I am writing this in response to a e-mail I received about "crit for crit", where I suggested that while points were nice, people need to return the favor and critique the other person's e-mail. The editor pointed out a couple of things, I feel the need to respond in a forum a little bit larger than 1,000 characters.
Besides being writers, we are also humans that have bills to pay and lives to be actively involved with. And sometimes, yes, sometimes, you even have to put aside writing to finish them. That may mean that even though you receive critiques of a piece that you put out there, you may not have time to return the favor.
And there are places out there, such as critters, which have a strict ratio to encourage critiques. I am not suggesting writing.com use that. Just because you have gotten bogged down is no reason to clip somebody's privileges.
I would rather it be an unwritten rule that if somebody critiques your work, you at least return the favor somewhat, even if your critique is incomplete. Nothing that penalizes people, just a quick reminder that if you are not getting criticisms, maybe it's because you are not out there that much. How long does it take to say, "I don't think this story is going in the right direction,"? You do not need to take the piece apart, just give your overall impressions of the work.
The "point system" that writing.com uses is nice, but sometimes people use that and forget why it is in there in the first place: to encourage critiques. We're not here to rack up points like a game of pinball; we're here to improve our writing. And the only way you can improve is if you see what is wrong with your own work.
Besides, what is criticism anyway but another form of writing, and practice makes perfect.
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