Are you struggling to get quality writing feedback? You’re not alone.
You’ve finished writing a thing and are pretty happy with it but you want some feedback. You hand it to the person who has cheered you on, maybe a friend or family member, or a writer friend and you get it back with a meh comment.
I have also experienced this. The first time I handed some writing to my husband for feedback, he read it, put it down and said, okay. And that was that. Early on in my writing life I asked a mate to read a short story. She gave me feedback … so much that it would have been a entirely different story. When I was undertaking my writing and editing degree, there was one person in my workshop group who would go immediately into line edit mode, even if someone just wanted an overall feedback.
While friends and family might offer encouragement (or not), they don’t always provide the constructive criticism needed to transform your good writing into great storytelling. Or they crush you with their feedback.
As writers, we need specific, actionable insights to identify both strengths and weaknesses in our work. Asking for feedback in a vague way of let me know what you think doesn’t help you, or them. There’s a better way to get quality writing feedback that makes their job easier and will help you make your story shine.
Read on to find out how you can get quality writing feedback.
Powerful ways to get quality writing feedback
The first step to making sure you get quality writing feedback, is choose someone who is equipped to do that.
Asking a writer, a beta reader1, or professional editor2, will set you up for success immediately, but it doesn’t always give you the useful feedback to improve your story – the most important reason why you are seeking feedback. Setting them up with the right questions and understanding how to get good feedback can make all the difference between vague praise, or crushing criticism, and feedback that actually improves your craft.
Whoever you’re working with, these targeted questions and notes will help you gather meaningful feedback that elevates your manuscript so it connects more deeply with readers.
By using these targeted questions and feedback guidance points, you are guaranteed to get quality writing feedback on your story.
Ten powerful questions
- Can you let me know any part you felt confused or had to re-read?
- Were there any parts that dragged, you wanted to skip or where your attention wandered?
- Can you make a mark and/or comment at the places where you felt strong emotions while reading, and tell me what the emotion was?
- Did the ending feel satisfying? If not, what left you wanting?
- Which characters did you connect with most and least and why?
- What questions or curiosities remained unanswered by the end?
- Which dialogue or interactions between characters felt most authentic and which didn’t?
- Does the structure work?
- Does the setting work or feel plausible?
- What theme or message did you take away from the story, and was it what you think I intended?
Five notes on getting feedback
- Let the reader know what you are looking for. If it is an early draft, let them know so that they can read it accordingly and don’t get stuck in a nit-picking read through. If it is a late draft you might want them to pay attention to the finer detail, and if so, ask them to do this.
- Give them a timeframe before they commit. If you want the feedback in a week (potentially an unreasonable request), let them know so they can tell you if it is plausible.
- Ask if they would prefer to read it in print or on screen. This is something I forgot to ask recently and my reader took it upon themselves to print it out, an expense that should have been mine as the writer.
- Work out with them about how you will receive the feedback. Is it an email, phone call, coffee date? Do you want to get the printed manuscript back with their markings on it? Stipulate this prior to them starting reading.
- Don’t ask too many people for feedback. Asking for too much feedback can leave you muddled about what you are trying to do with your story. One person’s I love this part is someone else’s I hate this part. Choose the person wisely for the task you require.
Over to you
- What other questions have elicited quality writing feedback for you?
- Do you have any other points that could help get great feedback?
Let me know in the comments below.
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Footnotes
- A beta reader is someone who is not necessarily a writer or an editor, but someone who generally reads a lot. They provide feedback from a reader’s point of view ↩︎
- Professional editors have had training in writing and editing and most likely are members of an editing body like the Institute of Professional Editors Limited ↩︎
Excellent advice. It’s such a tricky one. No one wants to be crushed or coddled. I have been on the unofficial ‘beta’ end a few times with no parameters even when I’ve asked for it. More writers need to read this article. 😉
Thanks Rhiannon. It is so so tricky, which is why I think it helps to ask the right questions when you’re getting feedback. We have to leave our writing ego aside when we get the feedback as it can feel like a gut punch. I have discovered that when the feedback hurts, it’s great to put it aside and come back to it later as there is always something in it.
Agreed…more writers need to read this article! Feel free to share it more widely.