Giving Critique Feedback

This is Part 2 of 3 of my Critique Group series. In the first part, I talked about some characteristics (for me) that make a good critique group. I even had the pleasure of author Becky Levine stopping by. If you are starting a group or joining one, you should definitely pick up her book, The Writing and Critique Group Survival Guide.

For this second part of the series, I’m going to talk about how I give critique feedback. Giving feedback can differ from writer to writer. Plus, some writers have strong spots for certain types of things — characterization, plot, description, etc. I tend to be stronger on the plot side, so I tend to look at a work from this perspective first.

Today I will focus on work I do in my weekly critique group, and also what I have done when I was a part of an online critique group — which focuses on either scenes or chapters.

A note about the things I don’t concentrate on: grammar and “cosmetics” — unless it’s really obvious. I like to focus on developmental issues with a work — because for me, that’s what’s important. The grammar and other minor things are tweaking and can be done later during revision rounds.

The following are some things that I tend to focus on for critique feedback:

What is this scene/chapter about? This is the first question that I ask. If I don’t know the answer, it may give the writer a clue that maybe the scene needs to be restructured. Every scene should have a goal and a writer should be able to state that goal. Is it to introduce a character? Is it to set up a plot device? Or is it to show the growth of a protagonist? It has to be something concrete and tangible.

What is the main character’s problem or desire in the scene/chapter? In every scene, the protagonist must want something. Something must be at stake. This doesn’t mean that it has to be something overtly dramatic. It can be something very simple and ordinary. But the protagonist or POV character should be trying to achieve something in every scene or chapter.

Where did character dialogue seem inconsistent with character personalities? I’ve noticed sometimes especially when writing for kids and teens that sometimes the “voice” of the characters do not match the age. Writers may tend to skew older — I have this issue as well. Or it could be something where the character says something that doesn’t match the personality. If the character is spunky and adventurous, she wouldn’t say something that a wallflower or shy person would say.

Where did the writer tell too much? What parts of the scene/chapter lack action? Usually when I read something with a lot of background information (especially between dialogue between characters), I tend to bring that to the attention of the writer. Telling is sometimes necessary, but when it jolts the reader out of the scene — it’s a good indication that there is a lot of telling.

Where are the strongest parts in the scene/chapter? A habit that I have when critiquing the work is to underline the strong verbs and passages. I also like to bring attention to great description and character motivation. It helps the writer know what to keep doing and try to incorporate it in other scenes/chapters.

Where are the weak parts in the scene chapter? In my critique group, this is usually the things we talk about out loud. With an online group, I write to be specific. Saying, “This was slow” or “This was confusing” is not going to help the writer. I try to communicate WHY it doesn’t work, and sometimes that takes some thought. For me, this has been the best teaching for my own writing — since we usually cannot see problems in our work.

These are just some of the things that I look for when giving critique feedback. I would love to hear what other writers do when they give feedback.