While it's very sweet to tell every author that comes through the list that their story was incredibly cool, it's not always helpful. This list is meant to be one where authors can get honest feedback and useful suggestions. Don't be intimidated -- most authors genuinely appreciate comments and criticisms. To help you help your fellow listsibs, the Crimson Ink Admin have gathered together a few tips here on how to approach critiquing someone's piece.

1. Starting your critique: What to look for.
   It can be difficult to know where to start when critiquing a piece. Something constantly suggested by experienced authors is to read the story aloud -- this can help you find areas not quite working in the language of the piece. Content-wise, breaking it down into its major components -- plot, characters, setting, language (voice) -- and analyzing each can greatly simplify things for you. Some important things to look out for within these four factors:

• Plot: consistency, interest, conflict, development, clarity.
  Point out to the author any inconsistencies you find. What in the plot interested you? What did you think was extraneous? Often times even the best stories could use a little editing. Were you confused by it, or was the ambiguity needed? Was there a conflict or tension enough to involve you, the reader? Or do you find yourself unconcerned what will happen next? This is very important to let the author know -- a story without some motivator such as conflict, emotional or physical, is not much of a story at all. Is it a story with a strong plot, and nothing else?

• Character: motivation, consistency, believability, appearance.
  Is the character's behavior consistent throughout the piece, or are they bordering on coming off as a schizophrenic? Are they believable? Or are they 2D? Are the situations they are in believable? How is their dialogue? If you read it out loud, does it sound natural? Or does it need a particular accent to sound right, or does it just sound strange? How has the author conveyed the character's motivation? Their appearance-- can you visualize them? Is it important that you do? If they are writing fan fiction, how important is it to you that they re-describe the characters for you? What if you've never seen the series before? Has the author used their gestures, and actions to show emotion? Can you care about these characters, or do you hate them? Do you hate them and like the story anyways? Tell the author what attracted you to a character, what bothered you, and if you see places that their behaviour is inconsistent.

• Setting: atmosphere, detail, clarity.
  Is there a setting? How well has the author put you in a "place"? How does their setting convey a mood or tone? Does it? If a fanfic, how well has the author re-created the world the characters have existed in -- or did they want to? Are there concrete details for you to hold on to, or is the action taking place in a void?

• Language: (voice) word choice, point of view.
  Does the diction (vocabulary) of the piece fit what it's talking about? Is the voice a sympathetic one, or a detached omnipotent one? How does it help or hinder the piece?

• Spelling, grammar and other technical errors.
  Depending on your approach to critiquing (whether you are critiquing for content or style) you may consider this less or more important. If you have time, point these kinds of errors out, especially the glaring ones. If these errors are hindering your ability to understand the story, the author really needs to know.

2. Read it again for enjoyment.
   If you have the time, read a piece over twice. One time, simply enjoy the piece. As a whole, how does the story strike you? Did you like it despite weaker things you found when you were taking an editor's standpoint? Did it all just work, and fabulously? Or was there one area that you keep getting snagged by? Say so. When you're analyzing a story line by line, it's difficult to say what you really think of the story as a whole.
3. Writing the actual critique
   Be as honest as possible, but do take care to think of the author's feelings. If you don't want to be overly cutesy and dripping sugary diplomacy, simply listing what you liked and didn't like about the story in a very straightforward manner can work. Start out with something positive -- what part struck you the most? What caught your eye and drew you into the story? Who was your favorite character, and why? Going through weaker parts of the story does not have to be negative either. Phrase your thoughts in an encouraging manner, such as, "I think Bastien is an interesting character, but he really does not have enough personality yet. Perhaps you could try developing his past? I'd really like to see that happen." End with a summary of your thoughts and perhaps some suggestions you'd like to see happen, and take a moment to appreciate the effort the author has put into this story.

      A great way to do things is to quote from, or cut and paste bits of the story that need attention, and write your comments underneath it. This way the author knows exactly what you're talking about. If you just don't have that kind of time, you can also summarize or direct quote parts you have a thought on.

      Remember: critiquing is always subjective. When recieving a critique it is important to keep this in mind, as well as when writing one. You can only give your own opinion on the story, so don't be afraid to give it. If you are critiquing a story that falls out of your particular favorite genre, warn the author, but do your best to analyze the above points fairly and understandingly. If you feel there is no way you can do this because of your preferences, simply pass on it. Also, if you really felt at a disadvantage because you did not read (for example) fantasy, let the author know -- she/he may want to adjust some of the story so it is more accessible to all audiences.