Benefits of Critique Groups with Peer Editing Tips

I first shared this information in SCBWI Indiana Writer’s Blocks, Vol. 4, Issue 2, 1998, and the information remains as relevant today as when I began as a freelancer. The main difference being now most edits are done digitally with track changes, versus the use of proofreaders' marks on hard copies, which is how it was when I began. (There was no Internet when I started…) I was in a writer’s group for nine years, and I have no doubt this group helped further my career.

Editing Tips for Critique Groups

When every written word is a tiny extension of ourselves, coming up with constructive criticism can be extremely difficult. How can you be encouraging, accurate and tactful all at the same time, especially when you’re not exactly sure what to look for? No one understands the writing process better than another writer. When delivered carefully, constructive criticism builds confidence and spurs ideas, but harsh negative feedback can shatter what’s left of a struggling writer’s ego.

In college I was fortunate enough to attend an excellent writing course, and using the approach set forth by our teacher, my classmates and I fine-tuned our editing skills. By recognizing the mistakes and weaknesses in each other’s works, we were better able to find the same mistakes in our own writing. Even though it sometimes hurt, we all benefited from the advice. We were also blessed with a wonderful teacher who gently and humorously pointed out what we missed (thanks Ulle!).

Her techniques gave us direction when editing each other’s work, and since we were following a guide, the suggestions were easier to accept and deliver. We all had different writing styles, and the more we worked together, the closer we became as a group.

Editing Guidelines for Critique Groups (Reproducible):

If time and length permit, read through the entire work before making any suggestions. Your questions may be answered within the text, and you may suggest changes in structure or organization. During meetings, take turns giving general comments, then go back and tackle the nitty-gritty page-by-page. How much you discuss depends on your group, but use standard proofreaders' marks when editing on hard copies, and track changes when editing digitally. Write comments in a separate note (an “editorial letter”), in margins, or at the end.

General Remarks

• Two things you like about the story
• Two things that could be improved

Fiction

• Is there enough dialogue? Is the dialogue believable? Age appropriate?
• Is the action believable?
• Any inconsistencies in the story or character?
• Can readers identify with the characters?
• Introduction:
• Does it grab the reader’s attention?
• Does it properly introduce the subject of your story?

 Paragraphs

•  Check unity, structure, organization
• Do topic sentences properly introduce the subject of each paragraph?
• Do Sentences flow? Does one sentence lead into the next?
• Is there smooth transition between paragraphs?

 Grammar and Mechanics (Common Problems)

•  Comma Splices
• Repetition and run-on sentences
• Subject/verb agreement
• Noun/Pronoun agreement
• Wrong word, awkward wording
• Use of quotations

Conclusion

• Is there a satisfying ending or resolution of events?
• Has all the information been delivered clearly and thoroughly?

Incorporate these guidelines into your critique sessions, revise them to fit your needs, or simply use them as checklist for your own writing. Keep in mind that while peer editing is extremely helpful, ultimately the story belongs to the author. But when eight people have a problem with the same sentence or paragraph (which is usually the case in my writer’s group), that should signal the writer that something needs work.

Kim Childress is an award-winning editor and author of hundreds of books for children and adults, including Find Your Future in Art. She is a product developer in children’s publishing, book editor for Girls’ Life magazine since its 1994 debut, and former middle-grade acquisitions editor for HarperCollins (Zondervan). She has maintained a successful career while raising a personal focus group of four children through diapers, doctors, broken bones, college, and plagues. Learn more about Kim and follow her adventures at ChildressInk.com and Ink-a-Dink.com. You can purchase her workshops at penconeditors.com, including on editing middle-grade and YA fiction and nonfiction, creating books of excellence for young readers, How a Book is Made from Start to Finish, and Trends and Opportunities in Fiction and Nonfiction Picture Books. Find these and more workshops from editors of excellence at penconeditors.com.