How to ask for feedback that actually helps your story

You finish a chapter, send it to a friend and ask, "What did you think?"

They answer, "I liked it!"

That is kind, and it doesn't help at all. It isn't your friend's fault. "What did you think?" is a very hard question. Most readers don't know what a writer needs to hear, and they don't want to hurt you.

Good feedback starts with good questions.

First, decide what you need right now

Different drafts need different help:

• Early draft: does the story work? Do readers care, follow and want more? Don't ask about commas yet.
• Middle draft: where does it slow down? What is confusing? Which characters feel flat?
• Late draft: clarity, rhythm, small mistakes, the last polish.

Tell your reader which stage you are at. It saves them from fixing spelling in a chapter you may delete next week.

Five questions that get real answers

1. "Where did you start skimming?" Readers always know this, even if they wouldn't say it unprompted.
2. "What were you confused about?" Point readers at a place, not a feeling. Confusion is easy to fix once you know where it is.
3. "Who did you care about most — and least?" This tells you which characters are working.
4. "What do you think happens next?" If their guess is far from your plan, you have learned something about your set-up.
5. "If you could change one thing, what would it be?" One thing is easier to answer honestly than "any criticism?".

Ask for feedback at the right place

General feedback on a whole book is hard to act on. Feedback on a paragraph is easy. Ask readers to mark the exact spot — a line that confused them, a moment they loved, a scene that dragged. (On Inkly, readers can comment on a single paragraph, a chapter or the whole work, and suggest a change to the words directly.)

Choose a mix of readers

• Fellow writers notice craft: structure, pacing, voice.
• Readers who aren't writers tell you how it feels, which matters more than anything.
• People who read your genre know what readers of that genre expect — and when you are surprising them well or badly.

Two or three good readers are worth more than twenty polite ones.

How to receive it

• Say thank you, and don't argue. You don't have to agree. You do have to listen.
• Look for patterns. One reader's opinion is a data point. Three readers stopping at the same scene is a fact.
• Wait a day before changing anything. The sting fades; the useful part stays.
• Keep your story yours. Feedback tells you where the problems are. You decide how to fix them.

Try it now

Pick one chapter you are unsure about. Choose one reader. Send it with a single question from the list above, and a note saying what stage the draft is at. You will be surprised how much more useful the answer is.

This guide is Inkly's own.