The obvious way to learn from critique is to have someone else tell you what could be improved in a piece you've written. That is certainly a fast track to better writing. Even more intense is the experience of having multiple people critique your work. Then, you get the additional education that comes from sifting through different--sometimes completely opposite--suggestions. It can help crystalize your style to decide which comments you'll act on and which you'll leave by the wayside.
So, many writers critique others simply as a quid pro quo; they do the critique in hope of getting one back. There is a lot to be learned from critiquing another writer's work, however. Do you tend to use gerund phrases to begin your sentences? (i.e. "Jumping over the hood, he started the engine.") There's nothing like reading a few bad introductory gerund phrases in someone else's story to see why they can be anathema. How about said bookisms? Do you have trouble tearing the "he laughed" and "she snorted" type of tags out of your dialog? Just critique a few stories where they are used excessively and you'll root them out of your own work with enthusiasm. The opposite is true as well. You may find gems of sentence construction while critiquing another's work. Or, maybe they've come up with a way to show a character's evil side that you can adapt and make your own.
However you use it, critique is an essential part of the writer's life. I highly recommend Critique Circle for anyone who writes.
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