If you are giving critiques, you sort of develop this sixth sense when it comes to writers. Dozens of tiny little factors influence you to the point where you just know something's amiss. But when someone asks it can be incredibly difficult to verbalize how you reached your conclusion.

Still, there are some red flags to be mindful of. Most writers are aware of what they want, even if they won't admit it, but a small handful don't know that, so it's best to handle all with care. The thing is, you don't know for sure which category your writer is in.

Use your judgment. Take a minute to research the writer. Just because someone shows one or two flags doesn't mean that they're out to waste your time.

JUST SAY NO TO RED FLAGGERS.

Well, not exactly. Politely say no.

I know on Wattpad people sometimes ask for payments BEFORE they do their work. If the person paid you and they're displaying all kinds of red flag traits, sorry, but that's on you. You entered into an agreement and now you've got to uphold that.

Check out their story. If it's not up your alley, politely decline.

You don't want to insult the writer and you don't want to accuse them of anything.

"I'm sorry, but I can't give this story a critique at this time." Is fine.

If you have an explanation that isn't insulting or demeaning, you can include it. Maybe it's not a genre you feel comfortable with. Maybe it's a lot better-written than your abilities as an editor and you don't think you'll be able to crit it but you can offer a comment instead. Maybe you already accepted ten requests beforehand and can't take on any more.

Thing is, you do NOT have to detail your reason for declining if they press you about it (again, especially if it might hurt their feelings unnecessarily).

So, here are some red flags writers wave. Again, be cautious but not dismissive.

If they haven't put any effort into it over the past six months, do you really think the words of a stranger telling them that their writing could be improved here, here, and there, are going to get them to revive it?

If there's a newer version out but they're asking about the old, it is highly likely that you are going to tell them things that they already know/have changed. It makes your critique 100% easier to dismiss (because it's based on old writing), it doesn't help the writer to be told to fix what they already fixed, and it wastes your time.

Sometimes people re-write old stories. Or plan to, anyway. Sometimes that one critique is enough to make them turn back. In any event, a PM here clears this situation up.

Writers with the potential to be good/great, know that they aren't perfect. We all have weaknesses and we tend to, deep down, know what those weaknesses are (or at least we can ID someone who does it better).

A writer also tends to know which areas of the text need the most work. You often see this revealed after the crit when they say things like: Yup, I knew that had to go. I totally agree and have been meaning to change that.

If they feel like they have nothing in mind, just ask them what they feel the weak areas are. Open up a dialogue.

Some people are true beginners and they really don't know. If that's the case, perhaps you can both agree on one or two areas to focus on! :)

In general I've found that if a person takes so little pride in their work that they're too lazy to fix the simple stuff, there's no way they're going to spend the time and energy to fill in a gaping plot hole.

These are the people more likely to ditch their story rather than revise it.

I really don't have any cautions here. If they aren't editing what they know is wrong, that's on them. I'm not going to give you more responsibility if you can't handle what you've got.

If you look further into the comments and there are old edits from other users, see if the story has been updated to include those edits. If you agree with what the majority of edits say, especially the obvious stuff like spelling, and nothing's changed in the story, what you have to say probably isn't going to be the thing that finally makes the writer edit.

Some people collect crits and edit using them all at once. Usually when that happens, however, all the reviews are coming in around the same time. And they're fresh. Stuff sitting there longer than four weeks is likely being ignored and not collected. On Wattpad, anyway.

It's great to be enthusiastic about situations, but if you can't finish anything, editing something unfinished isn't going to do much good. What I've found is that many people who keep starting new projects aren't necessarily shy about asking for critiques...

...But once they get one and it's got some work for them to do, they bail. After all, they've only written a couple chapters and from the sound of the crit it's got a ton of stuff to fix. Why do that when you've got more stories to try out?

Basically, if stories are "paused" and writers do say that here and there, see if they give a reason why. You can also ask. Lack of muse or laziness tends to be the explanation to watch out for.

Some people (myself included) have finished stories, but we're working on sharpening up the early chapters do to how important they are. So we periodically post those and go get help with them. It's easier to ask strangers to crit chapter one vs chapter nineteen! People also get busy.

Writers almost never accept all suggestions an editor makes. That's expected and OK. However, the more you crit, the more you develop this gut instinct that tells you "Hey, this writer isn't really looking to improve."

This is where that instinct comes into play. If they've already got plenty of good advice and they aren't taking it, you've got to ask yourself if your advice is so much more important than everyone else's that they'll listen.

Sometimes people don't have time to edit or they want a second (or ninth) opinion on something. Mostly though, if they have time to seek out editors, critters, and reviewers over the past month/etc, then they have time to go in and make some changes.

In the critting universe, this generic response is understood to mean "I'm saying thank you to be polite, but I'm not thrilled with your comments."

But they were polite, and we respect that.

That being said, if you see a lot of this and to your knowledge the critters were fair and honest, you may want to reconsider a critique. These writers tend to be reluctant to change or haven't gotten a thick enough skin yet to handle critiques. They tend to be the ones asking for crits and quietly hoping that it'll be mostly praise and/or minor edits like typos. They don't take very well to "big deals" like poor characterization and plot holes.

Not every person can reply to every comment, sometimes they get lost or missed and that might explain a missing reply, but in general, if someone got a crit they asked for it.

If you've done editing for almost any length of time, you've probably seen this. A critter suggests something the writer doesn't agree with and the writer rallies themselves (and sometimes their BFFs). They're rude. They argue. They accuse the critter of not being good at their job, or worse. Sometimes their pride has been wounded so much that they (and their friends) choose to stick it to the critter by leaving bad reviews on their story.

When you encounter these kinds of people, don't even bother. They aren't ready. Let them grow up a little more.

My cautions for this section are for explanations, not arguing.

I included giving explanations because, while perfectly innocent, many unseasoned writers tend to be passive-aggressive here. Their replies tend to be written, not to explain, but to basically say "I'm not taking your advice. I believe I am right." The more you edit, the better you get at reading between the lines.

Sometimes editors, in close reading, miss something. Sometimes we have so much on our plate that as we're correcting sentences for grammar and logic, we forget that the writer mentioned that the sword was pulled from the stone. So we write something like: The sword is out of the stone? When really we just forgot that tiny little line that said Bill yanked it out. It's okay for the writer to point that out, but watch their tone.

It's also okay for the writer to answer questions posed by the editor, so make sure that isn't the case!

Some of the first flags I gave you really aren't that bad. They're just things that can help open a dialogue between editor and writer.

But the latter half, grouped together, really are something to watch out for.