Critique Sandwiches

I've written in Yellow Pencils about critique sandwiches. 

No, they're not for lunch. They're better than lunch. This type of sandwich is for the revision stage of writing.  

When we make a critique sandwich, we comment on someone else's writing in a helpful and positive way. 

First, the bottom piece of bread. What is something you liked about the writing? Maybe it was the terrific character who rescues the stranded whale. 

Second, the filling. What are some things you had a question about? Maybe you couldn't picture the setting. Or the dialogue seemed a little stiff.

Third, the top piece of bread. What is another thing you liked about the writing? 

We usually make a critique sandwich for other writers. But what if we make one for our own story?

It's hard to be objective about our own writing, but a critique sandwich may help. 

Take out a story you'd like to revise. It's time to make a sandwich! 

First, the bottom piece of bread. What is something you really like about your story? It's not bragging to find the positive things in your own work.

Second, the filling. What are some things you need to work on? Try to look at your story with a clear eye. "Re-vision" means "re-seeing." Can you add more details to the description of the junkyard? Can your verbs be punched up? 

Third, the top piece of bread. Find another thing (or things) you like about your story, then give yourself a pat on the back. 

Now you know what's working well in your story (the bottom and top pieces of bread), and you probably have a list of things that will make it even better (the filling). 

See? I told you this would be better than lunch. 

Making a Critique Sandwich

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.