Christian Writing Critique Circle

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"I have a few, very few, trusted friends who will edit me with a scowl. Most people want you to feel good so they give you compliments about your writing, and these don’t help at all (except emotionally). Really, you need some grouches to edit your work." Philip Yancey in a FaithWriters interview.

PLEASE READ ENTIRE SECTION BEFORE PROCEEDING.

NOTE: This area is for upgraded members only. Those who are willing to provide one critique (displaying honest effort even though you may not be an editor) to receive critiques in return. Each critique you provide earns you a credit to submit an article. Please do not just make a few comments and call it a critique. Review the guidelines and tips on the left and make a sincere effort. You do not need to be an editor to give a decent critique from a readers point of view. If you read books you already know the basics and can offer sincere suggestions. We ask you to critique with the sincere desire to help your fellow writer. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you first. Then do it kindly and with love but do not be afraid to be honest. You can learn much by giving good critiques.

We have paid editors who occasionally review the circle and provide in-depth critiques. They are instructed to offer critiques on pieces with less then two critiques already. Editor critiques are in addition to critiques you receive from members like yourself.

For those short on time and unable to do any critiques, they can be purchased below for a very reasonable cost.

Submissions are limited to 1,000 words or less and to a maximum of four submissions per member a month.

Posting parts of a manuscript are fine. However, the circle does not accept entire manuscripts chapter by chapter. These should be submitted to a single editor. The circle provides critiques and not editing.

Please do not abuse this area with continual submissions or by not doing decent critiques for others to get credits.

We encourage members to submit one article, wait for feedback and incorporate that feedback into their next submission. Take the feedback from that one and do it again. This allows you to take one step at a time in the right direction. Submitting large numbers of articles at once will lead to fewer critiques (people do not like to critique the same writer over and over again in a short span) and confusing messages for the submitter.

Honest, helpful critiques can hurt. They are not for the faint of heart. When you post an article expect to hear things that you do not like. We understand that your writing is an extension of who you are as a person. However, if you really want to improve your writing, you must learn to separate yourself from it. You cannot take critiques personally and survive. The best writers are able to step away from their writing and let others provide them an objective look. This can be difficult but it is a must. This is the best place to take a risk. You are among other Christian writers who want to grow too.

If you are a new writer and still have much to learn, we encourage you to complete our writing courses before submitting for critiques. We do have moderators in this area and if they see submissions that are filled with errors, you will be asked to remove your critique request. You will then be directed to the resouces we provide for study before submitting again.

If you do not have the time to provide a decent critique to earn a free one, this area is not for you. We have several members who will provide excellent critiques for $3.00 per page. Email us a request by clicking here - Get A Critique


Give a Critique - Select a Genre

Please be sure to critique the works of every member. If you see a piece with "0" critiques, please critique it.



One of the things I really like about the Critique Circle is the fact that in order to receive a critique, you must be willing to give one. Helping others has always given me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. It feels nice to know my actions can help someone else have a good day. The Circle requires one to give in order to receive. Some people may shy away from leaving constructive critiques because they may not feel qualified. But even if you are new to the writing world, there is a good chance that you've been reading since you were just a tot. Knowing what you like or don't like is a big part of leaving a critique. If you find yourself stumbling over a sentence there is a good chance that the sentence needs to be restructured. When giving a critique instead of just saying your sentence needs restructuring, I find an example and then show them one or two ways I would write the sentence so it flows without the reader needing to stop and reread a section.

I've learned as much, if not more, about writing by paying attention to what I like or don't like in other articles. One of the reason I try to comment on every challenge entry is because I learn so much from reading and leaving feedback. For a critique to be considered constructive, it's important that the author trusts you. If you gush over everything you read, it can be difficult to believe if you love my story because I just so your comment on a different story that was filled with errors and didn't make sense. One of the things I do is start with a prayer asking God to guide my words and to be gentle yet kind. Then I try to start the critique with something positive. No matter how poorly written an article is, if you ask God to guide you then you will always find positive things to say. Next, I'll point out specific typos or errors and show them the corrected version. If I'm giving my opinion with something like show, don't tell, then I'll pick a line from their story and try to find examples that would be more of a descriptive picture than an accounting of events. Finally, I always try to end the critique with positive comments.

I do tell people who want more feedback on their stories that one of the best ways to get comments is to give them. Most weeks that I enter the challenge, I will receive lines of gold boxes. I believe that is because people are repaying the favor and leaving me comments because I'm faithful in leaving them comments.

Shann Hall is a FaithWriters moderator and long time member. She is one of the most helpful people we have on the site. Please be nice to her and the other moderators who help critique. It is not an easy job and the pay is lousy. They do this out of the kindness of their heart in a sincere effort to help writers.