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impressions.
Here's an outline. You may cover as much of each element as you feel comfortable.

I. OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
A. Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?
B. If you don't care for this type of story, it's okay to say so and give reasons.
C. Were there any confusing passages?
D. Were there any echoing themes or symbols?
E. Did you gain a sense of person or placeor both?

F. Were there enough details? Was there a balance of showing and telling?
G. Was the conflict believable? Why or why not?
H. If it's a short story, was the story told adequately in the length it was written? Why or why not?
I. If it's a novel excerpt, you can write any questions or predictions for the characters, conflicts, resolutions, etc. That way, the author has a guideline regarding the reader's expectations.

II. OPENING
A. Does the opening hook you, and do you want to read more?
B. Was the conflict clear?
C. Were the characters and setting established adequately?
D. Did it set the tone and mood of the story?

III. CHARACTER
A. Are the main characters well developed, or did they seem like stereotypes or cardboard cutouts?
B. Were the minor/background characters three dimensional?
C. Did the characters behave consistently?
D. Were the details consistent and accurate?
E. Was the motive/conflict clear?
F. Did your main character undergo some type of change?

IV. DIALOGUE
A. Did the dialogue ring true?
B. Did the dialogue enhance characterization, reveal new information, and advance the story?
C. Could you tell who was speaking?
D. Were there too many dialogue tags or substitutions for "said?"
E. Did the dialect (if any) work?

V. SETTING
A. Did you have a sense of time and place?
B. Was there too much (or too little) detail?
C. Did the places seem real?
D. Were facts accurate and consistent?

VI. PLOT
A. Was the plot believable? Why or why not?
B. Did the story begin at the right place?
C. Were there any scenes which didn't relate to the rest of the story?

VII. ENDING
A. Was the ending believable and satisfying?
B. Did the story end at the right place?

VIII. POINT OF VIEW
A. Was the point of view consistent?
B. Did the point of view jump from one character to another?
C. Would another point of view have worked better?
D. Was there any author intrusion or editorializing?

IX. OTHER
A. Were the transitions smooth?
B. Were there any long passages of exposition that detracted from the rest of the story?
C. Were there places the sentences could be tightened or needed to be rewritten for clarity?
D. Is there too much passive voice? Too many adjectives or adverbs? Redundancies? Unnecessary qualifiers like "seem" or "appear?"
E. If the author requests it you can nitpick grammar and spelling.

Nonfiction
Except for dialogue (in most cases) nonfiction works generally share the same elements of fiction. You can use the fiction critique outline as a guideline and tailor it to each article.

The amount of critiquing depends on the length of the work, the draft, and the author's expectations. It also depends upon the amount of time you have. Giving your general impressions or focusing on one piece is a lot better than nothing. It's not necessary to cover every question listed above. They are to be used as a guide. Comment on as much as you feel comfortable. And always, critique as you'd like to be critiqued. I hope you learn as much from critiquing as you do from the critiques you are given.

Learn more about this author, R. M. Ziegler.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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