On Giving Reviews

On Giving Reviews

In scroll, in replies, in emails...so many people in so many places, whether moderators, preferred authors, registered authors or newbies, have said that they can not compose an in-depth review. It can be difficult, but when looked at in the right way, a lot of the difficulty of reviewing drops away, and it's easier to approach everything with an open mind.

Whether you seek to help other writers with their work or are simply searching for a way to critically examine other stories in a quest to improve your own, here are some tips on composing a detailed review.

Remember, reviewing will not only help the person receiving the review, it will also help the reviewer, because in critically examining and reviewing the works of other authors, reviewers gain insight into their own writing and the ability to look at it distantly with a critical eye.

          Things to Remember When Composing a Review:

Be Positive. Whether you think the story is something that was written when an exhausted and depressed writer ingested Dran-O and sat down to write or a whether you find a story deserving of world-wide recognition, remember that the people on this site are just like you. They come in search of help with their writing, and like you, they have probably spent a lot of time on it, whether it's a poem or a story, an article, essay or novel. They're looking for honesty, but they're also looking for tips to improve. In this wonderful community of writers here on WDC, we're all joining together as writers and readers to learn. Review something like you would want one of your own pieces reviewed.

Be Honest. If you think that the story deserves a 3.0 rating, give it that! Do not give a reader false encouragement. There is always something good about a story if it is written in earnest, even if that fact is the only thing good about it! Try to point out things that could be improved, of course, but don't tell people that they have no chance of getting better, because everyone does. This site and the amazing members here have proved that over and over. Rate honestly, but do it kindly.

Be Critical. This relates to all the other ones, but it is very important by itself. Remembering to be honest and positive, look at the story. Don't look at it only for its problems. Look at the story from every aspect, and decide how it affected you. Was it the reader's intention that the story affected you that way? Was something missing? You may have found mistakes or inconsistencies, and I know that as a writer, I appreciate reviewers pointing those out. Even so, grammar is not everything. The goal of writing is to immerse your readers in your own world and make them care about your characters.

These three points are some of the most important things to keep in mind when reviewing. However, reviewers must also consider the more technical aspect of looking at a piece critically.

          How to Review Critically / Aspects to Consider

Poems, short stories, essays and articles are often the things that need the most attention when reviewing. This section is to familiarize reviewers with the aspects of these item types.

STORIES

Characters are one of the very most important things about a story. When you read a story, can you imagine these characters? Could you explain their personalities if you were asked, or would you be able to just smile and wonder about an intentionally mysterious character? Could you speak of important physical traits? Characters, whether in stories or novels, need to be consistent. Was a cold, uncaring character introduced, only to go out of his way pages later to help someone? Consistency with character is very important. Whether you like a character or consider his or her violent demise, it's all about how they strike you. Good characters are vivid, and so real that you could swear you've met them before. They're funny or cruel or determined or heroic or saddening. Good characters leave their mark on you.

Dialogue is not just talking. Anyone can talk. Dialogue accomplishes much more than speech, though. It isn't, "How are you doing, John?" and "I'm doing wonderful, Bob, how about you?". Dialogue shows emotion and furthers the story, without that being apparent. It's realistic and reveals character. That's dialogue at its best. Look for what's in the dialogue when you read it. You should see the story moving. You should see emotion through the spoken words. That's what dialogue is.

Plot is another very important thing to every story. Plot, in general, is what the characters do, and the events that transpire. Plot is the story. What happens? Do events and people that are mentioned contribute to the story? Are cliffhangers left hanging? How do you feel when the story has ended, and was every loose end tied off when the story closed? Tell this to the writer in your review. Were you satisfied with the conclusion? Plot is inextricably connected to character, since characters are often the driving force behind it.

Description, at its very best, paints a world for us. When you look at a story, note its description. Were you always aware of where you were, and some skeletal characteristics of that place? The best description utilizes the senses of smell, taste, hearing, sight and sound to plunge a reader into a universe that they can touch.

Format is, at its most basic, the presentation of the story. Not like plot, though. Format is how sentences are formed, and how punctuation is used. If description, plot, dialogue and format were the furniture in a house, the format would be the house itself, the thing that holds all of the garnishes. This is just as important as everything else. Note dialogue and sentence punctuation. Point out unclear sentences. Since indents don't register here, the {indent} tag should be used, or a story should be double-spaced to give readers a chance to rest their eyes.

POETRY

Rhyme: if applicable, is an important part to poems. Though many poems do not rhyme and are better for it, rhyming poems should have a consistent rhyme. Even if it's not completely perfect, which cannot be avoided sometimes, it should at least be smooth, and not too distracting. A lot of times, it's okay when the rhyme is vague, because it fits, but it's easy to see and helpful to writers to point out where that rhyme doesn't quite fit. I know that poets are very sensitive about their work, because poetry can be interpreted in different ways, but tactfully pointing out problems is usually appreciated.

Flow is a very important part of any poem. The way that the words move through your mind as you read, whether they're smooth and beautiful, or intentionally choppy, indicating a strong emotion, they should not be awkward or distracting.

Imagery. What images and pictures does the poem paint for you? Are they beautiful, dangerous and turbulent, even thought-provoking? Can they be understood? Imagery can be used wonderfully, but it is often not used to its full potential. It's a poet's choice to add imagery, so this is a touchy subject, though. Make sure to point out the good things, and not only the bad ones, that you see in poems.

Mood: The emotion portrayed in a poem should be strong and clear. If the emotion is mixed up, unreadable, or weak, it should be strengthened or clarified. The mood of a poem is often made by the imagery, so both need to be strong in a good poem. Make sure to tell the author of the poem how it made you feel. They always appreciate knowing that their work is understood, and if it isn't, most of the awesome poets I know are always willing to explain.

ARTICLES AND ESSAYS

Topic: The topic should be interesting and well-laid-out. The writer should explore all sides of a topic and give their reasons for assent or disagreement. If all sides are not covered, then readers do not have an opportunity to make a decision for themselves. Did you learn something from the article? Was the main point, or thesis statement, solidly conveyed? Was the backing for whatever argument the author was making solid? Did the piece sway previously concrete opinions?

Clarity: Whatever the topic was, was it clear? Did spelling mistakes cloud the point? It is vitally important that an article or essay should be able to be understood. An essay writer may give references to other links that can give additional information, which is often helpful and interesting. Even if they don't, all questions that a reader may pose should be answered. Readers should be satisfied with the information presented when they're done reading. The essay should be organized well, so that things follow each other in a logical pattern.

Well, those are the things that I have learned, and things that other people have told to me. I hope that these tips help you in some way. Thanks for stopping by.