My Reviewing Style and Objective

MY REVIEWING STYLE AND OBJECTIVE

I love to review. It's a habit of mine that I can't suppress and don't want to. Reviewing helps me so much with my own writing, and I really hope it helps the people I review, as well! I've seen so many of these on the site...items about any author's particular reviewing style. Mine has grown from utter simplicity to what it is now, and it is constantly changing, so this format might change, too.

          Why do I review?

I review because I've always loved English and the multitude of rules that have to be followed to use it correctly. I review because I'm a perfectionist, and because I know that careful consideration is what I would want of my stories. I may be a bit too picky sometimes, though. I review because I love to write and I know many people share that love, and I want to help them. I review because I can...and because I can't help it.

          What do I review?

I review anything. I review poetry, short stories, articles, essays, campfires, surveys... and even the occasional novel. My reviewing style is pretty fixed, but I constantly adapt it for new kinds of items.

          When do I review?

I try to review as often as I can, to keep me on my toes. I have no set schedule, though. Sometimes, family problems keep me from reviewing more than a couple items a day, but sometimes I'll do 20+ without a problem. If any requests are made in either of my review forums, they will be gotten to promptly, barring unforeseen circumstances.
          "Beneath The Surface Reviews - CLOSED"  [E]
          "Invalid Item" 


HOW DO I USE THE STAR RATING SYSTEM?

I try to rate as honestly as I can. I have no concrete, unbreakable philosophy when it comes to this. I will try to give a brief overview, though.


A five may be awarded for any number of reasons. Often I will award a five star rating to a particularly touching or inventive item, even if there are one or two small mistakes. If an item makes me cry or reel in terror, or forces me to review preconceived ideas, it might well get a five. If there is a relatively perfect item that is very interesting but not quite my style, and I know that fans of the genre would enjoy it, I will often give it a five.


Such an item is very good. It wasn't quite perfect, though. It might be one or two typos, small grammar mistakes or punctuation errors that keep it from perfection. It might be little inconsistencies or a few instances of telling when showing would be more effective. It may just not be quite perfect in any of a thousand ways. It may be a good item, well-written and well-done. It may not stand up and sing, but it is amazing writing, still.


A four may have a few mistakes. A four, whether a poem, an article, an essay or a story, has small mistakes and punctuation errors that need to be resolved. It may have threads that haven't been tied off. It may have been told before, or it might just need a bit of zest and originality to bring its rating up. It is interesting, but just not quite a 4.5.


A 3.5 has several mistakes. It probably has minor problems with most things, including characters, description, spelling, grammar and punctuation. Actions that are out of character, unexplained and random plot devices, or a simply unoriginal story may prompt me to give a story a 3.5. There's still a discernible story under there, but it's obscured by mistakes and problems. Sometimes, if a good story has many, many small problems, I will give it this rating, but I will always return and rerate if the item is edited.


Underneath an item that receives such a rating is...a story. It probably isn't really original. It may have many mistakes. Its characters are probably kind of dry and, at worst, I don't care at all what happens to them. At best, I'm impassive. There probably aren't many things I like about this item. Mistakes will litter the paragraphs.


Yikes. A story that I rate 2.5 is riddled with errors, or it may be simply undeveloped. Its plot is hazy and probably unoriginal. It may be a good story, but it probably has a lot of problems, almost too many to list. I will include a review, as always, with everything I can possibly list to make this story much better, with the promise to reread if corrections are made.


Many, many problems. There will be countless errors and the plot may be wandering and end unresolved. The characters will probably be unexplained, unlikeable or too similar, and the grammar mistakes will obscure the story until it is almost unreadable.


This is very flawed. A 1.5 star piece will have problems with almost everything. I may find a couple things that I like, but only if I look hard. The plot will be either stumbling or nonexistent. If it is a poem, its flow is shaky, and it is unclear. There will be many mistakes of every kind. I was not satisfied with this.


I admit, I have not wandered into this rating often. This will be unreadable. Almost every word is misspelled. Plot is nonexistent. If this is a poem...then it's not a poem. It's something else. I don't even know what it is. I very rarely give out this rating!


MY REVIEWING FORMAT:

I focus on character, plot, description and format first in my reviews. I consider quite a few things when giving my comments on these things.

          Character: Were your characters believable? Were they likable? Did they have flaws, and how clear was my picture of them? I might talk about scenes that, in my opinion, built your character.

          Plot: What expectations did you set up? Were they fulfilled? How was your ending, and was I satisfied with it? Was I touched by your story in any way? I might note important story moments here.

          Description: I love detail. Here, I will note if I think you used it correctly. Did you utilize the senses of smell, taste, touch, sight and sound to bring your description to life? Did you show rather than tell? Too much description can drag a story down.

          Format: I believe in double-spacing paragraphs, or at least indenting them. If you don't, it is very difficult to read them, and harder to enjoy the story. Though I do not base my rating on whether the paragraphs are either indented or double-spaced, I do like to read them that way. If your story is separated in some way, and a certain part of it isn't, I will note that. Also, paragraphs that fill the screen can make a story seem heavy. I may suggest separating them.

I also dedicate separate sections to the things that I liked, and things that could be improved. Every typo I see will be pointed out. Sometimes, if I feel that it is necessary, I'll add a section at the end which reiterates and elaborates on points that I think are really important. So...well, there it is. How I review. It would be awkward to link my reviewing format, but if you click the link below, it leads to a list of the reviews I've given recently.

http://www2.writing.com/main/my_feedback.php?action=rrs&only_user_id=concre...