Avid Reader Book Club

How To Give Helpful Feedback

Reposting this because we've got some new members ;)

Here at Avid Reader Book Club we encourage all members to give helpful and constructive feedback. But what do we really mean by that?

What it doesn't mean is that you have to pretend to like something that you don't. Oh no, honesty is very important. Giving constructive feedback means thinking along with your fellow writer.

In the end, this is what we should all aim for:

Let me give you an example (gonna exaggerate a little to get the point across)

Hello, my name is Jasper. I'm 13 yaers old and I am never happy. Anger is all that I feel. Whe my alarm clock went off this mrning, I destroyed it. After destroying it, I took and shower and yelt at my mum. Yes that's me I hate mornings. And I hate skool even more.

I think we can all agree that this isn't the best story opener...

Unhelpful feedback would be:

Your story sucks. It's soooo cliche. Also, learn how to to spell.

So what to do instead:

- what did you like about the story. E.g. You might like reading stories about middle schoolers

- what didn't you like about the story. Be as specific as possible.

BTW, if there isn't anything you don't like, that's fine too :)

- For every problem you see, suggest a solution. After all, we're all in this writing journey together.

Combine all that and you get the following:

Angry Middle Schoolers. Always an interesting theme. However, there are so many Wattpad stories that start their first chapter with an alarm clock scene that it has become a cliché.  Perhaps you could start Jasper's story with another scene that really shows his anger. I know I would love to see that :)

I noticed some typo's and misspelled words (yaers -> years; whe -> when; to name a few) which makes the story hard to read. Grammarly is a free online spell- and grammar checker that can help you fix those errors.

In writing, it's important to show (=describe)  emotions rather than tell them. Could you describe how Jasper feels and what he does when he's angry (blood boiling, fists clenching,...)? This will make it easier for readers to understand him and "become" him when reading. Because that's the real magic of reading, isn't it?

Isn't this much more encouraging?

NOTE: Don't criticize the genre. Criticize the story. You might not like romantic stories. And that's okay. But ask your yourself, is this a good romance story? Would a fan of the genre like this story?

Writing helpful feedback is an art in itself. I can imagine that some of you will be sitting in front of your laptops/tablets/phones, wondering what to say. Don't be like this poor little rabbit:

Like with all things, practice makes perfect.

Before submitting a comment, ask yourself if it would help you and your story if you received a similar comment.

If you don't like something, but are unsure of what the problem is, try imagining how you would write the scene. Don't say, I would do this and this differently. Make suggestions. Ask questions, if needed.

What happened to Jasper that he's so angry? I'm having some difficulty understanding where this comes from. Is he being bullied? Because I would understand his behaviour if that's the case.

Received feedback you didn't like/weren't expecting? Breathe! Don't react right away if you disagree. Do something fun and don't let it pull you down.

Look at the comment(s) again the next day. Is it possible that your reviewer has a point? Did they misinterpret something? Perhaps this reader is saying what dozens who clicked your story away have thought.

Agreeing to disagree is an option. My general rule when I don't agree with a comment is to ignore it if it's one person's opinion. We're all different. We all like different things. But if you receive the same feedback over and over, it might be worthwhile to rethink a specific scene/chapter/style

Of course, in the end it's your story and you make the final call. If there's a reason why Jasper smashes that stupid alarm clock in the first chapter, leave it in.

And remember this: