These are intended as a guideline and starting point to be used when critiquing someone’s novel.
General suggestions:
Not every question will be relevant to every story, and some stories will have specific questions that apply. Wherever possible, be specific in examples and give page references if you can so that the writer can see exactly what you mean. Be constructive but honest. Don’t just say that you don’t like something- explain why and give suggestions to improve it if you can. Don’t give someone terrible feedback just because you don’t like the genre and take into account that if you are being asked to critique something it is a work in progress and will not be perfect. Try to be as thorough as you can- it is very brave to show an unfinished work to someone and even if you don’t like it, be nice and help them out.
Try not to parrot ‘golden rules’ of writing (you must write every day, you must never use the second person point of view, you must never ever use a cliché) because everyone works differently and a skilled writer can generally make just about any technique work.
Most importantly, tell the person the things that you like as well as the things you didn’t like. That way they know what they are striving for.
Now- on to the questions!
- General points
Did you enjoy the book overall?
Would you recommend it to a friend?
What genre would you class it as (Comedy, Horror, Young Adult etc)?
Which character did you most sympathise with?
Which character was the most interesting to read about?
Was the plot line easy to follow? Was it confusing or predictable?
Do you think the book was too long or short?
What were the main themes of the book?
Do you think the author was trying to make a point/emphasise a particular message or set of values?
Did it keep you interested?
- The beginning
Did the first paragraph grab your attention?
Did the first page want you to read on?
Did anything confuse you in the first chapter?
- Characters
Did any of the characters act in ways that didn’t seem to fit their personality?
Did the relationships between the characters seem realistic?
Did the characters seem well rounded and interesting? Could you imagine them being real people?
Were the characters distinct from each other, or did many of them seem very similar?
Is there anything that could improve any of the characters?
Who was the main character? Did you care about what happened to them?
- Dialogue
Did the speech sound natural and realistic?
Did any of the characters have accents or distinct patterns of speech?
Were the conversations believable?
Was dialogue ever used for obvious plot exposition?
Was any of the dialogue inappropriate for the characters and the setting? (Using modern slang in a historical novel, characters speaking in ways that don’t suit their age/social background)
Did all of the dialogue either advance the storyline or teach us about the characters?
- Description
Was there enough description to understand the storyline?
Did any of the description seem unnecessary or out of place? (For example a long chunk of description of clothing interrupting an action scene)
Can you picture the characters and settings in your head?
Was any of the description particularly effective? (Giving a good understanding of a character’s personality or setting the atmosphere well?)
- Point of View
Was the story written in first, second, or third person?
Were you able to sympathise with the point of view characters?
If the point of view changed at any point, was it clear that this was happening or was it confusing? (For example by changing point of view mid-scene)
Do you think the story worked well from this point of view or should it be changed?
Did the narrator have a distinctive voice?
Was it written in a way that was easy to understand, or did it make it hard for the reader to follow? (Such as too many long words or using too many fancy writing devices which distract from the plot?)
- Plot
Did you think there was a strong storyline running through the novel?
Were there any subplots? Do you think they added to the story?
Was there enough action? Did you feel there were parts where very little happened, or parts where too much was crammed into a small space?
Did everything in the plot seem believable and/or logical within the story, or did anything seem out of place?
What was your favourite part?
Were there any parts that should be missed out?
Does anything need more explanation?
- Factual Accuracy
Did you notice any factual errors in the piece?
Was everything in keeping with the setting? (No modern technology in the middle ages, no one wearing kimonos in 1840s England etc)
Please feel free to add your own to this list!
This is a great list to pass on to anyone you ask to do a critique of your work, especially if they have never done one before. You can tweak it and make it more specific to your book. It's quite lengthy but obviously you don't need to answer every question and it should get you thinking along the write lines.
Originally compiled by The Why Bird
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Heather Dudley
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80,250 / 50,000
Dec 4, 2008 - 08 56
i would add; always BEGIN a critique with one positive comment about something you truly like or admire in the writing.
a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.
18,860 / 50,000
Dec 8, 2008 - 13 20
I would add: Have you read any books similar to -enter book title here-? If so, what book(s) and how close were they?
50,318 / 50,000
Dec 15, 2008 - 15 13
Oh heavens, please no. o__O
I've seen way too many people, on this forum and elsewhere, reduce someone else's hard work to "oh, that's exactly like [Novel X]!". There's really nothing worse than working hard on a novel only to have someone else tell you that you're exactly the same as a book you've never read. Even if it's meant well, it comes off as condescending and dismissive.
104,909 / 50,000
Dec 30, 2008 - 19 31
I just want to say that as a writer looking for a critique and in the process of editing my novel, the questions listed here are good to use as a guideline. They are the things the author should keep in mind. So thanks for posting it.
Emmie