Critiquing Short Stories

When critiquing a piece of writing, consider the following elements: You may find it easier to put your critiques into the headings below, and give your views on each topic. Some prefer to break the story down into parts and refer to each element in the story that they feel needs further work.

What can be problematic is when a person writes about how the story has affected them personally and/or offers praise. Although praise and sentiment are very worthwhile they are not what a writer needs most when trying to "polish" their work to perfection. In the end, it is ultimately whatever you are most comfortable with, but at all times consider what would you most want for feedback on your writing.

CHARACTERISATION: Do the characters seem real with depth and emotion, or are they recognizable stereotypes? Are the motives of the characters understandable and logical to the story? Are the good guy(s) likeable and the bad guy(s) really bad?

The characters are very important to any story and they must be believable. There is room in any critique for characterization.

DIALOGUE: Does the dialogue seem realistic? Can the reader imagine real people talking as the characters do?

SETTING: If the story is, for example, about the rich and famous, details of wealth must be included. If about poor people, the reader has to see that they are poor. Is there atmosphere in the story allowing the reader to experience what the characters experience? Can the reader imagine the location around the characters clearly?

POINT OF VIEW: Is the POV first or third person? If it is third person, is the narrator able to see into the heads of the characters? Is the POV consistent throughout the piece?

DEVELOPMENT: Does the story develop logically, so that the reader can follow the specific changes, which occur in the story, or does the story make sudden leaps, which cause the reader to lose the direction of the narration? Is the progression of characters and events logical, or is the whole story too confusing?

PACING: Pacing is a key to appeal; how well does the reader get involved in the story? Does the action progress slowly or quickly? How long does it take for the story to be set up? Is the reader drawn into the story from the beginning? Is it non-stop action or character development? Different readers prefer different paces in what they read.

MECHANICS: A beginning writer often has trouble with mechanics and needs help. Sentence structure, verb agreement, and aspects of basic style are considered here. If a reader feels that there are problems with mechanics, s/he will specify the problems seen, rather than simply stating that they are there.

Readers react to what they read. Sometimes the gut reaction to the story is more important than anything mentioned above--especially when the writer is more experienced. Gut reaction can negate nearly anything, with the exception of flaming another writer.

SHORT STORY CRITIQUES from shortstorygroup.com