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| >> Static Item >> Article >> Reviewing >> ID #1725553 |   |
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Guidelines for Reviewing I've been reviewing on WdC since I joined in April, 2008. Over that period of time I have grown a lot in my reviewing skills, but my reviewing style continues to change all the time, as I continue to find more effective ways to read and review. Yes, a good review begins with time spent reading the piece. There's simply no way a reviewer can provide helpful feedback to the author without, first, carefully reading the piece. It may take several times reading through it before thoughts and opinions can be expressed. Do not begrudge the time spent reading a piece before deciding on its merits and weaknesses. Both reviewer and author will reap the benefits.  Always be honest. If you rave about how wonderful an item is, but fail to mention the parts that didn't work for you because you don’t want to hurt the author’s feelings, then your review is worthless--just a bunch of flattery. As authors, we do not learn anything from flattery. We benefit the most from reviews that provide specific examples of what the reader liked (and why), as well as the parts that were weak, or poorly expressed. The key word is "specific." The author learns nothing from vague comments such as, "I love your poem," or "I lost interest halfway through your story." Take time to figure out why you enjoyed the poem, and be sure to give the author specific reasons. What caused you to lose interest halfway through the story? Where, exactly, did it start to lose you? What would have made you want to read more? Since joining Writing.com, I have mainly written poetry. When I began to stretch my writing muscles and attempted a few pitiful short stories, I started getting feedback about "showing" instead of "telling." That sounded like a good thing. I just had one problem--I had no clue how to do that. I struggled with that concept, as I pushed myself to broaden my writing genres. Then, I got a review that made all the difference in the world. The reviewer asked several simple questions about specific places in my story. To my flat statement, "The trip home was miserable," she responded by asking me, "What did that look like?" To my lackluster line, "The guilt of what I had done weighed heavily on me," she asked, "In what ways did that show itself?" All of a sudden I got it. A light bulb came on, and I could wrap my mind around the concept of "showing." It meant that I needed to provide more actions so the reader could see and feel what my character was going through. I could, then, take those questions and apply them to places all through my story. Just a few concrete examples helped me learn how to make my whole story stronger. Now, I am still in the early growing stages of "showing," but that was the start of a new way to read, not just my stories, but the stories of those I review. That's what a quality review can do. Always be respectful. Though truthful reviews are the most helpful, your suggestions for improvement should always be tactfully stated. A good reviewer is an humble reviewer. You set the tone by the words you choose. "In my opinion", "Perhaps this would be clearer if..." "I would love to know more about [a character's name]", "How does [the character's name] show that emotion?" There are countless ways to phrase your comments so that you are not condescending, presenting yourself as having all the answers, and implying that the author should follow all your suggestions. In this same vein, you should respect the author's right to his opinion. Your job is not to evaluate the opinions and ideas expressed, but to provide useful feedback on the effectiveness of the writing itself. Crossing that line can lead to hurt feelings and bitter disputes. Stay focused on the writing. If you cannot review a piece with some degree of objectivity, then you should leave the piece alone and find something else to review. Always be encouraging. At WdC we always want to encourage writers to keep writing. Be sure to point out what you like about the item, giving specific attributes and quoting lines you found to be outstanding. Why did the line stand out to you? Did it make you re-think an idea? Did it stir some strong emotion? Perhaps it helped you to visualize the setting, or a character, or an action. In a poem, maybe it had a smooth flow, or described a vivid image. Authors grow in their writing skills by getting feedback about both the parts that were effectively written, as well as the areas that need improvement. It is wise to end every review on a encouraging note. It just leaves a good taste in the mouth. Make your rating match your review. This is very important.  It’s so frustrating when an author receives a “glowing” review, two or three lines long, and then scrolls down to check out the rating, only to find a 3.0 or a 3.5 star rating. If it’s so wonderful, why such a low rating? Always back up your rating, whether it's high or low, with REASONS for the rating. Authors don't really learn anything from ratings. We learn by listening to the responses of our readers. If they like it, we need to know WHY they like it. What caught the reader's eye? What held their attention and made them want to read more? How did our piece make them feel? If the reader found spots that didn't make sense, the author needs to know which places need clarifying. Just keep in mind that the review process is intended as a means for all of us to help each other grow as writers. Never sacrifice quality for quantity. If you need to read an item several times in order to give it a proper review, then that is what you should do. Don’t scan an item, then give a quick “cookie-cutter” review that doesn’t help the author in any way. Quality reviews are always appreciated. Read your review. Consider whether or not it will help the author learn what to do, or not to do, the next time he writes. If there is nothing there to help the author, then you have not properly reviewed the item. Finally, a review is not about summarizing the piece in your own words. There's no need to tell the author what the item is about, since he already knows. However, sharing with the author what you got from reading their piece is a good thing. This is different from re-telling it in your words. Authors love to know how their piece affected the reader. What feelings did it trigger? In what way did it make you think about something in a different way? Was there something about it that helped you in your own writing? Do you want a quick, easy, and free lesson on reviewing? In the left margin of your page, click on "Reviews." You will be taken to the Public Reviews Pages, where you will have endless pages of reviews you can read. In fact, in my Dynamic Reviewing class at New Horizons Academy (( taught by ~AJ Lyle~   )), that was part of my first assignment. Keep in mind that some reviews will be better than others, but you can learn from all of them.  Using a Review Template. Though never required, you may choose to use a review template so that your reviews are relatively consistent. A template gives you a format that reminds you of what needs to be addressed. There are lots of templates around WdC if you want to check them out and copy them. You may want to design your own template. It's good to have at least two templates--one for poetry and one for non-poetry items. Below is a good template to begin with. As you discover what are the most important things to you when you are reading a poem, a story, or other items, you will want to make your own template. Until then, you are more than welcome to use the one provided below. Notice the opening statement. It's brief, but provides the author with information about the reviewer. Hello, {user:warriormom}. This is a review from {item:1499415}!  After reading {item:1722418} I have the following comments to offer:The above ML Writing will yield the following statement: Hello, Pat ~Rising Star Sapphire Aude  . This is a review from "Showering Acts of Joy Group "  ! After reading "Release" I have the following comments to offer: This makes the review more personal. It lets the author know what group this review is affiliated with. It names the item being reviewed, and it tells the author that you have comments to offer. You have set the tone of the review by letting the author know that you will be commenting, as opposed to judging, or imposing your ideas on them. I encourage you to keep the opening statement and the section titles brief. You don't want the template to take up so much space that the review gets lost.Here is the complete template: {center}{image:1653768}{/center} {left}{b}Hi {user:warriormom}. This is a review from {item:1499415}! After reading {item:1722418} I have the following comments to offer: {e:buttonV}{b}Overall Impression:{/b} {e:pencil}{b}Suggestions:{/b} {e:apple}{b}Punctuation/Spelling/Grammar:{/b} {e:heart}{b}What I Like:{/b} {user:warriormom}{/left} If you use this Writing ML to create your template you will get the following result:   Hi Pat ~Rising Star Sapphire Aude . This is a review from "Showering Acts of Joy Group " ! After reading "Release" I have the following comments to offer:  Overall Impression: Suggestions: Punctuation/Spelling/Grammar: What I Like:Pat ~Rising Star Sapphire Aude If you have any suggestions to add to these guidelines please let me know. I would like to keep this, improve on it, and use it to help members become better reviewers. If you would like to join "Showering Acts of Joy Group " , we would love to have you! We offer varying packages to members of Writing.com. Every package includes a number of reviews in addition to other fun goodies, depending on the size of the package. We are always looking for people who like to give quality reviews. Just click on the link above, or e-mail me if you are interested! JUST FOR BEGINNERS:
Pat ~Rising Star Sapphire Aude November 18, 2010 Revised May 13, 2011 All of my writings are fluid, subject to change as I learn more about being a good writer or reviewer.
© Copyright 2010 Pat ~Rising Star Sapphire Aude (UN: warriormom at Writing.Com).
All rights reserved.
Pat ~Rising Star Sapphire Aude has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
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