Kelly ChastainMay 28, 2026

How To Give Written Feedback on Creative Writing

The full roadmap from your fav English teacher

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I suppose we should get this part out of the way first. The more tenderhearted among us will always think you’re a dick, even when they’ve asked for your honest feedback. Even when you’re being helpful and kind, and not at all using “just being honest” as a weapon.

After giving feedback on hundreds and hunnnnnnndreds of pieces of fiction, there are some strategies that help more than others. Hopefully, you’re working with someone who’s given you some guidelines for what they want. And if they haven’t, send them here and you’ll save yourselves a whole lotta heartache.

Now, if they’ve given you a document with guidelines, good. And one more time for the folks in the back – If they haven’t send them here. For the love of God, do not pass Go. Do not collect $200 until they’ve done it. Now that that’s settled…

Copy Their List of Questions

And paste them at the end of their draft. DO NOT read them before you read their work. Didn’t I just tell you to make them fill out this document so you’d know what you were up against before you started? Yes, I sure did. But here’s why pasting their questions into the end of their document works in everyone’s favor, and makes you a more honest reviewer.

  • We’re biased bitches. The moment we know the writer’s concern, we start looking for ways for the work to make sense, because we’ve just been told us it’s supposed to make sense, or they’re trying like hell to make it make sense.
    • Even when it’s worded like – I tried to differentiate the men in the train car by giving one a mustache and the other a midwestern accent. Was it enough?
    • So instead of just reading it and allowing yourself to be honestly confused or not, you end up scrutinizing the scene as you go, looking for evidence and theorizing if it’s working or not. That’s not honest feedback. It’s a crime scene investigation.
  • Sometimes a question is – Does my plot twist work, where the woman tries robbing the ticket agent and he ends up robbing her instead?
    • Shit. A great plot twist is supposed to take you unawares. Only now you’re 100% aware of what’s coming and you’re suddenly back to theorizing if it worked.

In Text Notes

These aren’t line edits, but places where you’ll make a comment because you loved something, were confused, have a question, or want to remark on the work. Please, if you loved a part, say so. Writers will sometimes edit out the best parts because they didn’t know they were working. Feedback isn’t reduced to only telling the writer what’s giving you heartburn.

Here are actual notes I gave to a student on her short story during lockdown. Let’s go through them.

In her work, I highlighted particular lines of text and each comment corresponds to those lines. Instead of being vague with your writer, show them in the moment what you’re talking about by flagging the text. Here’s what works in these comments.

  • Providing context
    • I had to read this a few times.
    • I’m super invested and want to know more.
    • I’d like to know X right here because I think that would help me, as the reader, understand Y better.
  • Start every comment with something positive or reassuring. Taking the rest of the feedback is so much easier and it increases camaraderie.
    • I love this element because it gives an “everything is rotting vibe.”
    • “I have a habit of doing this too.”

In this case, I was the prof. So adding suggestions on how she might go about revising the work made sense. We were learning craft techniques in class. So here, you’ll see me say things like, “This is a great place to compare/contrast…”

BUT, I also add things like, “How would you feel about chopping this line?” Because at the end of the day, it’s not my story. The best written feedback asks questions of the writer instead of giving directives or getting prescriptive.

End Notes

First, answer their list of questions that you’ve copied and pasted here. Use the same tactics as the in-text notes if you need to.

After that, it’s a great idea to write a few paragraphs for the author. This is where you can explain your overall take and add comments about theme or elements of the story that unfolded over time and wouldn’t make sense line for line. These are the section headers I always use and that tend to give writers truly useful info.

  • This is what I read
    • Give a short summary of the story. This is the most direct way for the writer to understand what stood out to you, what you think their story is really about, and how the work was perceived overall. It’s massively illuminating.
    • Plus it’s great practice for writing your own synopsis.
  • Here’s what worked
    • This is pretty straightforward. You load the hell out of this with praise. And if you can’t find something to praise, you’re not reading hard enough. There’s always something good. Pacing, structure, word choice, the character’s epic neon green hair. Pan for gold in sewage if you have to, but find the nugget and put it on display.
  • Here’s where I struggled
    • Never: Here’s what’s completely fucked up about your story.
    • Always: Point to your struggle as the reader. This is the paragraph where you give overarching context around the places didn’t make sense for you. Where you might not have fully bought a character’s motivation, the underlying power dynamics, or a plot point.
  • Suggestions if you want them
    • And that’s exactly what you name that section. Do. Not. Deviate.
    • The first sentence is always something along the lines of – In case you’re stumped on how to rework the plot point/unbelievable power dynamics/character motivation/etc… I WONDER IF YOU MIGHT TRY…
      • Never: DO X to dig yourself out of this godforsaken hole you’ve dug yourself into.
      • Always: Have you thought about? OR, you know how in (Insert a book they know) character so-in-so did (the big plot point), I wonder if using a similar strategy might make your character’s motivation clearer BECAUSE…
        • Then you tell them why you think this suggestion might be something worth considering. And if you can’t tell them why it’s worth considering, then take it as a sign that it’s probably not.

I hope that helps you navigate the next time you’re asked to read someone’s work, and gives you a roadmap for giving written feedback that will actually help your fellow writer. All without being a jerk in the process.

 

Join our Writing Community Hour over on The Rogue MFA YouTube channel (which meets every other Thursday evening at 4pm PST/ 7pm EST), where we’ll be building routine and community with YOU. Subscribe to get notified, and if you’re even a little bit interested, please fill out our quick survey so we can expand these in the future with you in mind.

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Kelly ChastainMay 7, 2026

How To Ask for Feedback on Your Writing

You have more control over this than you think

In all my years teaching creative writing, I utilized a writing workshop model in my class that was a mash up Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process and the philosophy of Felicia Rose Chavez’s The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop. If you lead creative writing sessions with a feedback component, I can’t recommend Chavez’s work enough.

If you’re in a writing group, looking to form one, or if you’re asking beta readers for feedback and don’t know how to direct them, this is for you. Guidelines aren’t just helpful. They establish expectations and set the tone. So, along with your creative work, you’re going to create a document that will consist of four parts.

What I’d Like You To Focus On

In this section, you’ll tell your readers what you’re having the biggest issues with, or what you perceive as trouble. For example, if you’ve been working on deepening your MCs characterization by including more interiority, you can ask your reader to note where it is and isn’t working. Where it’s too much or not enough. Where it starts to feel like we’re living in their head more than in the world you’ve created.

This also helps your readers understand what’s important to you as the writer. I read a lot of submissions in genres that aren’t my preferred genre. That’s how it works when you’re teaching, and having my students tell me what to focus on has taught me a ton about how they see their genre, some of the conventions that I may have missed, and what’s truly important to them in their story.

It’s too easy to get caught up in what we want the story to be, but when the writer tells us precisely what they’re going for, and asks if we can look out here and see if they’ve hit it? It takes us off the hook, and they get better feedback.

If this is a rough draft and you’re just trying to see if the idea has teeth, you can say something like, I’m just looking for your general impression. Let me know what’s standing out to you good and bad. You don’t have to have 15 bullet points and a manifesto here. A few way markers can make all the difference.

What I Already Know Isn’t Working

This is where you tell your reader what you’re working through, and that can take a variety of forms. For example:

This is the first time I’m trying this in third person, and I know I’ve probably missed some of the pronouns and verb conjugations after I flipped it from first person. I also know this POV switch isn’t fully landing.

This can range from a few sentences to a few paragraphs so your readers understand the context of your thinking, and the other elements of the story that you’re grappling with as you’re making decisions.

If this is a rough draft and you already know that most of it isn’t working, this is the place to let your readers know where you are in the larger process. Flagging it as a shitty first draft is massively helpful for your readers because they’ll know not to flag every typo. We’ll all assume that most of this is going to be rewritten, and the feedback can focus on the broader points of the narrative.

My List of Questions

The magic of this section is where you ask for help specific help if you want it. It’s also a great place to add more context to your questions to help your readers give you more considered feedback.

  • I know the train station scene is a real mess, and when this was in first person the reader knew what the character was thinking and her motivation. Any suggestions on how to let the reader know that she’s planning to rob the ticket agent? I want the reader to still have sympathy for her.
  • When the porters are emptying the baggage car, they drop and trunk and everything spills out of it. Did that seem like a reasonable enough distraction for her to be able to rob the ticket agent? Is there something even more obnoxious that would make more people turn to look, and make her get away more believable?
  • I tried to differentiate the men in the train car by giving one a mustache and the other a midwestern accent. Was it enough?

This is what I call the developmental editing section of the document because usually looking for help to patch a hole in your plot, or make a scene really sing. This tells your reader that they can get creative and that you’re open to their interpretations. That brainstorming is welcome. You also don’t have to put anything in this section. It’s entirely optional.

This is How I Want To Receive Your Feedback

This is the most important part of this document. Even if you don’t put anything in the other three sections, don’t sleep on this one. This is where you tell folks the best way to give you feedback. It’s perfectly reasonable to say something like:

Please only tell me the positives when we meet, and I’ll go over the page notes to see the critiques of what isn’t working in writing. It’s easier for me to digest the feedback that way.

You might be the kind of writer who wants your readers to tear your piece to shreds and give it to you straight. I had a ton of students who were like that, but I also had a ton who thrived with a gentler approach. And I wanted to honor them all. Because the whole point of having a writing community, and giving each other feedback, is to help each other become the writers we want to be.

And we can’t do that if half the room feels like they’ve been flogged or handled like blown glass. Whether you’re anxious about feedback, gung-ho to hear it, or somewhere in between, this model gives guidelines for everyone. Readers included. Phew!

We’ve made a fillable template if that makes your life easier. You can grab it here.

Join our Writing Community Hour over on The Rogue MFA YouTube channel (which meets every other Thursday evening at 4pm PST/ 7pm EST), where we’ll be building routine and community with YOU. Subscribe to get notified, and if you’re even a little bit interested, please fill out our quick survey so we can expand these in the future with you in mind.

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Kelly ChastainApril 30, 2026

Send your Characters on a Journey for the Ages

The character arcs that keep readers glued to the page

I wish this same advice held for the real world. Alas…

If you’ve never heard of a character arc, you’re not alone. But you probably have a sense of what it is because you read books and you watch films. Not to mention, you’ve seen your best friend finally dump Chad after taking him back 7 times, omg. That was a RIDE. But look at our girl and how she’s grown!

And that is the whole point of a character arc. There are three main categories of arcs, and a whole host of sub categories to choose from. We’re going macro to get the basics down first.

The Positive Character Arc

Ah, the one where they become a better person. This is also the arc that most of us think of first. It’s rags to riches, the bad seed turned philanthropist, Mr. Darcy cutting out all of his bullshit insults to Elizabeth Bennet and becomes a single man in possession of a good fortune who’s actually worth the hassle.

This character either starts off good and grows, or starts off bad and redeems themselves through change. Either way, they follow a similar pattern.

  • The character holds a false belief about something that’s usually in direct conflict with what they truly want.
    • Like that jerk, Mr. Darcy, proclaiming Elizabeth’s tolerable even though she’s obviously not handsome enough to tempt him. LOLZ.
  • The truth is quickly introduced.
    • And damn it, just like that Darcy likes Elizabeth. Albeit against his will, reason, and his very character.
  • A setback ensues.
    • Elizabeth’s having none of these contradictions declarations of love. Against your will? I’ll die penniless, thank you very much.
  • And so, the adventure or quest begins, where the truth of the matter takes over the character’s belief system so completely that they change.
    • In which, Darcy rescues Lydia from that scoundrel Wickham and restores honor to Elizabeth’s family so Elizabeth herself isn’t harmed by the scandal.
    • And that, in turn, changes Elizabeth’s opinion of him.

The Negative Character Arc

This one hits hard because there’s so much hope. There’s so much potential for this to turn itself around. Like your best friend giving Chad chance after chance. The will they/won’t they back and forth is hypnotizing. But even with all the struggle, the reasoning, the bargaining, the pleading for crying out loud, it’s all for not.

This character is either going to fall back into the lie, be disillusioned by it, or become a villain in their own right.

  • The character holds a false belief about something that’s usually supporting some story they’ve been telling themselves, or props up an ideal that they’ve bought hook, line, and sinker.
    • Lydia, Elizabeth Bennet’s flibbertigibbet sister, is so boy crazy that she believes any pretty whisperings in her ear. No matter which rake is whispering them. She’s idealized romance to such a degree that she’s blind to possible pitfalls.
    • It doesn’t help that Mrs. Bennet is desperate to marry her daughters off and the first bidder is just fine with her.
  • The truth is quickly introduced.
    • While Mr. Wickham is in the army and that seems respectable enough, there’s something off about him. But it all has to do with Mr. Darcy, who’s a jackass, so is he bad? Not to Lydia because offscreen Wickham is wooing the dewy-eyed lass.
  • A setback ensues.
    • The reader is fully aware of what it means if Lydia ruins herself. Lydia even knows. And still, she fights for the idea of Wickham. The disillusionment about marriage, and to him in particular, hits a fever pitch.
  • And so, the adventure or quest begins, where the character actively chooses the lie over the truth of the matter.
    • Lydia elopes with that scoundrel Wickham, and threatens dishonor to Elizabeth’s family until she’s rescued by Mr. Darcy and he sets the whole thing right.

The Flat Character Arc

But I thought you said the character had to change? What’s this flat arc business? Change here happens because of the character. While we might think that super hero stories would fit into the Positive Character Arc, superheroes don’t grow and only occasionally have to redeem themselves. They’re super in the beginning and they stay super. That’s why we watch every Knives Out film and read every Hercule Poirot novel. That’s why Marvel is blockbuster franchise. This character is reliable.

That means, this arc requires a ton of characterization upfront. While this can be a main character like James Bond, they’re often supporting cast and act as foils, comic relief, or a point of contrast to the other characters who are changing.

  • The character already knows the truth. The internal battle here is being able to maintain that truth.
    • Enter Mr. Collins, the idiotic social climbing clergyman and his incessant rambling about Lady Catherine De Bourgh. He believes that he’s really something important because of who he’s connected to, and he’s determined that everyone else does as well.
  • The truth is quickly tested.
    • Mr. Collins sets his cap at marrying Elizabeth Bennett. Only our girl is having none of it. After a lengthy and rambling sales pitch proposal, Elizabeth rejects him again and again.
      • “I am perfectly serious in my refusal. You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so.” OUCH. But does it change his belief? Nope.
  • And so, the quest begins to find another character who will either believe the same truth with him or let him continue believing it. ie – Changing the conditions, or the story around him, to keep the truth alive.
    • Hello, Charlotte Lucas.
      • 27 years old.
      • No money.
      • No prospects.
      • A burden to her parents.
      • Frightened.
    • Charlotte sees Mr. Collins as a means of survival, and arranges their home and married life in such a way that sees him as little as possible.
    • This marriage keeps Mr. Collins truth alive. That’s he’s a real somebody.
    • We also see Elizabeth and Jane marry well, and the contrast is startling.

A note on plotting

Now you might be thinking, holy hell. I’ve got to plot a character and plot a plot and plot the timeline and, and, and. That can feel like a ton at first, but here’s where it gets good. These plots take care of each other. When you find a character’s motivation, their beliefs and values, and what they want, the Plot plot starts to write itself. Because the ways in which you can complicate this character’s life become very clear.

So. Deep breath. You’ve got this.

“Read” this post as a YouTube video instead, if you’re so inclined!

Join our Writing Community Hour over on The Rogue MFA YouTube channel (which meets every other Thursday evening at 4pm PST/ 7pm EST), where we’ll be building routine and community with YOU. Subscribe to get notified, and if you’re even a little bit interested, please fill out our quick survey so we can expand these in the future with you in mind.

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