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My writing group’s writing our first critiques this week. In honor of that, I thought I’d review what goes into a useful critique.

Critiques are tricky things to write. A good one will help the author whose work you’re revising to improve both their piece and their writing in general. A bad one will, at best, be useless, and at worst, make them feel like utter crap.

What to include in a good critique:

1. Positive feedback.
This isn’t just to cushion any blows you might have up your sleeve. You need to make sure to mark what you like so that the author knows what works. Also, you don’t want to see good stuff get edited out by accident.

2. Constructive criticism.
Don’t just say you don’t like something. Suggest a way to fix it, or improve it. This is much more useful to the author than a stuffy opinion. But let them know what doesn’t work.

3. Basic edits.
Authors can read through their work ten times and not catch all the grammar or spelling typos. Help them out, fix what you spot.

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• Welcome

  

  Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

  You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at:
  jennifer.a.johnson7 at gmail dot com

• Official Progress

  
  

  4/21 segments

  
  A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

  Status: Second revision

  
  
  

  1,639/70,000 words

  A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

  Status: First draft

  
  
  

  1,087/70,000 words

  When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

  Status: First draft

  
  
  
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  All writing, unless otherwise specified, is the property of
  Jennifer Johnson © 2010
  
  
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