Cracking The Critique Code:
Common Acronyms Every Writer Should Know
by Stacey Kayne
When your WIP has too much BS, not enough EC and a muddled IC, your HH are at risk of being labeled TSTL long before they have a shot at reaching their HEA—so crank up the GMC, deepen the POV and that MS will be ready to hit editor and agent TBR piles!
Clear as mud?
If so, use this handy key to crack the critique code and make sense of useful feedback!
Common Writing Critique Acronyms:
BS: Back Story (don't want too much BS to weigh down your opening)
EC: External Conflict (oppositions or physical threats to reaching their goals--i.e.: villain, journey, opponent)
GMC: Goals, Motivation, Conflict (when established, these set up the premise of a book, the overriding theme)
HEA: Happily Ever After (the resolution/ type of ending expected in a Romance novel)
H/H: Hero and Heroine
IC: Internal Conflict (emotional struggle/growth)
MS: Manuscript
POV: Point Of View
TSTL: Too Stupid To Live (referring to a character--not one you want to find in reference to yours!)
WIP: Work In Progress (not a complete manuscript)
Other Common Acronyms:
BICHOK: Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard (only way to finish a book)
BRB: Be Right Back (when your CP steps away from the computer)
CP: Critique Partner
*g* : Grin
LOL: Laughing Out Loud (most know this, but I didn't when I started and had no idea it was a positive term)
ROTFL: Rolling On The Floor Laughing (again, positive, if the work is intended to derive humor *g*)
RWA: Romance Writer's of America
TBB: To Be Bought (a book you want, but haven’t bought yet)
TBR: To Be Read (have it, haven’t read it yet)
About the Author: Stacey Kayne is a four-time Golden Heart Finalist and multi-award-winning author. To learn more about Stacey’s books and views on writing, visit her website: www.staceykayne.com
