Going Beyond “Good Work!”

So you’ve found something in the writing that stands out in a positive way. You want that learner to know it’s good and to keep on doing it. You want other learners to follow suit. You want to give feedback that helps learners understand why it’s good, and what they have done to touch you, to inform you, or to keep you interested.

This seems like a difficult task to many practitioners. Most of us (including me), although we may write often, have no formal training as writers. No wonder the idea of giving specific feedback on how to write well takes us out of our comfort zone. However, most of us are readers of novels, nonfiction, news, poetry, and social media. There lies our strength in giving feedback on writing. You recognize what you like in a book or an article; you know what moves you or makes you think.

You don’t have to know everything about writing well. You just have to say that something caught your attention in a good way. Then, if you can, say what the writer did to have that effect on you. You can find more ideas on what to say here: The Art of Giving Feedback.