| Starter | Eggie |
| Updated | Sep 11, 2010 2:49 PM |
| Replies | 23 |
| Unseen | 23 |
Even if you can't find anything wrong with something do the inline edit and tell writer how you are feeling when you read it. For example,
Oh funny.
Ouch!
I didn't expect this.
I know someone just like this.
cool description.
This type of thing will help the writer reinforce the things that worked best about the story. You put 10 of those in and the writer will appreciate it.
Absolutely. Putting in specific things you liked can be helpful too or any reactions. When you put reactions in, sometimes that can be helpful because it was or was not what the author wanted.
I don't know how most do it, but I go straight to inline, and review as I read the story, putting in my thoughts immediately, and a lot of times things are explained later in the story, but I never have erased a comment- (which is also how I like my stuff reviewed)- the reason being is some times things should come earlier, no need to confuse readers- I also always write out a suggestion of how it might go- and a decent amount of times my comments are off track, but even so they still get folks seeing a different direction-
Long story short (I know, too late) I've yet to get any mark below a yes, most are above expectations, and several new members have told me, 'Ah, now I see how to review stories, thank you so much.'
also a quick side note- I try to look at each story as a piece of writing, not something I'm looking to buy and read- I never crit on rather it's my type of thing or not, just what the writer is trying to express
hope this helps folks
keep on writin'
Wiz
wizardwriter - I do the opposite. I alwasy read the story through first, before hitting 'review', so I won't be tempted to comment on things before I've read the whole story. Then I do the inline comments. That way, I've always read the story at least twice before I submit the review. : )
I copy and paste work directly into WORD. I then review the writer's bio and look specifically for the age and education of the writer; by doing this I can determine the parameters for review. I do a spell and grammar check with WORD to determine if writer has spag problem (as I do)... this also tells me exact length of work and appox. age/reading level.
I always look for hook or the unique in first three paragraphs. I look for the new and different from the get-go. New and different or unique, appeal to me more than perfect prose or correct structure. Of course their are limits to this... as demonstrated in the recently submitted poems about balls.
If I come across a piece I like, I will spend as much time as it takes to give as through a review as I can possibly give. Sometimes, I am overwhelmed and write volumes in the in-line comments, other times I rave or rant in the specific categories. If a writers hits the mark with the new and the different, or conjures up totally unique stuff, or the writing overwhelms me to the point of laughter or tears or other profound emotions, I give 9's-10's, regardless of level of writing correctness or maturity... or if the potential is there and only obscured by the writers self doubt or lack of confidence.
If I have to read a good writer twice, I consider the writer to have failed, but I will read twice or three times or more to try to discover problems, to provide a comment that hopefully helps... In scholarly text one reads lines over and over, but not in fiction and rarely in poetry.
I once owned a book-video store and the ring of that cash register still reverberated loudly in my brain telling me what pays the bills and what won't. What is that quote about only the fool writes for free or without a purpose in mind?? Twain? Issac Singer? Balzac? Stephen King?
All writers (like everyone else) have dreams of money and fame and success and happiness in the future. I always review with this in mind. And I thank Sally Brice for helping me out over the past year, made me a much better writer and reviewer!
And King probably reckoned Twain was not a fool, even if they both write fiction at a sixth grade level... not that that is a negative attribute.
I'm not clear on why a person's profile info is important to your review of their work. Could you explain why that matters?
I try to review each piece the way I would want my stuff reviewed and so far, I have gotten positive feedback. I do my inline comments 1st, and give my reaction to their work as I read (no pre-read). I tend to ignore spelling/grammar, since -- so far -- these errors are always minor and would be caught by the author with a read-through. I try to focus instead on issues of plot, sentence structure, pacing, tension, and character development. Whenever I point out something I think could be improved, I make a specific re-write suggestion or provide an example of what I'm talking about. It is also important to be specific about what you like (not just THIS IS GREAT, but THIS IS GREAT, IT MAKES ME LAUGH BUT ALSO PROVIDES VALUABLE INSIGHT INTO THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THESE 2 CHARACTERS). I've also found in the reviews I recieve, that I like it when people interject what they think the significance of something is, or what they think is going to happen next, because this gives me perspective on whether I am advancing the plot well and/or meeting the objectives of each chapter.
Hope this helps. - L
RE:FROM llnorman2000 - I'm not clear on why a person's profile info is important to your review of their work. Could you explain why that matters?
Each time I buy a book I first look at the cover, then the back of the book jacket to discern where the author is in relationship to the book review/rating world, to read a promo example of specific work and to see other works author has written. I then read the author's bio on the inside cover. I then look on the inside to see when the first printing was and then I read at the first and last chapter. I may plop down between $15 - $30, so I want all the info I can get to make an informed decision. The RF review is the same, only I am paying with my time. If all the variables aren't lined up I wait it out, or hope for intelligent writing and then I dig in.
I looked at your bio and discovered you are with military, possess a BA or BS and between 25-40 years old. It seems pretty clear to me that now I can write a better review/response in this forum and at a level that communicates to your specific parameters and comprehension level after reading about you.
The bio sells the author and creates a background/starting point in my mind for regional writing,and also helps me understand the level of writing presented based upon the writer's life experience. With a provocative bio of an author I may develop a greater appreciation and better understanding for the writer, especially when the writer lists books and authors that I know, like,dislike or that I want to know more about.
I also know from experience that agents,publishers and eager-beaver Sarah Lawrence graduates in the humanities scan this site looking for genres/authors in which they can follow and develop an interest in to make the author and themselves rich and famous (lol).
I think if you extrapolate this and transferred bio concept to your own work and imagine it in a bookstore, well I think you might see the advantage of a compelling bio.
Do you think if you don't use inline comments people will give you a lower score. I guess i'm just not the tipe of person who likes putting in inline comments.
A critique without inline comments would be very disappointing. That's where writers receive more specific examples of where they need improvement (or when their writing is wonderful). The reviewer can explain their position in detail with concrete examples from the author's manuscript. Just a personal opinion, but a critique without inline comments wouldn't be nearly as helpful.
i recently had a crit from deb, and i can tell you all her inline comments taught me more than some of the online writing courses i've taken.
I just joined this site, literally. Perhaps a couple hours ago, in fact, was when I pushed that "join now" button. I have submitted 4 reviews thus far.
I am in the straight to in-line sect. I give my first impressions, ask questions, offer advice or suggestions and give critical thinking a new meaning when I pour over these submissions. Why? It is what I want from a reviewer. I don't want someone to read my entire story, then go back and say "oh, well this was explained later, so I won't comment on it". No, comment!!! Please, please tell me that I had my writing backwards. I want that first initial impression, as there is nothing more valuable to me than that. Why? Because you only keep a reader buying your books if you make a good impression on them the first time.
Some of the reviews I "have" to do, because I submit work, are less than desirable. I mean this kindly. It is not necessarily that they are bad - just not my style. So I have to be far more careful how I view it and think about it. Other than that, I pipe in with my typing anytime I have an urge strong enough to make me type something. I don't force myself to write on every line in an in-line, but I try not to leave a writer with less than 3 to 5 comments if I can help it. Though, to be fair, if someone's writing can't compel me to want to comment at least 3 to 5 times, then it's more their problem than my review style. That sounds harsh, but it's true.
If you look at your reviews given, you get a score, like excellent, great, etc. What are these based on. I just spent hours on a review and got a great, but on some of my others I've received excellent. Why is this? It was too soon for the reviewee to even see the review. Is it a certain number of words or inline comments?
-Erica
I try to review a work from an editorial perspective instead of a proofing perspective. If the grammatical errors are rampant (as opposed to being based on understandable typos) and demonstrate a poor understanding of grammar (as opposed to a deliberate attempt to manipulate narrative voice), then I will rate the category down based on the prevelance of errors in the piece, and the difficulty they create in easily grasping the story.
I use a more editorial basis when looking at the elements of Overall, Setting, Dialog, and Character. The overall question I ask in each of these categories was whether the use of each element served the story, didn't particularly serve the story, or hurt the story. If element hurt the story I usually rate low, if it didn't harm the story I usually rate mid-high, and if it served the story I usually rate high.
In overall I generally rate based on what I thought the story was on the page as I read that section. If it looked like the story of someone chewing gum and calling a friend on the phone, then I wonder where the story is and rate low. If it looked like a conflict was established, and plot was begining to move forward then I rate middle again. If I found the story compeling and involving with strong depiction thoughout the elements, then I rate high.
This site isn't intended as an exercise in ego stroking for the reviewer or the author. It intended to provide authors with the perspective of other authors on their work. If you don't like something about a work as a reader/author, then simply tell them what you found problematic in each category. If you like the work, then let the author know that they are on the right track, and where they are performing strongly. It really is as easy as that to say (even if it is still tough to do sometimes). You are not here to write the work for the author, you are here to let them know where it can improve.
I hope this helps.
zmortis, I couldn't have said it better myself. All of us may have great concepts, but we are all in need of feedback. We all need a fresh set of eyes to polish our work. Just because we don't like a reviewer's suggestions doesn't mean we shouldn't make the change if it reads better.
My suggestion to everyone is this - If you don't want detailed advised on your work, you just want some proofreading and minor suggestions, specifically say that under Short Description section when you are uploading your work.
I feel inline comments should be limited; staring out with; 'do you think this works better?' Most of my critique can be done by writing into setting or character and the other tabs. I feel we are here to encourage writers to become better, but style is something unique. Suggestions are good, but I recieved a review the other day that blew me away. Every single inline comment (which there were many)tried to change everything. I felt the review poor as I had received very high reviews until this one. I also read their work and gave them a very positive review, but of course, there are many things I could have changed based on my 'style.' I hope to remain 'out of the box' and not stuck in my own style when I read someone else's work. It's almost like character building in my own work; I come out of my socks and try to become someone else.
Does anybody else have trouble assigning numbers in their reviews. What is an appropriate scale to use.
1="put me to sleep in under a minute" up to 10="best prose I've ever read in my life" is too broad, but 1="needs work" up to 10="enjoyed it" might be too narrow.
What if a category isn't relevant to what I think the writer is trying to do, e.g. Rate the Dialog when the work is mostly somebody thinking? 10 for "no work needed"?
Thanks for any insights,
Eddie
Same questions for rating reviews, especially since people's review scores are used to match up reviewers & writers.
I have reviewed a couple pieces that I really liked and could not find anything wrong with. I did not get a very good review score. I understand this because I have received the same from my submission. I know my submission was not perfect but received the same. How do you review a story you like and would not change anything?