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Leeron Heywood's avatar

A tip that I feel should be more well known - using “I statements” in your critique, presenting it as a personal take/opinion, makes the criticism feel much less threatening to most people. It also encourages you to figure out exactly what problem you’re experiencing.

Eg “this is confusing” -> “I found this hard to follow”.

“The character makes no sense” -> “I can’t figure out why the character made that decision”.

“Boring. Dnf.” -> “My mind kept wandering as I was trying to read. The writing wasn’t capturing me.”

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Emilia's avatar

One technique for writing critiques that I've heard of often is "the sandwhich method". You say something good, the criticism, something good as a closing. It makes it easier for the person receiving the critique to absorb the information and not get defensive or beat themselves up for a perceived failure. The goal should be to help the person get better, not stop them in their tracks.

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