By
Gale Sypher Jacob
“A novel is a mirror walking along the main road.” Stendhal
Always begin a critique with at least a couple of positive comments and quote examples of what you liked—such as particular figures of speech, lines from scenes or dialogue, and phrases from character description.
One way to structure a critique is to break it into sections. For each of these sections, the critique should address the overall question of whether the style and content is appropriate for the age of the intended reader.
Give page references or mark the manuscript to show specific examples of what you feel might need improving. Give the author things to think about by asking questions. For example: instead of saying “this character doesn’t seem too well defined,” ask, “have you considered defining this character better by using more dialogue?”
CHARACTERS/POV – Do the characters seem real? Is the POV the best one to tell this story? Are there places where the characters need to react more (or less) to what’s happening to them? Is the interaction between characters realistic and believable? Is the reader made to care about the characters?
DIALOGUE – Does it fit the story? Too formal? Too slangy? Is it natural? Does each character sound different? Does the dialogue successfully take the place of “telling”?
PLOT/ PACING - Is the reader propelled through the story? Are there spots that move either too fast, or too slowly? Is the overall plot believable? Does it have any inconsistencies? Are there large chunks of narrative that might be broken up? Where is more narrative needed for clarity?
SETTINGS/ DESCRIPTION – Do the setting descriptions put the reader IN the story? Are they too long, or too short? Do details appeal to as many of the five senses as possible?
WRITING STYLE – Does the sentence structure change to fit the emotions of the scenes—short sentences for dramatic crisis, longer sentences for slower narrative? Is the tone and vocabulary appropriate to the theme, settings, and characters? Are there instances of “telling,” rather than “showing”? Are the verbs active or passive? Are there too many adjectives and adverbs? Note typos, spelling and punctuation errors, or word usage questions.
THEME(S) – Will the reader come away from the piece with an understanding of the themes? Are they stated in too obvious a fashion, or are they slowly revealed through characters and actions?
A successful critique gives the author new ideas to explore. Be sure your critique gives the author encouragement as well as thoughtful, precise criticism. Keep in mind how hard it is for authors to hand over their words to others, especially when the words are still a work in progress. Remember the phrase from the field of medicine, “Do no harm.”
© Copyright 2004 New Jersey Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators