14 Questions to Ask Crit Partners

Crit partners are the best when they know how to crit a WIP. But sometimes your crit partners don't know how to help you.

They send back a WIP with a couple of smiley faces and a few lines of text. After 10 edits this should be the case. But a first draft? If you're like me, not so much.

I love red marker. I love red lines. Thank you word for the notes section because I tend to leave notes that go off the page from the original line I'm highlighting. But if your crit partners are giving you the WIP back with no red and saying that the book is fabulous after the first draft...here are some questions to draw them out:

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Questions for Crit Partners

1.  What are your overall impressions of this story? 

2.  How satisfying did you find the climax of this story?

3.  How satisfying was the resolution of the main plot?

4.  Was the protagonist “likeable” or entertaining to read?

5.  Does the story keep the promise that the opening makes to the reader?  

6.  Was the character growth satisfying (or was the growth clear)?

7.  Did you feel a) sympathy and b) empathy for each of the main characters?

8.  Were the protagonist & antagonist believable human beings with motives you could understand? 

9.  Were the relationships between characters satisfying and believable?

10. Were the stakes as high as they could be, or can you think of a way to raise them?

11. Was the main character's black moment as dark as it could be?

12. Was the theme of the story clear, or does it need to be strengthened?  

13. Did this story fit with the conventions of its genre? 

14. What rating (from 1 – 5) would you give this story?