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Weekly critique
Critique Guidelines
Our weekly meetings help writers test new work, sharpen their craft, and receive candid feedback in a supportive room. A board member moderates every critique.
Before you read
Prepare the manuscript
Bring work in a familiar industry format so the group can focus on the writing rather than the page design. Authors typically bring 12–15 copies. Reviewers mark their copies and return them after the reading and discussion.
Meeting format: Authors may submit up to five pages. A reading and critique generally takes 15–20 minutes.
Around the table
Providing critique
- Discuss the manuscript, never the writer. Describe how a passage affects you without making personal judgments.
- Balance strengths with concerns. Useful feedback tells the author what is working as well as what needs attention.
- Frame comments as your response. Phrases such as “I think” or “I felt” make clear that critique is an informed opinion, not an absolute verdict.
- Respect the writer’s choices. Writing is an art, and convention can be followed or broken effectively.
- Save questions for after the formal round. Extended discussion reduces the time available for everyone else’s feedback.
- Be honest and kind. False praise is not useful, but every reservation can be expressed respectfully.
- It is acceptable to pass. No one has to comment on every genre or every piece.
- Write minor corrections on the page. Spelling, punctuation, and word-choice notes only need group discussion when they reveal a recurring problem.
Listening well
Receiving critique
- Listen before responding. Every draft can benefit from revision, and hearing the room is the purpose of the session.
- Keep the work separate from the self. Criticism of a page is not criticism of its author. The moderator will step in if feedback becomes personal.
- Do not defend the draft during the round. You remain the final decision-maker and may use or disregard any comment later.
- Look for patterns across the feedback. Consider everyone’s notes together before making large revisions, and save a copy before experimenting with major changes.
On the page
Proofreading marks at a glance
These familiar marks help a writer read handwritten notes quickly. Use them when they make the correction clearer, and add a brief margin note whenever the mark needs context.
Common critique marksMark · Example · Instruction
| Mark | On the page | Instruction |
|---|---|---|
| ^ | the ^ answer | Insert text at the caret. |
| very really clear | Delete the marked text. | |
| # | two#words | Insert a space. |
| ⌒ | to ⌒ gether | Close up the space. |
| sp | 8 hrs. | Spell out the marked text. |
| sub | their there | Substitute the correction shown. |
| w.c. | very nice | Reconsider the word choice for precision or effect. |
| tr | secondfirst | Transpose the marked words or letters. |
| ¶or | …ended. We began… | Begin a new paragraph. Use either the pilcrow or the double-stem mark. |
| no ¶ | …ended. ↵ We continued… | Keep the text in the same paragraph. |
| stet | original wording | Let the original text stand. |
Keep the page readable: Place the mark close to the exact passage, write legibly, and use the margin for a few explanatory words when needed.