1. Don’t cop an attitude
Your job is to help the writer make the story what they wish it to be, if you can, and nothing more.
Your job is not to offer opinion on what to write, or even how to write it, except where this helps the author achieve their goals. [Which implies they have told you what they wish to the story to be, which is often not the case. But more about that later.]
You should not brag: Don’t say you intend to be tough or blunt. Talk about what is on the page and to what the author wants the story to be.
You should not be arrogant: Don’t act as if doing it your way is the only way. And don’t expect the author to necessarily do what you suggest: the story is theirs, not yours, by virtue of the effort they have put into creating it, certainly a greater effort than your own.
However, do …
However, do offer all the constructive suggestions and helpful suggestions that you can, framing them as possibilities (below).
And begin on a positive note, with what you like. Too often the reviewer forgets to praise what they like. Consider this to be equivalent to saying ‘keep this,’ ‘do more of this,’ and the like. After all someone else may be telling them to cut something that you think they should not, or to change something you think they have done particularly well. Or ruin the story in countless ways. Don’t’ let them do it.
2. Offer only possibilities, not answers
You should never explicitly tell the author what to do, or even explicitly what you think they should do. Just open the door to possibility. Maybe do this. Perhaps do that. What if you did this or that? Or 'I really like the way some particular author does this for this reason [offering any additional insights you have]'.
But, do …
But, do offer examples, potential rewrites, etc. so that the author can ‘see’ what the possibilities actually are, and can (perhaps) run with something, making it their own. This, IMHO, is much better than any abstract discussion. Let the focus be on what is on the page, or might be on the page, so the author, as a discerning reader, can choose between possibilities A and B or (most likely) make up some new variation C.
Triggering their thought process is the most you should either expect or want. You do not want to own the piece.
My standard line when it comes to line comments is:
Feel free to use what you like, any way that you like, and ignore any comments you strongly disagree with.
And I say it because I mean it. I am happy to give some of my words away, but really don’t want to even know what changes the author decides to make.
It is not my story. It will never be my story. And while I may have learned something by reading it and maybe given a few words away, that is it for me. My suggestions may even be bad [more about that later], so I would rather not be held liable.
3. Offer your immediate reaction, as you read, then a more considered opinion at the end
The classic advice for doing a close read is to read the piece once to get the gist of it, then a second time in order to critique it. And don’t write comments until pass two.
However, I say …
However I say, do write comments on pass one. One of the most valuable things you can offer to the author is a commentary on what it is like to read what they have written. Sure, you may get confused on a first pass, and it may be your fault (I go back and edit my previous comments when this happens), but the author wants to know when the piece is confusing (for reasons not your fault) and wants to know your emotional reaction to what you are reading: so tell them. We are all, if we are lucky, each other’s best readers. Readers who are also writers, or aspire to be.
And also, write comments on pass two (if you choose to read it twice, not everyone does).
And, most importantly, include comments at the end that summarize your overall impressions (what you liked best, what issues you think are most important to resolve going forward, etc.) Realize, however, that your critique is only one of many, and that other people may be offering different, perhaps even contradictory, advice, so say it modestly. And make your reading suggestions (if any) here. This story by this author may be of interest to you for this reason, and such.
4. Go above & beyond
In a full up critique, one done for a class or a writers’ group, or one done for a friend as a ‘first reader,’ it is good to go the extra mile.
For this, it is good to have 1. a check list of what to look for in your critique and 2. a format that prompts for comment on all aspects of the writing.
A sample check list may be found at [Word] [PDF]
While a form for a ‘full up critique’ (typically more than is offered on Critique Circle) may be found at [Word] [PDF]
5. Bottom line
Bottom line, a good critique should:
* Make the author want to revise the story (i.e. excited to dive in again),
* Open the mind of the reviewer to new possibilities (for their own work, and for their craft—who says critiques are only for the author),
* And invite both to look beyond their own writing to work by others (e.g. published authors) that suggests new directions and unachievable goals—reading a really good writer does this (someone way better than yourself), while reading only work written at your own level causes you to stagnate.