cat videos…
Hey, Nathan, I wonder if you ever drop by followers' blogs and comment… I'm doing a little market research on my blog today and your insight would be… just… wow. ;p
And I liked reading Monday page critiques… :o)
Surly Jason says
I think that you may have given us a wrong link in there …
Nathan Bransford says
surly jason-
Haha, sorry about that, fixed. Hope you enjoyed the house that was originally linked to though!
Kelli says
In regards to the page reviews. I read them and then would read your comments. I never commented myself because I don't feel that I have the right. But I enjoyed seeing what you said and have used those thoughts when considering my own writing.
And in regards to the video: funny.
Nancy says
Cat videos are a great way to start another Monday.
Word verification is stalib, which my iPhone wants to change to Stalin. That better not be a sign if how my week will go.
A.M. Guynes says
*falls over laughing* I think what makes that cat video so hilarious is some of those same things are done regularly by the three cats living with us. LOL
I haven't read many of the Monday page critiques, mostly because I just recently remembered I had my Blogger account and was watching your blog. *headdesk*
But thanks for the laugh and I might have to drop by the forums to check out the page critique when you start doing it on Fridays.
Misty Waters says
Way to disappoint a girl! I looked forward to your critiques. 🙁 I've been watching my blogger for an hour now . . . waiting . . . *sigh* Ah, well . . . as long as you'll still critique them on the threads, I'll just have to stop by there.
Brian Buckley says
For what it's worth, I thought the page critiques were extremely valuable. Glad to hear they're not disappearing completely.
ryan field says
Now that you mention it, although I read the posts, learned a few things, and enjoyed the crituqes on Monday, I did have trouble leaving comments on the thread. I didn't want my comment to be misunderstood, so I was cautious about saying anything. I feel strongly about not commenting on works from other authors. I just don't like to do it. And after a while "good post" gets tired.
Anonymous says
You little rascal. Still, the experience is well worth the few extra clicks. Gratitude remains!
Anonymous says
Hi Nathan,
I really enjoyed the Monday critiques and learned so much from them. Thanks for hosting those.
I think its possible that people stopped critiquing too because they were listening to your critique. After that, what more needs pointing at? You are pretty good.
If you're going to move it to the forums, will you be opening a new topic per critique or will it be at the end of the submit your page topic?
BTW Am I alone in noticing an increased measure of spam on the forums lately?
AND
Congrats on hitting over 2,000 members there.
joannehuspek says
I am slightly disappointed as well. See my unhappy face? 🙁 But I will check out the Friday critique.
Nathan Bransford says
I'm going to create a dedicated Forum for the weekly critiques when I have an opportunity. All will be revealed.
And if you see spam in the Forums please please please report it. There's a button that looks like a caution sign with an exclamation point, and if you click that and report the post as spam Bryan and I will be able to get to it more quickly.
Anonymous says
Done!
(so that was what the little snarky "!" was for!)
Cheryl says
I'm also very sad by Monday Page Critique leaving. 🙁 Is there any way we can change your mind? Don't get me wrong, I'll take Friday in the forums if that is what is offered but I really liked it on the blog. I avoid the forums because I find that I spend too much time there reading which does nothing for my daily word count!
Aoife.Troxel says
That is hilarious! Have tears of laughter…
Jill says
I wonder if randomly selecting the opening pages was the problem.
Perhaps it could work if you selected the pages based on a particular point you wanted to make (characterization, dialog tags, starting in media res, whatever you like), and provoke a discussion based on that topic, rather than on the quality of the writer's submission.
I rarely commented on Mondays bc I was definitely hesitant to comment on authors' work.
Kristin Laughtin says
I loved the page critiques and tried to comment on them a lot at first, but then started doing so less because I'd get to the thread after you and 200+ other commenters had weighed in. I just usually didn't feel I had anything to add, and like Ryan Field said, "good post" gets a little old after a while. I'm glad they'll live on in the forums (even if I don't frequent them now because I already spend more time than I should on writer blogs–I'd get nothing done if I added a very active forum into the mix!).
Nicole MacDonald says
I feel so bad for the little cat stuck on the cacti – ouch!
Joan Kremer says
Nathan, I can certainly understand your reasons for moving the critiques to the forum. I valued your page and query critiques a great deal, but they'll be just as valuable in the forum. Thanks so much for doing those critiques in the first place! You're a great model for giving back to the writing community!
Thanks, too, for the fabulous cat video — it looks like a fast-forward reality show set in my house.
Joan
onefinemess says
I still read, just don't have much to say these days. Wow, amazed I sat through that whole cat thing.
I'm always amused (amazed?) that people spend their free time cobbling together videos from other videos but, to each, his/her own.
Wild About Words says
What do you know? That WAS the funniest cat video ever. Thanks for the laugh!
Anonymous says
Ohhh, I'm really disappointed you're not doing the crits on Monday. It was the highlight of my week…sad, but true. I don't read the forums much but will trek over for the Friday event. There are still over 400 entries so people are interested, yes?
Reena Jacobs says
I almost want a cat after seeing that video!
Stephanie says
Page critique Mondays were my favorite day to read your blog! I mean I really enjoy reading on the other days of the week, but I always looked forward to Mondays. So, while I'm sad your 86ing them, I'm glad that they'll live on in the forums!
And I really liked Jill's idea about selecting pages by topics rather than at random 🙂 I think that would be really interesting!
The Rejectionist says
THE ONLY THING THE INTERNET AGREES ON IS TOTES AMAZE CAT VIDEOS
Melanie says
Why was that cat inside the couch?
This has provoked such important questions.
Silver the Wanderer says
Nathan –
Awww. 🙁 Although I almost never post comments (mostly because what I have to say has already been said by you or someone else) I DO look forward to Mondays and your page critiques because they are SO SO SO helpful. By looking at others' examples, I have a better idea of what is needed for my own beginning. Beginnings are the hardest part for me, so seeing some examples makes me feel a lot more confident about writing one. I also really like to know what goes through agents' heads while they're reading samples.
Again I really love your page critiques, even though I don't comment a lot – so if you're moving them to the forums, that's fine I guess, but please don't get rid of them altogether!
~Silver
k10wnsta says
I have to agree with the brunt of the comments here. The page critique Mondays were very insightful and stood out as something to really look forward to.
At the same time, it was always a post I was less likely to comment on because, by the time 20 other folks had dissected the sample (before you'd even posted your own thoughts on it), there wasn't much left to say (but it was always interesting to see how different people perceived a piece).
I suppose if your actual page views on Monday were taking a hit, there's no getting around it. But if your conclusion is based on the number of comments, well, that may not be the best means of gauging its popularity.
All that being said, if you intend to devote the same effort to it on the forums every week, I guess it's not that big a deal.
Anonymous says
I found them a valuable learning tool, although I never commented b/c I never read them until I got home from work, and by then everybody had already had at it. Glad they're not disappearing completely. (Hey, pick mine sometime!)
Anonymous says
Thanks for keeping the critiques going. I've learned so much from them.
As to the cat video, who knew cats where so vicious towards toddlers. My child is almost one years old and suddenly i'm glad I only have to deal with my crazy cocker spaniel instead of a fearsome cat!
Have a great week.
Easier Read than Done says
Your Monday page critiques had become one of the highlights of my week. I really enjoyed them and learned a lot. I thought of my own suggestions and then waited for your comments to see how they compared.
I considered the Monday critiques to be comparable to the yellow first line down or the pause button on my DVR,– an upgrade that was here to stay. Cannot believe it's going out like New Coke.
Please re-consider.
Anonymous says
I am so dissappointed that you are moving the criqiues. I can't access the forum.
John Jack says
My discomfort with the page critiques is they only projected one viewpoint. As insightful as they are, they drive redundant responses, which gives a false sense of complete direction.
A reason workshop facilitators try to stay out of manuscript discussions is to avoid narrowing constructive discussion direction. There are many issues struggling writers have to bluntly confront. Any discussion can only go so far, but the broader the perspectives the better the influences on outcomes.
Benny says
YES!!! I think you've found your Monday hit! See you next week, same time, same channel 😀
jjdebenedictis says
Keep in mind that internet use by North Americans does go down in July/August. The seeming lack of interest could be a bi-product of OMGSUMMERYAY!
Sheila Cull says
Did Surly Jason say that it may have been wrong because the link is about stupid, rodent like, felines?
Hey all you cat lovers! Just kidding. I guess.
Sheila Cull says
Now I feel bad because I know some people are really attached to their cat and treat them like a dog. A dog loves you back; a cat doesn't. That's what I don't get.
lora96 says
I was skippin' Critique Mondays. I have betas to tell me when and how my writing sucks in agonizing detail. I was squeamish about reading someone else's immolation via constructive criticism. It was a public service, I realize. Just not one I cared to read personally. To me, it's like watching a car accident, frankly. 😛
Kelly Wittmann says
I'm so claustrophobic that I can't watch the cats in bottles, bowls, etc. Yikes!
Sam Hranac says
Cute, funny cat videos. Yeah… you know what the world needs more of? Cute, funny zombie videos.
Maya says
I'll miss the page critiques on the blog. I especially enjoyed leaving a brief sum-up of my opinion of the piece before you posted your own redline and thoughts. That way I could later compare our opinions and make sure I caught the major issues. I hope in the forums it will still be easy to do the same.
Thanks for keeping the critiques going in the forums, though. I've definitely learned a lot from them.
Livia says
Page critique Mondays were my favorite as well. But I will follow them on the Forums too 🙂
Juice in LA says
I agree with the collective- Like others I read them every week, and appreciated the knowledge to be gleaned, but never commented, because: uh, what do I know?
for some reason I have been very protective of my first page, but in the spirit of supportive participation- I submitted it….
Nathan Bransford says
Thanks so much for the feedback everyone. It wasn't so much the number of comments as the declining pageviews that had me concerned. Overall traffic is up on the blog over the past few months, traffic on Mondays was sliding.
Let's see how things go in the Forums. I'll probably still occasionally make it a feature on the blog, and if there's enough demand to bring it back as a regular feature I'll definitely consider it. I aim to please!
Cathi says
I just want to put on my vote to keep the critique, even if it is only a few times a month. It was the only thing that made a Monday qualify as a day of the week!
Polenth says
I can see some advantages to using the forum, if it's going to have its own subforum. Right now, people are likely to read the most recent critique only. Putting it in the forum will make it easier to browse and comment on older ones.
It also means it's independent of the blog, so if Nathan wanted to do more one week, it wouldn't fill up the blog.
One thing I would like, is perhaps not always doing it at random. Some genres and styles are under-represented, so won't always come up at random. Maybe sometimes select one, because it highlights something different to previous examples?
Anonymous says
Those crits had me tuning in at the beginning of each week. Maybe you'll consider something similar in the future?
Glad to hear you'll continue them in the forums. I hope participation doesn't fall off too much. All of the differing feedback was helpful…like having a session with a writers' critique group without all the politics.
J. T. Shea says
I think the entire Internet should be replaced by cat videos.
T. Anne says
I'm not entirely sad to see the critiques go, BUT I will look for your wisdom in the forums, as it was very educational nonetheless. Sorry if that was too much honesty. I really do heart your blog and all you have to offer. You know what would make me really happy???? Another one of your brilliant contests. Love those!
And was it my imagination or did one of those cats actually walk on water?