Writing is a difficult lonely endeavor, and every writer is a perpetual beginner. Therefore, don’t be ungenerous with another person’s attempts. Such an act will only reflect on you.
Like the Reading Response, the Peer Response is an attempt to describe the qualities of your peer’s story specifically, to say more than, “I like this,” or “I think this is just beautiful,” which is no good, empty, unless you can say why. But the Peer Response is fundamentally different in that you are also charged with trying to help the author improve the story. Because of this, you must always remember to be conscientious and constructive. Take a risk, say something that will help the author make their piece better, but say it in a way that it can be received well.
Are the characters, especially the protagonist, interesting and credible? Do you care about them? Why? Why not?
Are the characters complex? How? How could they become more complex?
Are the characters consistently inconsistent? How? How could they be more so? (How could they be less rigid, less like types, and more capable of change?)
What does the protagonist want? What's in the way? Are the obstacles formidable? What are they? Chart the narrative arc: the rising action and turning point
How is the story a record of choices?
How is the story a record of change? (How does the protagonist change?)
What is the protagonist's problem rooted in character?
So what? Discuss the relevance of the story for you? How does it relate to our lives? Your life?
Analyze closely at any one craft feature you find compelling, and which provides a "path in" to discuss other elements of the story. Point of View, Characterization, Image, Setting, Atmosphere, Narrative Structure, etc.
How does the story remain mysterious for you? What questions does it leave you to ponder?
In what way is the story ambitious? (In what way does the author take a risk in the writing/rendering of the story?)
Notice how, in this response, you're not being asked whether you "liked" the story, or even "liked" a particular moment or image or scene or piece of dialogue. You're being asked to describe the formal qualities of the story that relate to character and conflict. You're not being asked to "evaluate": you're not being asked to say whether the story, or any part of it, is good or bad. Those questions aren't appropriate questions to ask until the story is finished. You're not being asked to decide whether you would ever want to hand this draft to someone else to read. You're being asked to describe it as a system. Hopefully, what this does for you, as a peer reviewer, is take the pressure off. You're not being asked to judge someone, or judge anything. You're being asked to describe. If you're not sure what the climax is, then your job is to say you're not sure, or to make a guess. Your hesitance is important for the author to hear. If the obstacles aren't formidable enough yet, or the story doesn't complicate itself (lacks rising action), your job is to say so. Again, you're describing the draft, not the author. We all want to make the story better, and our first task is just to respond to what's right there, on the page. Because all too often, the author has a lot more in their head than is on the page, and they think they've communicated something that they haven't yet, and they think the story means one thing, and the reader thinks it means something else.
The Peer Response should be 1-2 pages double spaced, typed. Make sure to be bring TWO COPIES of your peer response. One to give to me and one to give to the author.
Margin notes are the place where you say to the author: Nice image, or great dialogue, or good description, or Funny, or make a checkmark, or great transition, good characterization. In your margin notes, you can heap on the praise and good will and fellowship. So read the story with a pen in your hand, making margin notes along the way. Should you point out spelling errors, typos, individual sentences which confused you? Sure, that would help the author clean up their draft, but the real work you have before you is in the answers to the "big picture" questions up above.
Good Luck!