Students have asked me if there is a way to get good feedback on their manuscripts without paying money to a professional.
There are the standard suggestions:
• Join a writer’s group.
• Find another writer looking for feedback and swap services.
But there is another, often overlooked, resource — family and friends. OK, they aren’t an ideal group for critical feedback. They may not know much about story structure or character development, but they will be the future audience of your book or movie. Tapping their organic response to your story can be extremely valuable; it just takes a little direction from you.
The method below has worked for me with moderate success.
First: See if your friend or relative is willing to give feedback. Don't press the unwilling.
Second: Give them each a manuscript and tell them, “I need you to write all over the thing”. (You’re trying to make this fun, rather than a chore.)
Third: Give them a list of symbols to use for commenting. These are a few I’ve used, but you could use anything. Just keep it simple.
• Draw a ☺ or ! when you like something.
• Put a ? when something doesn’t make sense or you get lost.
• Draw an X when you didn’t like something.
• Fold the corner of the page when you take a break. (This tells me I have a lull in the story. No one sets a book down in the middle of an exciting part.)
Fourth: Have a list of questions for them to answer at the end.
• What characters did you like best, and why?
• What characters did you like the least and why?
• What stood out for you?
• Were there places you wanted more information? Less information?
Pick these questions carefully and don’t give them more than five. You're still trying to keep this fun, and maybe do this again for you someday.
Fifth: Pay them. Yes, even family and friends deserve something for all their hard work. I've paid in chocolate, Starbucks gift certificates and movie tickets.
Friends and family don’t replace professional feedback, but they’re a heck of a lot cheaper, and you’ll be surprised by some of their insights.
There are the standard suggestions:
• Join a writer’s group.
• Find another writer looking for feedback and swap services.
But there is another, often overlooked, resource — family and friends. OK, they aren’t an ideal group for critical feedback. They may not know much about story structure or character development, but they will be the future audience of your book or movie. Tapping their organic response to your story can be extremely valuable; it just takes a little direction from you.
The method below has worked for me with moderate success.
First: See if your friend or relative is willing to give feedback. Don't press the unwilling.
Second: Give them each a manuscript and tell them, “I need you to write all over the thing”. (You’re trying to make this fun, rather than a chore.)
Third: Give them a list of symbols to use for commenting. These are a few I’ve used, but you could use anything. Just keep it simple.
• Draw a ☺ or ! when you like something.
• Put a ? when something doesn’t make sense or you get lost.
• Draw an X when you didn’t like something.
• Fold the corner of the page when you take a break. (This tells me I have a lull in the story. No one sets a book down in the middle of an exciting part.)
Fourth: Have a list of questions for them to answer at the end.
• What characters did you like best, and why?
• What characters did you like the least and why?
• What stood out for you?
• Were there places you wanted more information? Less information?
Pick these questions carefully and don’t give them more than five. You're still trying to keep this fun, and maybe do this again for you someday.
Fifth: Pay them. Yes, even family and friends deserve something for all their hard work. I've paid in chocolate, Starbucks gift certificates and movie tickets.
Friends and family don’t replace professional feedback, but they’re a heck of a lot cheaper, and you’ll be surprised by some of their insights.
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