Reviewing with River

As many others have stated, chapter reviewing is all about focusing on the right things. Some of this has to do with where the writer is in the writing process. Is this a first draft? Second? Third? Or later? If it's a first draft, the important things to focus on have to do with the plots, characters, conflict, and pacing of the story and/or the chapter. If you're doing a single chapter, then it's a little harder to focus on anything more than what is immediately in front of you.

One of the things I like to do is ask the questions that I'm thinking of when I'm reading it as this can help the writer to possibly see something new from my perspective. I pay close attention to the things that I'm wondering as I'm reading. I also point out inconsistencies or flaws that I see, things that cause me to pause or hesitate. I almost never dive into word choices, grammar, or punctuation unless it's either a general note, the writing is flawed to the point that reading it is troublesome, there's a trend I see in the writing itself, or the author is at a place where he or she has asked for that kind of feedback.

Another thing I tend to do is read multiple times. I pick up things differently when I'm more or less familiar with a work. I'm also very careful when reviewing chapters depending on the writer - if it's someone I've never reviewed before as opposed to someone I review frequently. You get a feel for how formal or informal a review can be with a writer you have experience with as well as the kind of things they look for.

Lastly, I'm not afraid to reach out to the writer and ask about what kind of feedback they'd like to receive or what kind of things they are concerned with so I know to look for those when I'm reviewing. When reviewing chapters as opposed to shorter works, I'm much more likely to open up a dialogue with the writer. Shorter, standalone works lend themselves to doing that too but not always.

I hope this helps provide some helpful tips to those who are looking for that. Thanks Whata WackyBrew for tagging me!