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 |  A reviewing forum for those interested in improving their reviewing skills. |
1. How many times per week or month do you review a Newbie? I'm a weird member, I think. I don't tend to look for anything to read around here! I see notes in the Newsfeed, or in a forum somewhere, and if the subject sounds interesting, I review it. Whatever suitcase color wrote it. Or I'll read other entrants from a contest I enter, and if I feel I can impart any wisdom, I'll review it. Sometimes... a Newbie will practically beg for a review in Newsfeed or somewhere, so I'll take a look and see if it's poetry or non fiction, and I'll see if I can help. It's about a 50% rate whether or not I think I can, and leave a review. Which is better than just a month ago— which was about zero. Getting back into a little bit of reviewing  I also have my list of favorites to read. Love to go into their ports and see what's new. I read a lot of Blogs, mostly. I have newbies on my list, I have people of all nationalities and colors. I just don't give a fig about colors, and ONLY think about the black suitcases as far as whether I need to explain myself in WdC lingo a bit more. 2. Is there any specific way you try to encourage them? Oh my yes. If it's gonna be a longer review, I'll use my Review Tool, NEWBIE format. That welcomes them to WdC, gives a quick disclaimer which I feel is always helpful to a newbie, and a thanks for sharing your work with us. I will leave them more edit suggestions than I might otherwise a writer who's been on the site for a bit. Especially if their BIO TAB says they're new to writing in general. Yes, I ALWAYS go to their port! How can you know anything about them if you don't? Sometimes they'll even have it all filled out with expectations in their REVIEW TAB. That's super helpful. If they say they want it straight, I do that; if they mention they're kinda more tender to reviews, I will watch my verbiage more, give more suggestions based on emotions and feelings than on grammar and punctuation. If their item is really, really (nearly) unreadable, I will often give a few suggestions of erm, what do you call it, specific (yes!) opinions, then tell them in the final summation of the review to go over their whole item again and again so the reader can stop stumbling on the syntax or punctuation issues and get to the meat of their item. Usually non poetry. Poetry reviewing is more... emotions and feelings, and presentation, at least to me. I always tell them to give me a ringy-dingy back if they make changes and would like me to have another look, and possibly up my rating. Very few take me up on this, I've noticed. It's a process, becoming a writer (even a wannabe like me) and everyone has a different destination, trajectory, and issues along the way. I so, so rarely take offense. I just remind myself of how we are all different  No seriously. I do.3. Have you ever taken a Newbie under your wing? Yes.  Okay, seriously, SERIOUSLY. Yes. Many, many times. The old NAG group was all about mentoring newbies. "WhataLand"  is all about helping all kinds of peeps, and although very new and not much action yet, that's my purpose— to help newbies and anyone needing more help. Ah definition answers don't often help me. I have a little brain damage, nothing major, but it can make learning things a challenge. But for SOME reason, probably my work background, I'm not terrible at techie things. Still, I like to (for lack of a more PC phrase) 'dumb it down' a bit for peeps, or just say the same thing as "Writing.Com 101" does but in a different way. We don't all learn in the same ways— so I love to help peeps with disabilities to do stuff they didn't think they could do. Too often it is assumed that a pat sentence of instruction will work for everyone, when it so doesn't, and the instructor may lose patience far too quickly (and come to some generalizations about the student) that really aren't accurate. In other words, I like to be needed A VERY interesting discussion thread River! Always have fun answering, and thank you for the points from last month. Trying to clean up my cottage is gonna leave me behind for a bit around here!   |
Re: November 2018 ~ Reviewing Newbies · 11-03-18 11:27am 
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