Read the story once through. Choose a critical theory to use for your critique, such as one of the theories and schools of criticism found at Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL). Alternatively, decide what parts of the story interest you the most and what common theme or idea is present in those parts. Choose either an established theory or your own judgment to determine the focus for your critique.
Read the story again. Pay more attention to the way that the narrative is constructed, the characters are developed, the themes and how these are communicated to the reader. Make notes on all of these points. If you are applying a critical theory, then write your notes with that theory in mind.
Establish the relationships between your points. Come up with a single statement that describes a coherent group of these relationships; this will be your critical statement. If you used a critical theory to generate this statement, be sure to note which theory and how you have used it.
Read through the story for a third time with your critical statement in mind. Look for evidence in the story that proves your critical statement by showing that your supporting points are true. Find details from the story or direct quotes to support your critical statement.
Write your critical statement as a full sentence at the top of a new page. Write the supporting points for your critical statement below it, leaving space for more writing between each. Write the pieces of textual evidence that you found for each of your supporting points in the spaces. Use this page as a reference for discussion or as your outline notes for an essay.