I&B Crit Drafting

Hello. I am Shanor, a junior staff member of the forum crit team (εїз), and I will be giving tips for how I critique concepts and how I avoid critiquing burnout.

Concept Critiquing:

Concept critiquing is extremely important. It gives users a chance to get critique on their concepts and ideas before creating a full draft. This lets writers have a solid idea before they start drafting a 10,000 word essay, and gives reviewers less drafts that are conceptually flawed. So make sure to go to the Ideas forum before starting that sprawling space-opera on SCP-682.

To start out, I will give an example for a piece of writing that is somewhat fleshed out and promising. A fleshed out idea being an idea that seems to be thought out or lengthy. And a promising idea being an idea that I personally like or feel is interesting (note here that what you talk about can change depending on the kind of article that is written. Use common sense here. Don't waste time talking about how there isn't a actual anomaly in an idea if it is a tale):

"I am thinking of an idea about a vampire with the ability to produce ultrasonic waves and fly through rapid flapping of its wings. This item's story will be about how the creature started off as a simple generic vampire in containment, but due to it being dehumanized by the foundation it became more and more like a bat than a vampire. I hope to make it seem like an allegory of how dehumanizing people makes them feel like an animal then a human on equal grounds with everyone else."

I personally like to break an idea's story and its actual anomaly into separate portions. It is easier to follow, and simpler to write.

(1) For the item portion, I like to start by talking about any tropes the item follows.

(2) Then I warn the writer about how the trope could make the idea harder to write.

(3) After this, I suggest any ideas you would have to fix any big issues you see.

(1) Vampires are a very overused trope both on this site and in popular media. (2) If you write it with this monster, you will have to be much more careful with how you execute your idea, because you don't have an original idea to fall back on. (3) If you made this being a different, less popular kind of monster (say a were anglerfish), it would make the overall idea feel more original.

By doing this, you give the writer an upfront opinion on the article.

For the story portion I look to see how I react to the idea.

(1) I check to see if that reaction appears to be what the writer intended.

(2) If it isn't, I suggest changing the story to better fit the vibe they want to go for.

(3) I then just think about how much I overall enjoyed the story and give any opinions or suggestions I feel about it.

(1) You were attempting to make me feel bad for the creature, but I honestly felt more grossed out than sorry. (2) Possibly you could have the being make vocalizations to add some empathetic qualities. Something like "I just want to see my family. Is that too much to ask for?" (though obviously a little less generic of a quote). (3) But overall, I think the story feels interesting and with some dedication could become very interesting.

After this I check to see how the story, item, and actual anomalous feature(s) fit together. If I feel that they are disjointed, I take some try to find a way to make them feel more cohesive or I just tell them I can't really think of a way to fix the issue.

I believe having a vampire mixed with a sappy story could possibly feel a bit generic. You may want to make the being start with control over its powers but slowly lose control over time. This would let the being start out as fairly unlikable, but slowly make it into a being you can empathize with.

Finally, I think about my overall opinion on the article. I look at the culmination of the ideas and see what I like and dislike about it. Then I just give my opinion on the idea as a whole.

Overall, I think this idea has a lot of promise. While it is true you need to work on the actual anomaly and the cohesiveness of the idea, I think you have a lot of potential with this idea with the right execution.

One important thing to note however, is that just because you have finished your first review doesn't always mean you're finished with that idea. Many times an author with this good of a draft will reply to your review with fixes or questions. You should be ready to look at the what they have changed, and give them your opinions on these changes. This can back and forth for multiple days (and on rare occasions, weeks), so make sure to look back at the I&B forum to see if they have replied.

How to Avoid Burnout:

So, I have been on this site for a good few months at the time of writing this. Yet other than times when my IRL responsibilities kick up or I am writing something, I am almost constantly the one posting the most on the I&B forum (other then Zyn on some days. However I don't try to compare myself to someone so completely talented and/or insane). This has been a constant throughout my time on this site and especially as a staff member. This can get a little tedious at times. So I found some ways to avoid burnout and the boredom that can come with reviewing the same 2 sentence threads over and over and over again:

While you will be able to critique faster using this method, critiquing will feel much more like work. If you find yourself writing the exact same line(s) multiple times, try to mix it up. Use an example! Give an alternative! Find some way to take the monotony out of critiquing.

Hello. I am Shanor, a junior staff member of the forum crit team (εїз), and I will be giving tips for how I critique concepts.

General Notes:
1. These tips can be helpful for just about anyone, whether you have been on this site for years or for days.

2. These tips are specifically for critique in the Ideas and Brainstorming Forum.

3. These tips are merely suggestions for how to critique productively and efficiently. Do not take them as rules or requirements.

SCP Concepts:

First I will be talking about common mistakes I see quite often on the I&B forum, why they are an issue for the writers, and how I think a reviewer should respond to them (along with a quick explanation of why):

This is by far the most widespread issue I see on the ideas forum, both from new and old users alike. I am a strong believer in the fact that almost all articles will benefit from a good story. It gives the readers something more to think about, creates better cohesiveness for an article, and lets more bland objects or beings shine.

Writers:
if you are to take anything from this guide, talk about your idea:

This does not mean your story needs to be crazy long and use dozens of characters. You just need some sort of meaning behind the writing. As said by Modern_Erasmus, "[…] a pretty basic murderous monster [is] not interesting in a vacuum- context, motivation, impact etc. are needed to properly use a monster to tell a story."

Take some time on every idea. It is very grating to hear "I didn't want to waste the time thinking up a story if the object/being is no good". That excuse makes you look lazy. It takes around 5-10 minutes to think up a simple story. If you can't be bothered to spend that long on an idea, it doesn't bode well for your article.

This also helps to give critics an understanding of what direction you want to take the idea. This will make the critiquing process much more simple for both you and the reviewer by letting the reviewer understand whether you want the idea to be more comical or serious.

Reviewers:
If you see an article without a story, include your thoughts on what is written:

Just because you don't have a full understanding of the writer's direction does not mean you can't give any negative or positive feedback with what they have presented.

if you want to hear more about their story before making a decision, tell them at the end that you don't feel comfortable telling them whether they should use their idea or not without a story. This allows for the writer to get some critique upfront, but still lets them better explain their idea.

This issue I often see with very new users. It seems like a good idea, "more powers creates more interesting points". But in reality it is very difficult to have multiple powers in an idea.

Writers:
I would be very careful about making an idea using more than 2 powers. Because the more powers you have, the less cohesive the idea is:

While it is interesting to think up a being that shoots lasers from its fingertips, sneezes fire, is effectively immortal, and can change shape (as long as it doesn't have a spine), you have to ask yourself a question here, why does it have these powers? If you can't answer that question, cut the power or brainstorm a good reason.

While the foundation is rooted in the impossible, there is logic within it. The more powers you have for an idea, the more reasons the powers should have for being together.

Don't just add powers to improve the article. This is not the way to do it. Instead, take some time to see why the idea may feel bland, and try to think of what would make the idea more interesting.

Don't just shoehorn in boring reasons for the SCP to have a power either. If you have a great idea for why a new power should be added to the idea, add it. But if you need to spend more than 3-5 minutes thinking of why your idea should have a specific power, don't waste time on it.

Reviewers:
if you see an article like this, let the author know upfront if you think they should cut some powers:

Trying to skirt around suggesting to cut something will only cause issues. They may misinterpret your advice or just get confused and frustrated. If you think that the jellyfish does not need to be immortal, say so. You can also suggest ideas or powers for the idea if you want to. Just make sure to let them know it needs something.

If you have a suggestion for what they can cut, tell the writer. If you honestly don't know, tell the writer. Being upfront with what you think is much easier than trying to give advice you aren't sure about.

You should tell the writer that the article will be harder to write with multiple powers and why. Giving them this warning will give them a chance to think through whether they really want to spend the time on this idea or not.

Make sure to explain why something should be changed. Don't expect someone to understand your motives without an explanation. Most users would not be making a mistake if they understood it was a mistake and why it was one.

Myths and legends feel like a easy SCP to make due to their popularity. This popularity however is the reason why these kinds of ideas are so hard to pull off.

Writers:
Do not try to just copy a legend or myth:

There is no real fun in the surprise of "this character is actually FROM THIS MYTH!!!" alone. You need to put a spin on these ideas for them to work. Instead of talking about King Arthur, talk about mecha King Arthur, or King Arthur in a world where chivalry was never thought up. This will make him (or her depending on how you see it (Fate/Stay is awesome!!!)) seem much more interesting.

However, you also need to make sure not to pull too far away from the parent material. This could cause fans of the legend to dislike it because it is not enough like the character, or cause confusion for people who don't know the connection.

This is what makes legends and myths so hard to pull off as SCPs, you need it to be different, but the same. This is a very fine balance that is extremely hard to pull off. So if you are pressed for ideas, take some time to think up some new ones. Use a legend because you have a good reason for doing it, not just because it sounds easy.

Reviewers:
if you see an article based off of folklore, myths, or legends, be knowledgeable and concise:

If the myth has no spin to it, tell them they should think up a spin and why (or suggest it). This will help them understand for the future what is expected from this kind of article.

If you don't know a legend but you really want to critique an idea about it, read about it. It is better to spend a little time reading than to give a response that is of no use to the writer. It is absolutely fine to talk about how it would do without context (because users who don't know the legend should also be able to enjoy it without the context), but you should still understand the basics of the idea if you want to critique it.

If you know a lot about the subject, do not overdo it. Putting your reviews concisely is an important skill. Most writers don't want to read a lecture, so don't give them one. Put your advice precisely and concisely and you will be much more helpful.

I would also make sure to add a disclaimer stating that the idea will likely be hard to pull off (and why) just in case the writer has a misconception about these kinds of ideas. This is just helpful for the writer.

if you don't like the direction of the idea, tell them. Once again, be upfront about what you think. If you don't like the idea, others might not as well. So letting the writer know this is very helpful (just make sure to give them other critique. Stating your opinions is helpful, but you should still give advice).

This section will go over concepts that are already fairly fleshed out and/or have promise (a fleshed out idea being an idea that seems to be thought out or lengthy. And a promising idea being an idea that I personally like or I feel is interesting):

+ Show Block

- Hide Block

I personally like to break up its story and the actual anomaly into separate portions. It is easier to to follow, and simpler to write. For the item portion, I like to start by talking about any tropes the item follows, and warn the writer about how the troupe could make the idea harder to write. Then I talk about any suggestions I have for the idea and/or any parts that I like about the idea. This gives them an upfront idea of what I do and don't like about the idea.

For the story portion I look to see how I react to the idea. I check to see if that reaction appears to be what the writer intended. If it isn't, I suggest changing the story to better fit the vibe they want to go for. I then just think about how much I overall enjoyed the story. I give any opinions or suggestions I feel.

After I have written about the story and anomaly, I tell them whether I think the idea is worth doing or not. Being truthful here and not sugarcoating your opinion is important. I don't want the writer to think I basically gave them an ok and have to later deal with them saying I thought the idea was "wonderful" when they coldpost it or add the draft to the writing forums. Just say what you feel. Don't be unnecessarily mean or cruel about it, just blunt.

After this, what I write changes depending on whether the idea is fleshed out, has promise, or both. For ideas that are just promising but not fleshed out. I ask for more information about any part of the idea that is vague or needs more explanation. If I find a promising idea without a story stated for it, I ask them to elaborate on the anomaly's story. After this, I wait for them to flesh the idea out on the thread.

For fleshed out ideas that aren't promising and ideas that are both promising and fleshed out, I attempt to get the writer to think even more about how they can improve their idea. The writer of a story will almost always have the best understanding of their story, so getting them thinking about how to improve their idea will make the process go much faster. After this, I provide any suggestions I have and any other small fixes I think should go with the idea.

Tale Concepts

This section will go over how critique tales efficiently:

+ Show Block

Other Kinds of Concepts

This section will go over concepts that aren't a tale or an SCP:

+ Show Block

Ways to keep from burning out

(List ways to keep from burning out here)

SCP Sandbox III

Sandbox III: Revenge of the Sandbox