CAC: Crazy Acronyms for Critiquers
But writers especially use acronyms when critiquing another author's work. There's the usual GWS (goes without saying) and RUE (resist the urge to explain), but why stop there? Here are some handy dandy abbreviations to perk up your next crit session.
STS
Send to Shredder. A not-so-kind way of saying delete. This is the big gun you want to pull out for never-ending paragraphs of purple prose.HGS
No, not short for hugs. This means did you Hit a Good Sale? Used when a writer obviously got a great deal on a particular word and uses that word to the point of overkill.JPP
Just Peed my Pants. This is a variation on LOL. Think of it as a high-five for a well-written humorous scene.MBH
My Brain Hurts. This should be used when there's a logic error in the flow of the story and it's twisting your grey matter figuring out what the writer is trying to explain.WTF
Well That's Fantastic. Yes, I think we should redeem this maligned set of letters and use it for good instead of evil...though you might want to clue in the buddy you're critiquing first.BGB
Buy a Grammar Book. Are you finding commas everywhere? Are semi-colons running rampant throughout the chapter? Might be time to stop using punctuation like a salt shaker.WHAWI
Whose Head Are We In. Spot a POV error or wondering who's POV you're even in? Go for WHAWI.SCN
Send Chocolate Now. Personally, I like to end all my critiques with this one.How about you? Got any favorite acronyms to share?