How to Critique

To critique is to offer insights and suggestions as well as comment on the work read.  Furthermore, to give a useful critique requires the ability to analyze your own thoughts, to know exactly why one passage was good, to pin-point a problem, understand why it's a problem and figure out a solution that doesn't have a catastrophic effect on the overall story.  Critiquing is every bit an art form as difficult as writing.

Basic Critique Rules:
    1. A critique should be constructive, not destructive.
    2. Read the story as if you were the target audience.
        Set aside any preconceived prejudices or dislikes.
    3. Read analytically . . . that does not mean to be picky.
    4. Your job is to help the author tell the story the author wants to tell.
         If you want to tell a different story.... write it yourself.  

Basic Reader Critique Goals:
    1. Provide the author with feedback regarding emotions and
        thoughts the writing evoked.
    2. Note places the pacing felt too fast or too slow.
    3. Mark where the information overwhelmed you or left you wanting more
        --and be specific, state exactly what you want to know.
    4. Periodically summarize a passage, scene or chapter, so the author can determine if you
        (the reader) understood.
    5. Think ahead, indicate when information sounds important enough that you suspect it will be
        used later on.
    6. State where you think the story is going or what will happen next.
    7. Remember to mark things you really liked too.

More Advanced Critique Analysis Goals:
    1. Figure out why something struck you as being wrong, negative, or confusing.
       HINT: What you read may not what the author was trying to
                 say. Read between the lines.  Study word choice and
                 phrasing for what could be misconstrued; "negative
                 character traits" could be due to poor word choice;
                 maybe a sentence unintentionally read as sarcastic.
    2. Track the plot/story arc and character arcs.  All should grow and develop.  None should have
        the climax occur too early.  Nor should there be lengthy flat stretches.
    3. Study story/plot logic, character logic and world logic.
        If the natural direction isn't being followed, either there's a logic problem or there must be a
        logical reason for the unnatural divergence.
        EX: A character can produce a tiny candle flame on his
                his fingertip.  So why is he stumbling in the dark?
    4. For every problem you perceive, offer a solution that does not alter the direction of the story
        and uses the groundwork already laid by the author.
    5. Anyplace you want a reason for an action, a motivation, for any sort of justification, state
        multiple reasons you would buy given the story as is and the world as it has been
        portrayed/sketched.
    6. If you suggest a minor rewrite/change, throughout the manuscript, do the rewrite so the author
        can "see" your vision.  Even in a critique--SHOW, DON'T TELL.  Keep in mind, the rewrite
        should not drastically alter the story.

Critique Checklist for Understanding:
    1. Who is the most important character in:
       A) the story?
       B) the scene?
    2. Who is the Point of View?
    3. What does each named character what?
    4. What kind of person is each of these characters?
    5. Do the characters "sound" like individuals?
    6. Could you tell who would say what without speech tags?
    6. What is the story question & where do you find it?
    8. What is this story really about?
    9. What is the most intriguing aspect of the story?
    10. Was the ending satisfying?  Why or why not?
    11. After reading the story, what stuck with you?

Basic Editing Rules:
    1. Above all, do not alter the author's voice.
    2. Only fix unintentional errors in:
       A) Spelling
       B) Punctuation, e.g. Syntax
       C) Grammar
       D) Word usage
    3. Note any mistakes in Manuscript Format--if you know the expected format for the intended
        market.
   
Basic Editing Goals:
    1. Suggest a way to clarify a statement you found
        confusing or misleading.
    2. Suggest a better word when a word "clangs."
    3. Help authors locate their own "bad habits."
       EXAMPLES: Over-using a particular word.   Dependence on a weak sentence structure
                               Trimming some of the empty, wordy "fat"

More Advanced Editing Goals:
    1. Restructure the order in which information is given. This can be over the course of a sentence,
        a paragraph, a scene, a chapter or even over several chapters.
    2. Identify redundant information, indicating, when applicable, which was the better passage
        and better placement. Or combine and create the ideal passage in the ideal location.
    3. When something important (which was given earlier) is lost or forgotten, go back, locate the
        information and determine what sort of fix is required:
        A) Possibly insert a brief reminder where you needed it.
        B) Separate the important information so that in the first reading, it stands out and is more
             memorable.
        C) Move the information--either closer or to the moment it becomes relevant.
    4. Offer clean-up edits (tightening, etc.) IF you can do so without altering the sound, flow or voice
        of the piece.  This applies to dialogue especially.
        HINT: Don't rewrite the passage the way you would've written it.  Listen to the writing and clean
                  the prose to fit the rest. Reading a passage aloud can help "hear" the sound.


Hopefully the tips will be helpful to you as a writer and a reader.  If you have questions, feel free to
contact me and I'll try to answer your questions as soon as possible.

If you see me at a convention, I'll be happy to talk with you on the topic.