How to Give Constructive Feedback

While most of the advice I give on this blog is geared toward helping writers, I decided to switch things up a bit today. This post is for anyone who helps writers by reading their work and giving feedback. We've probably all gotten well-meaning, but bad advice at some point in our lives. Writers also get a lot of well-meaning but not useful or un-helpful feedback about their work.  If you are someone who helps other authors as an editor, beta-reader, or a general writing buddy, check out the tips below to make sure you are giving the best feedback possible.

To begin, lets review the different types of editing. There are many types of editing and they can be called different names or defined differently depending on where you look or the industry. For simplicity, I've described the three main types of editing below:

1. Substantive/Developmental Editing - I think of this type of editing as "big picture" editing. At this level, you are looking for problems of organization, coherence, logical consistency, etc. Are there plot holes, scenes that don't makes sense, key information that seems to be missing, or characters acting, well, out of character? 
2. Copy/Line Editing - In copy or line editing you are taking a closer look at the text. This level of editing includes checking for errors in grammar, punctuation, style, word usage, repetition, etc. 
3. Proofreading - This is the last step in the editing process and involves looking for any typos or minor mistakes that might have been missed earlier on in the writing/editing process. You might also look for formatting errors. I find that it helps to read the text aloud at this stage as your brain is less likely to skip over errors when you have to say each word. 

As an editor/beta reader/writing buddy, you may be doing any combination of the above three types of editing. If it makes you feel uncomfortable to point out errors in a writer's work for whatever reason, remember that you are not insulting the writer when you find errors or saying that their writing is bad. If you've been asked to read something and give feedback, it is your responsibility to help the writer produce their best work. By pointing out errors, you are giving the writer a chance to not only improve their work, but also their writing skill. 

While you are always on the lookout for errors and things that need correcting, I believe it is important to balance constructive feedback with positive feedback. Let the writer know what needs to be fixed, but also what they are doing well and that they should keep doing. 

Lastly, when giving feedback, it is crucial that your comments be specific and clear. You should explain what is working or not working and why. Saying "this is good" or "this is bad" doesn't give the writer much to go on. Try rather to say, "I like this dialogue because it sounds natural and flows well" or "This dialogue sounds unnatural because the character uses slang that is not from the time period." If you have a suggestion that could be a possible solution, go ahead and offer it, but remember you are offering a suggestion that the author can choose to use or not. For example, if an author uses the word "great" so frequently that it becomes obviously repetitive, you might point out, "You use 'great' very often. Try using synonyms like 'excellent' or 'impressive' to add variety to your writing." 

That's all for now folks! I wish you luck as you go forth and provide the best possible feedback to every writer you help.