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In my grandmother's house








I'm thinking of …








Write about a summer fling








You are lost








What you see in the distance








You thought nobody noticed








This is what you need for the journey










The How and What of Critique


      Critique is an opportunity to hear your reader’s voice. The feedback you receive will tell you how your writing is being perceived by the listener. Mind you, in a read and critique group, the reader/listener is another writer, which isn’t usually the case when we send our writing out into the world. Then we have lost all control of who reads it at what pace and how much attention is paid. At least, in read and critique groups we are among friends and colleagues. Everyone coming together over the next little bit of time with the objective of making the work as good as we possibly can.

      Many beginning writers, or writers who have never participated in read and critique, aren’t certain what to look for when critiquing a manuscript, or how to critique. Following are broad areas as well as specific examples of a few of the hows and whats. Writers can use the information when reviewing their own work as well.

     
  • Be honest, objective, and kind. Tell how the piece affects you as a reader.
  • Respond only to the work being read, not the writer’s previous work, the writer herself, her hairdo, or the company she keeps.
  • Critique the elements of the craft, not the content. The writer is the only one who can say what he wants to write about, and, ideally, he will write about what matters to him, what he is passionate about.
  • Be specific in your comments.

          Not just “I like …” or “I don’t like…” Look for a foundation on which to base your critique. Also, move away from your personal opinions of like/don’t like to what works in the writing and what doesn’t work.














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