Do you like to eat? I do. That's why I like to talk about critique sandwiches.
What is a critique sandwich? Let's start with the word "critique."
A critique is what you give someone when you read his or her story and make comments. Getting comments from other writers is great. Comments from others can be a huge help when we revise our stories. But when we give each other comments, we want to make sure we do it in a way that helps the writer, not hurts.
So we make a critique sandwich. Here's how:
1. The bottom piece of bread. Something we liked about the writing.
2. The filling. What could make the writing better?
3. The top piece of bread. Something we liked about the writing.
So we start and end with positive comments: "I really liked how your character escaped." "The voice in the story sounded just like you." "Your descriptions were so vivid."
The filling is the "meat" of the sandwich. What could make the writing better? Were there things about the story that confused you? Did you wish there was some description of the main character? Did you want to know more about how a character felt?
These are all things you can tell the writer, "sandwiched" in-between the top and bottom pieces of bread (your positive comments).
The next time you read someone's writing and comment on it, make a critique sandwich. You won't even need a plate.
