September 6, 2010 4:18 AM PDT

Critiques for A.D.D.'ers by MkmKachina

I used to belong to a group that used critique guidelines similar to Kelly's but I have a short attention span (What were we just talking about? Oh yeah.) I only have given 4 critiques so far this year, so it's not like I'm standing on firm ground, but here are the filters I use.

I ask myself the following questions:

If I were an editor whose reputation and job depended on the quality of the work I printed, would I buy this story? (Keep in mind that this world is subjective as hell, and William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald were flops in Hollywood.)
What were the strengths that made me write the check?
What are the weaknesses that made me write the rejection letter?
What suggestions could I make to make this story better?
Are the faults fixable by a quick nip and tuck, or are they systemic, like a lame theme or boring subject matter?

After I get through those filters, I try to let the writer know what I think in short, unemotional sentences.

After all, my critique is only my opinion at the time of writing the critique, it doesn't mean that I won't read it again and get a totally different picture.