Critique Guidelines

The following list is how we expect members of Story's Workshop to approach critiques:

Check your ego at the door

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• People are here because they need or want help and are interested in honing their craft. If you're here to "school" anyone, this isn't the group for you.


• While "This isn't my cup of tea," may be a valid statement of self, it's useless feedback to the author. You're expected to give a complete, thoughtful critique even to those submissions you may not like, haven't experienced, or disagree with.


• Don't provide feedback on anyone's writing unless it's requested or invited. Sometimes people just want to be cheered on, and that's okay.
  
• NEVER rewrite anyone else's work unless they've invited it or have given their express permission. It demonstrates that you're here to use them to boost your ego, and does nothing to help the writer learn how to write their best story.

Be Thorough

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• READ THE WHOLE SUBMISSION FIRST. More than once. Reading it aloud is also encouraged.


• Your first pass through the whole document, via Google Docs commenting system, should be used to highlight the elements of the story that stand out to you as well done and what you've enjoyed.


• Your second pass should be to highlight what doesn't seem to be working for you, whether that's awkward wording, conflicting ideas, glaring inconsistencies, or it's difficult to understand.


• Keep in mind that some members may be ESL (English as a second language). Don't take your skills for granted. If you suggest a correction to something like punctuation or grammar, provide a clear example and a sample to demonstrate your correction. It also demonstrates that you know what you're talking about.

Be Authentic

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• We understand that it can be intimidating to give a critique, especially if you're new, or feel the work surpasses your knowledge or skill. It's still helpful to the author to hear, "this paragraph confused me and this is why," or, "I'm not sure if I understand, but I think X could use more details."


• It's okay to message the author if you have a question or two, but please also don't inundate them with things that you can figure out for yourself with enough time and confidence.


• It's okay to be direct in your feedback. Don't be afraid of honesty. We all need to hear hard truths sometimes, and we're all aware that our writing may not be liked by everyone. Story's approach is simply that we should always strive to lift up rather than kick down. There is a vast difference when hearing, "This is not good writing and here's why..." versus, "This is awful and you're a bad writer."