 There's a rule I've followed for a long time with regards to writing SCPs and tales. If you take the time to look for critique, don't stop until you find someone who hates it. Not to a lot of people this approach would sound counterintuitive, but I think that betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what critique is really supposed to accomplish on the SCP wiki. The thing about it is that we're all amateur writers here, so when it comes down to it you're really only looking to improve your writing, not create a publishable piece. You don't have a full-time editor because no one on the site has a financial interest in your success, but the thing about any real editor is that they would find things wrong with your work, so keep that in mind when you're seeking feedback. Think of it like this. You should not be your own worst critic, you often are, because the problem is that a lot of your good friends aren't really comfortable telling you about how and why your work is bad, and instead, because they're friends, they focus on the parts they really enjoyed. It's possible you've written something amazing by the way, and that's easy for them, but the truth of the matter is that no matter how good your work is, there's always something also that's wrong with it. This is where finding someone who hates your work comes in, and by the way that's an oversimplified way to put it. I mean I'll explain that in a bit more detail. When I say someone who hates it, I mean someone who hates the subject matter, is incredibly critical and honest about their opinions, isn't your friend in the first place and feels no social awkwardness in telling you exactly what they think, or you know, they're just an asshole. Sometimes there's some overlap with those, and there's probably some stuff I've left out as well, but you know, you get the idea. Once you find that person though, you need to recognize when the provided feedback is useful, and we find it very easy to accept that some negative feedback is useless because it kind of speaks to us as a people, but sometimes the positive feedback is just as useless, so you need to learn to differentiate between good and bad feedback, not positive and negative feedback. I mean if someone just says this sucks, that's pretty useless to you, but if they say this sucks because of X, Y, and Z, and the pieces boring, that's actually super useful. So ask questions if they don't give specifics. Why is it boring? Is it a pacing problem? Does the subject matter not appeal to you? Are you having trouble following the dialogue or action? If they can answer those kinds of questions, and by the way, always ask what someone means if they're being broad and unclear, it's going to help you immensely in improving this and future works. Let's say you found someone who has provided you with strongly worded and specific feedback about how and why your draft sucks. Now what? Well, it's important to understand that you're writing niche flash fiction, and maybe if you're lucky a short story or two, you're not writing to publish, so you can get away with a lot less than your best. I know, I know, that's not the best way to look at it. I'm never going to suggest that you should be happy with less than your best. But the truth is you're never going to have something perfect. And learning what is good enough is a great step in the path to becoming a successful writer. And the SCP Wiki really allows you to learn to accept that sometimes less than perfect is still capable of generating tons of interest and upvotes. And it trains you to understand that even with obvious flaws, a piece can become incredibly popular. So never, ever, ever take this as trash feedback, personally. But here's the thing. Also, don't dismiss it out of hand. There's a lot to be gained in examining the critique in depth and understanding where this person is coming from. Now they're more likely to find obvious grammar or logical errors in your work, they're more likely to tell you what exact parts aren't working, and often this is going to align with your own instincts about what is and isn't working. And finally, they're also going to be more likely to offer suggestions for improving it, mainly because they think your ideas suck. Still, and I repeat this because it's an important part of this process. Do not take it personally. I'm always going to suggest you thread the needle with this and how you do that is going to come with time and experience. Figure out what parts of the critique are valuable to you and which parts are things you can either not fix or not fix quickly and easily. Then the next time you're writing, keep that in mind and try to avoid the same issues. Your current draft is not your be all end all magnum opus, so don't treat it like it is. Finally, as you and if you're lucky your friends get better as writers and your confidence builds, you'll start to understand how valuable actual critical analysis is over the buttressing of your self-esteem. And your friends will likely become more useful for this kind of feedback as well. But remember as a starting writer, it's fine and one of the biggest problems you're going to have is motivation and confidence. Your friends are just doing what friends should be doing in that instance. Putting words down on a page and showing them to another human being is one of the most vulnerable things you can do, but finding someone willing to crap all over it will make you a better writer. Alright, if you liked it hit the subscribe button. I do readings, lore, and writing advice on this channel all the time, so there's always something worth watching. I upload every Tuesday and Thursday at four o'clock local time. If you want to get an update on when that is, just follow me on Twitter at D. Sumerian. And if you want to support this content and see more like it, become a patron at patreon.com forward slash D. Sumerian. Thanks for watching.