If you’ve just joined or started a writers’ critique group but no one seems to know what to do next, perhaps this guide and checklist will help. If you’re not in a critique group, you can still use it to critique your own writing.
MANUSCRIPTS CRITICISM (For Criticism Groups)
Start with some basic procedural guidelines for critiquing:
1) Start with something positive: Point out at least one thing that worked very well in the manuscript.
2) Be specific in your comments and suggestions: For example, saying “I liked your story” is flattering to the writer, but doesn’t really mean much. Saying something like “I felt like the dialogue sounded exactly like something two teenagers would say and it moved the plot along well” is more specific.
3) Use the checklist (below) – this will help you to be more specific in your comments and suggestions. And, using the checklist to critique your own writing will help you recognize weaknesses in your story before you share your work with anyone.
CHECKLIST FOR MANUSCRIPTS CRITIQUES
I. Character
__ Are my characters complete? Do the main characters have both positive and negative traits?
__ Is my main character someone who might interest readers? Do you want something important?
__ Have I revealed character through action?
__ Does my main character act? Or is she too passive?
__ Is each character’s voice clearly their own?
__ Have I avoided stereotypes and stock characters?
__ Does my main character solve his own problem? Is he or she different in any way from how he or she was at the beginning of the story? (this doesn’t always have to happen, but it usually means that her story has some depth)
II. point of view
__ Have I stuck with my POV character throughout the story?
__ Would the story be stronger if it changed from third person to first person or vice versa? Would it be better to tell the story from another character’s point of view?
third Plot
__ What is the basic conflict of my story?
beginning
__ Do I introduce my characters and the conflict right away? Or am I taking too long to speed up? Can I cut the first paragraph and start with the second?
Half
__ Have I put complications in the middle that get worse and worse and reach the climax?
__ Does my character have to work to reach his goal?
End
__ Does my main character solve his own problem?
__ Does the ending follow logically from the rest of the story?
__ Is my ending satisfying without being predictable?
IV. language
Description
__ Are my details specific, not general?
__ Have I bogged down the action with tedious description passages? (One way to check this is to see how many “ing” words are used – too many usually means too much description)
__Would that description work better if you gradually weaved it into the story rather than presenting it as a block?
__ Have I described with more than one sense (ie sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell)?
Stock
__ Have I used strong and specific verbs and nouns?
__ Have I successfully avoided the passive voice?
__ Can I eliminate layoffs? Chat? Disorder? Meaningless qualifiers like “fair” and “very”? Passages that bog down the action? Have I used too many different attention-grabbing dialog tags?
Mechanics
__ Are there awkward or confusing sentences or scenes that need to be cleaned up?
__ When I read my story aloud, does the rhythm sound right? Is it chopped? Too wordy? Monotonous?
__ Are my transitions smooth?
__ Have I avoided clichés?
__ Does each award shine with my own voice? Is that voice strong and believable?
V. Purpose
__ 1. Does each character and action in the story have a definite purpose?
With these specific points to keep in mind when critiquing a children’s story, it should make it much easier for you and your fellow writers to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each and every manuscript.