Getting the Most Out of Critique Sessions — part 3

Things to Consider when Critiquing:

Start with the basics:  Spelling, grammar, punctuation, unneeded words, adverbs.  Point these out on the manuscript, but don’t bother mentioning in the critique session unless they are a recurring problem.

Story:

Are there opening hooks (for both the start of the manuscript and the beginning of each chapter,) as well as hooks at the end of chapters?

Is the conflict strong, or is it contrived and something a conversation could resolve?

Setting?  Does it seem real?

Are the senses involved?  (description of smell, touch, taste, etc.)

Does the story hold your interest?  If not, where did you lose interest?

Accuracy and consistency:  Do the facts seem accurate, (no cell phones in the 1700s, for example) and are they consistent (blue eyes don’t turn green somewhere along the way.)

Were you able to suspend disbelief?

Does the story work?  Do you want to read more?

With characters, ask yourself:  Are the main characters three-dimensional?  Sympathetic?  Are other characters well drawn?  Are motivations strong and clear?

Writing Style

Voice:  Strong?  Too passive?

Any problems with point of view?  If there are multiple points of view, are the POV changes handled well?

Does the dialogue sound natural?  Is the dialogue of each character distinct, or does everyone sound the same?

Does the dialogue move the story forward?

Were there too many “he said” dialogue tags, or awkward substitutes for “said?” (snarled, hissed.)

As to back story:  Is it woven into the story, or are there any info dumps or “As you know, Bob”s (use of dialogue to dump information into the story.)

Is there too much narrative?  Too many flashbacks?

Are the sentences clear, or do they need to be reworded to improve clarity?

Is the story well-paced, or does it slow in places?

Is there plenty of white space, or is the writing dense? (In other words, are the paragraphs short and interspersed with dialogue, or are they long blocks of type running a half page—or more.)

Synopsis:

Is there enough conflict to carry the story?

Are the main plot points included?

Is there too much detail?

Are characters’ goals/motivations/conflicts clear?

Does the feel of the story (humorous, suspenseful, etc.) come through in the synopsis?