*HOW TO GIVE GREAT FEEDBACK*

How to Provide Great Essay Feedback:

Good critiques are more than “I liked it” or “I didn’t like it.” They offer analysis and present examples of what the critic did or didn’t like.

Feedback should be a paragraph or two (or even more!) that explains what your thoughts are on the piece. These should be larger, global thoughts about the essay, as opposed to sentence-level line edits.

Additionally, Please be trauma-sensitive at all times.

We are not here to judge. We are here to help guide each other through the adventure of writing about what we can hardly admit to ourselves, let alone write and share with others. This is challenging because good writing about difficult material is inherently emotionally charging. So, we must read with an open heart and open mind, and wherever possible, focus on the actual writing—the craft and technique—not on the content. Make suggestions that help to strengthen the actual essay and NEVER suggest the writer to have lived their life differently.

In order for this to work, this MUST be a safe space for every participant. Therefore, if I see any sort of trolling whatsoever or a comment that has more judgmental statements in it than helpful criticism, I’ll remove the comment and send it back to the commenter and ask they rethink it in terms of writing craft. I reserve the right to silence any person or comments deemed offensive.

Questions to consider when providing feedback: you don’t have to answer all of these. The questions are for you to see what type of craft and story-based successes and challenges are in the piece:

  • What feelings come up for you as you read the piece?
  • What ideas/sentences/images stood out the most to you?
  • What is your favorite part and why?
  • Are there any places where you confused about what was going on?
  • At any point in the essay, did you feel your mind wandering off? It so, where? Why do you think that happened?
  • Do you feel like the narrator welcomes you into the story, or does it feel like she’s keeping you at arm’s length?
  • What do you want to know more about?
  • Did anything in the essay feel repetitive?

If you have any questions or want help formulating your feedback, please feel free to email your instructor.

Mary McBeth