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👉 Finding the right match
Critique partnerships are about reciprocation, which makes this relationship more comprehensive than a one-sided beta read. You'll need to find someone who not only enjoys your style but who understands the subject matter. Select someone within your niche who knows the tropes of your trade. For example, romance writers are expected to give their readers a happy ending but horror writers are not.
Choose a partner whose skills you admire. Take the time to evaluate their work and decide how committed they are to the craft. This might take the form of looking at the number of stories they've published/posted and how often they publish content.
👉 Be generous with your time, but spend it wisely
It takes time to do a thoughtful review of someone else's work. Agree on a realistic meeting schedule so both parties feel their time is respected. When you get someone's pages, you should read them at least twice: the first time to get a sense of the piece, then again to make margin notes. If possible, let a day or two go by to let your thoughts incubate before providing your final comments.
Consider collaborating from a checklist. Some areas to focus on include:
Story structure - Character development - Dialogue - Pacing - Conflict - Description / Exposition (too much or too little)
👉 When it's your turn to critique, start with the positives
Keep in mind that you are reviewing a work in progress, not a finished product. You are there to point out the good bits and the problems, and do it in a way that helps your crit partner improve so eventually they will notice these things for themselves.
If you've enjoyed a passage, try to stay away from words like "good" and "I liked it" because these don't explain why you enjoyed it. Be specific and give context, such as "This passage is strong. With just a few words, I feel as though I understand a lot about the main character's relationship with her mother."
The sandwich method is a long-trusted technique used when tact is needed to communicate difficult feedback. You basically sandwich it between compliments. Start with a positive comment, follow this up with the potential problem you found, then finish with words of praise.
For example: "This character has a great perspective on the conflict, however they are not the POV character in this chapter, so the transition to their POV took me out of the scene for a moment. You may want to take some time to decide which character's POV would be best for this chapter, as I feel you have included an intriguing plot point here."
👉 Deliver your comments as suggestions, not judgments
Be clear and direct and don't apologize for your interpretations, but keep a healthy measure of humility. Try running what you're about to say through your inner filter first, and think how it might land on you if you were receiving the same feedback.
The objective is to offer helpful suggestions. It is up to your crit partner to choose whether they use your suggestions as they revise their work. Don't get too attached to your opinions, and keep a light hand. Just like you, your partner hopes to leave the session with a sense of "Aha!" — not "Oh, no!"
👉 Empathize with restraint, celebrate with abandon
We all know that writing is hard, and we've chosen to do it anyway. But beware of lengthy bitch fests or sour rants on the unfairness of the industry, the fickleness of the reading public, or how Amazon has ruined everything (it hasn't). Past a certain point, kvetching becomes a drag on your spirits. So, offer compassion, but spin it to encouragement as soon as possible.
On the other hand, when a crit partner has some success: a story published, a call from their dream agent, or the big one — a book deal, stifle that little green voice of envy and get busy popping the champagne corks. You're part of that writer's success, after all. It may be your name in their acknowledgment section one day, and you can hit them up for a blurb for your back cover when it's your turn.
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Keep reading for more details about the Critique Partner Match-up 👉
