This is my first time participating in the diabetes auction, and I’m so glad Magic and Mayhem Writers decided to do it this year.

Now that you’ve read how the others critique, I’m sure you’re interested in learning about my style before bidding on it.

So this is how it goes:

Unless there’s a significant stylistic issue that jerks me out of the story, I read it all the way through once. I make mental notes of all the places that made me put down the story and do something else. (Of course, some manuscripts are so engrossing I’ll stay up to finish them…)

Then I let it sit for a day and read it again, this time critically. I comment on character inconsistencies, things that confused me or didn’t work so well, clunky parts, slow pacing, cliché descriptions, dialogue issues, etc. I also note parts that I find particularly clever or well-done. I don’t mark or comment on things that I thought were okay or acceptable.

I put it aside for another day or two and read it over. If I still feel the way I did earlier, I go ahead and write a general memo, commenting on big picture items in ways that are hopefully useful to the writer. I try to point out things that did or didn’t work for me. If there are any plot elements, etc. that are not my cuppa, I disclose that as well so that the writer knows about my biases.

I don’t do line edits just because I think it’s always the best do that at the very end. I also use track changes extensively to make notes and comments.

Hope this is helpful, and good luck with bidding!