Write critique letters on the following stories using the guideline.
– Some Questions to Consider For Critiques
1. What do you think the author’s intentions are with the piece, in terms of drama and theme? In what ways does the author succeed in fulfilling this project?
2. What areas need to be further developed or reconsidered in order to accomplish the author’s goals? And what is your opinion of these goals? Should they be pursued or re-considered? In other words, should the story on the page be the story on the page?
3. How are the elements of craft and technique operating? For example, is the point of view used effectively? Does the plot provide the drama necessary to sustain the story? What are other options the author might consider?
4. What are the external and internal conflicts of the story? How do they work together in the story? Are there ways to utilize them more effectively?
5. What were the strongest points/aspects of the story, the areas that helped you understand and appreciate the author’s project?
6. If the submission is a novel excerpt, what compels you most about the novel so far? What expectations does the excerpt create for the reader? What storylines, characters, conflicts, etc., do you think the novel will/should further dramatize or resolve?
7. What questions does the draft raise—in terms of logic, drama, theme, etc.—that the author should be aware of?
8. How is language operating in the story? What are the identifiable trends, patterns, and qualities of the writer’s sentences, and how do they lend themselves toward the story’s narrative voice?
9. What are the thematic possibilities of the story? Should elements of craft (point of view, plot, dialogue, etc.) be reconsidered with respect to the possible themes of the work?
These are questions to help you structure your critiques of your classmates’ work. Some of them you may address, others you may not. Regardless of how you approach your critique, keep in mind that the objective is to help the author accomplish and/or reflect upon the goals of the story, by identifying what is successful, underdeveloped, questionable, etc, about the work-in-progress.
And of course, be respectful and courteous in your critiques. You’re not approaching these letters as reviewers, but as fellow writers working to fulfill a common goal—the creation of compelling fiction.
