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Our Aim with Critiques—
The
purpose of a critique session is to share encouragement, insight,
and useful suggestions. The goal is to help all of us improve our
understanding of the writing process—and to improve our finished
work. Specifically, a critique session can help the writer “see” his
or her work as a reader might. More globally, it can teach all
involved to become more adept in the writing process. The goal of a
critique session is not to criticize or belittle another person’s
work.
The Process—
It’s
impossible to give everyone as much time as we’d like. However, our
goal in creating a process is to make the time we spend as efficient
as possible, as well as to be as fair as possible.
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Bring at least 5 copies of your work.
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Manuscript portions should be typed and double-spaced, no more
than 10 pages in all.
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One manuscript per person, please.
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The leader will decide whether works are read out loud or
silently.
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The leader has responsibility for limiting length of time for
responses to a work.
To the
Author—
1.
You are the final
authority for your work. The purpose of a critique session is to
hear suggestions that you can incorporate or ignore as you see best.
2.
Writing is highly
subjective. Because one person has a problem with your work does NOT
mean someone else might not love it!
3.
Do not argue with
the person offering a critique. That’s not the purpose. However, you
can answer questions if asked to expound on a certain point.
Suggestions for
Critique Participants--
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Begin your comments with praise. Find something you like and
remark upon that. For example, “Your writing has a sense of
energy. Your description passages are terrific!”
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Start your concerns with the word “I.” For example, “I was unclear
what you meant in this particular sentence. Could you clarify it
for me?”
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Share your experience in “I” sentences. For example, “I was told
that after four sentences of dialog, it’s helpful to include a
sentence linking the dialog to a particular speaker. It helps the
reader keep track of who is talking.”
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Ask questions rather than make statements. For example, “I wonder
if this portion might be stronger if you used first person
point-of-view?”
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Encourage the writer. For example, “I was really drawn to your
protagonist. I would love to know more about him/her.”
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Any comments you write on a manuscript will be taken very
seriously, so be careful, thoughtful and kind!
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Balance your remarks—be sure to share what you like as well as
what bothers you!
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Feel free to line-edit, but please make your marks clear.
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Telling an author what moved you or where you were confused is
particularly helpful.
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Please realize—it is an author’s choice whether to use or discard
your comments.
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