GIVING FEEDBACK/WORKSHOPPING
1. Be positive.
2. Be constructive.
3. Sandwich a negative in between two positives.
4. If you see a problem try to suggest a solution – don’t just say, “I didn’t like this.”
5. Don’t talk while your critiquer is having their say – if they didn’t ‘get’ what you are trying to say, you might need to get your message across more clearly and they might be giving you tips on how to do this.
6. Constructive feedback is critical to becoming a better writer.
FEEDBACK ON THE OPENING OF THE STORY
- Does it hook you in?
- Does it make you want to keep reading?
- Does it give indications of what is to come?
PLOT/STRUCTURE
- Is plot believable?
- Was there a clear conflict/focus?
- Did story follow plot arc/structure?
- Did story start at right place?
- Were there any scenes, paragraphs, characters etc that didn’t need to be there?
SETTING
- Could you picture it?
- Too much/too little detail?
- Did places seem real?
- Was the setting consistent?
CHARACTER
- Were characters believable?
- Did characters have depth?
- Could you relate to/feel empathy with characters?
- Were character’s motives and conflicts clear?
- Did characters change and grow as story progressed?
- Was there enough contrast to differentiate characters?
DIALOGUE/TALKING
- Did dialogue seem authentic?
- Did dialogue have purpose in the story – eg, show character or move plot along?
- Were there too many dialogue tags? EG ‘they said’, ‘he agreed’, ‘she argued’
ENDING
- Was the ending believable and satisfying for the reader(had the loose ends been tied up)?
POINT OF VIEW – Who’s story is this?
- Did the point of view work?
- Would the story be better told from another character’s point of view
- Was the point of view consistent? Eg first person (I said) Second person (you say), Third person (he said)
- Was the tense consistent? Eg, past (I went), present (I go), future (you go)
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