If you’re in any kind of critique partnership, whether it’s in person, virtual, or online, your goals are—or should be—to help your partners improve their work while also improving your own. To do that, it’s vital to know how to give critique to your fellow writers that will meet their, and their work’s, needs. It’s equally important for each member of the partnership to be able to listen to, evaluate, and learn from the critique they receive.

Effective critique is focused and constructive. It addresses both a piece’s strengths and weaknesses, offering advice and suggestions on how to build on those strengths and overcome or work around the areas that need improving.

While the rest of the Craft & Critique series goes into detail on specific topics that can be critiqued, Giving and Receiving Effective Critique provides you with the tools for presenting your thoughts and suggestions to your fellow writers and taking in theirs.