Below is an explanation of the five options I offer to new critique partners. Long term critique partners have additional options that are not listed here.
Option 1 – General R&R
The reader records responses as they are reading.
This gives the author an opportunity to see the reader’s mind at work while it is engaging with the material.
It is important to understand that R&Rs are not editing.
Readers should be careful to avoid the temptation to engage in copy editing during an R&R. While it is fair to note reactions to punctuation, the reader should not be suggesting corrections.
Readers should be careful to avoid the temptation to engage in line editing during an R&R. While it is fair to note reactions to grammar and syntax, the reader should not be suggesting corrections.
Option 2 – Alpha Read
The reader assesses the structure of the chapter, looking specifically at The Three Os and The Four Questions.
The Three Os
- Objective
- Obstacles
- Outcome
The Four Questions
- Is this scene moving the plot forward?
- Is this scene building the world?
- Is this scene demonstrating internal character?
- Is this scene demonstrating external character change?
Both the author and the reader should be aware that this is reader feedback, not editorial feedback. The main difference, of course, is that editors are expected to suggest corrections while readers should simply flag them.
Option 3 – 1st 250 Feedback
This is a close examination of the first 250 words of Ch. 1.
In addition to the Three Os and The Four Questions, which are expected of most chapters in a novel, first chapters have some additional requirements.
Specifically, in the first 250 words,
- We (readers) will be hooked by an event or an idea.
- We will meet the protagonist, the main character, or both.
- We will know which genre we are reading.
Option 4 – Ch. 1 Feedback
This option combines all three of the previous options for, specifically, Ch. 1.
If the author intends to seek commercial publication and their novel begins with a dream or an awakening, this will be flagged as risky,
Option 5 – Line Editing
Sentence- and paragraph-level analysis focused on readability, clarity, and flow. Unlike Options 1 through 4, in which issues are merely flagged, Option 5 requires the reader to suggest corrections.
While I am happy to exchange line edits, I do so clearly stating that I am doing it as a critique partner and not as a professional editor.