forum Critiquing Tips
Started by @SupernaturalSyGuyIsTIred group
tune

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@SupernaturalSyGuyIsTIred group

I like to use a 'formula' of sorts for how I do my critiques…. I start with some of the things that I liked/that are good, go to what I had issues with/the bad stuff (with advice/suggestions on how to correct them), and leave off with more good things.

@doug

Me too! I usually just stick to the compliment sandwich formula, Good thing, bad thing, good thing. But on here it's been hard to make really long critiques, because usually people just ask for critiques on small things in the story, like a character or a scene. I find it very difficult to critique ideas, which I find a lot of people ask about, like "is this story concept good?" I can never seem to answer those types of questions because to me, I find that even bad idea's, if executed well, can turn out good. I find that in writing, a cool idea is good, but a well written bad idea can be better.

@n o s t r a d a m u s location_city

It depends on what you are critiquing.
If it is a character then I recommend starting with a compliment then giving an IN-DEPTH analysis of the character, almost in a character study or video essay style; don't be afraid to nit-pick. Generally people don't want to just hear 'They are good', they want to know how you interpreted the character, so that they can make adjustments to how they want the character to come across to a wider audience.
If it is a concept/story, do something similar to the characters. Focus on themes and take-away messages (the kind of stuff you do during a novel study in English class). It does help to be well-read and/or have some knowledge of philosophy. Try and find any potential plot holes or inconsistencies.
Happy critiquing :)!