Finding a critique partner can be an agonising experience. Speaking for myself, I had a couple of experiences early on that would – if I’d been a little less confident – have discouraged me from trying to find a CP. And that’s not the right way to go. For the vast majority of writers, a CP is a massively useful resource. They notice things you can’t, and can help motivate you to finish chapters. I swear – just having someone waiting to read your work can make such a difference to your productivity.
But you’ll never find a great critique partner unless you’re considerate and thoughtful in your own critique. In my own experience, I’ve found that the key to this is honesty. And not simply brutal honesty – even if the person you’re CP-ing with asks for it. Even brutal honesty should be tempered with encouragement. This may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how many people don’t grasp this. I’ve had numerous unpleasant experiences with potential critique partners who just ripped into my manuscript with negative judgement. This can be incredibly discouraging, especially for a newbie to critiquing.
I tend to approach critiquing with the ‘compliment sandwich’ method. It’s simple and time-tested, and it definitely works. All you have to do is find a good point about the manuscript for every few negative points. That’s it. If you’re using the Word ‘track changes’ feature, chuck in a compliment every now and then. Maybe the author’s great at description, or their dialogue is excellent. Trust me, you can always find something positive that will give the author a little boost while they’re reading through your comments. Just try and put yourself in the other person’s shoes – would you rather get a solid wall of negativity, or a few compliments scattered throughout constructive criticism? And if you don’t want to do that, just say a few good things at the start of your feedback e-mail. Something as simple as “I really liked this – I thought your main character was original, and your setting is fantastic. But…”.
I’ve even learned about this method in my editing class, when we had to write editorial reports. You start with the positives of the manuscript, and then move on to the negatives.
So basically, have a little empathy, and you’ll not only end up with a great critique partner – you’ll be one yourself! Good luck!
Ella Dyson 
I was JUST talking about this yesterday with a CP! I also think that saying positive things about work you’re critiquing is really important — and not just to “soften the blow” of the critique itself. But also because:
A) when you’re first starting out a CP relationship, it’s really important to build trust! And giving positive feedback alongside critique helps do that — you need to trust that your CP genuinely likes and enjoys the work they’re critiquing, and that their critique comes from a place of trying to make that work a better version of itself.
and B) it can actually be really helpful to get feedback on what works! As hard as it is sometimes to see the flaws in your own work, or to pinpoint what is making something not quite right, it is also really difficult to see what DOES work. And if you know what is working, it’s that much easier to find what needs to be fixed.
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So true – I don’t believe in making up positive feedback, just to make someone feel good. I think you can always find something people do well, that they can then use to improve the rest of their work 🙂
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