Offer constructive suggestions in critiques.

Find Your Writing Niche: Write Critiques

Cynthia Price’s December 30, 2014 blog “Three Words” at cynthiapricecommunique.com asks readers to “use three words to describe their career and their search.” This thought-provoking directive forces readers to dig deep and go beyond the obvious fact of saying they want to write clear prose.

One of the words that I chose for myself was “critiquer.” There is no such word, but I don’t want to use critic because that’s too formal. I use that word when I critique a published work, which is labeled a review when I write it for a newspaper or magazine.

When I read unpublished works, I consider myself a “critiquer.” Other writers are looking for feedback and want honest comments on their work.

There is a method to critiquing, though. I believe in being honest without being cruel. The crux of the matter is giving suggestions on how the work being critiqued can be improved so it’s a published work with a wide readership.

The Web sites and blog that concern critiquing say basically the same thing: be constructive, offer suggestions, don’t destroy.

Some of the Web sites with quality suggestions on critiquing are on the Web at:

“How to Write a Critique” at http://www.creative-writing-now.com/how-to-write-a-critique.html

“Ten Tips for Critiquing Other People’s Writing” at http://www.dailywritingtips.com/10-tips-for-critiquing-other-people%E2%80%99s-writing

“How to Write a Critique at http://sites.stfx.ca/writingcentre/sites/sites.stfx.ca.writingcentre/files/How_to_Write_a_Critique.pdf

“Guidelines for Writing a Critique” at http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/bobtam/website/guidelines_for_writing_a_critiqu.htm

Writers appreciate getting encouragement and constructive comments from their fellow writers.