Foundations of criticism

 

For the most part, when people sit down to write a review they draw a blank. How can you possibly tell someone that their grammar is incorrect or that they have misspelled their own name? How can you tell them nicely what needs to improve? Truth is there is no sure fire way in which to do this. However, there are some ways of making painful blows soften, and giving the writer some advice that will help them on their path to greatness.

 

But firstly we must understand exactly what a review is. A review is an article about a piece of writing written by a reader. In this article you will find the readers personal opinions and thoughts on ways for the writing to improve and also an overall account of what they thought of the piece, i.e. weather or not it is worth reading. Well, we all know the truth: everything written is worth being read. And lets be realistic, there is no such thing as bad advice…right?

 

Well actually there is. Telling someone that you thought their writing was worse then reindeer dung and that they should use the printed pages to wipe their arse with probably isn’t the greatest advice to give. But if you tell them that they have made a marvellous effort, and point out all the things they have done right, as well as the things that need improving, then they are going to feel more confident about themselves and more likely to take your criticism.

 

When writing a review of someone else’s work always begin with something positive, that way you can insure that the recipient will read on. Then offer comments of a more critical but constructive nature, to suggest ways of improving etc, such as “you have misspelled crackers…” or “you need to watch out for punctuation, your paragraphs are flowing inot each other and would likely benefit from indentations or a new line.”

 

Comment on the impression the writing gave you or the effect it had on you, to give the writer an idea of how their audience is reacting to their work. Adding in personal responses to the content of the writing will help lighten the review and give it a more friendly feeling and also provide the author with more information about their readers.

 

In and when you find mistakes that are really unforgivable or unintentional, then state the mistake with a question to ease the blow. Also ask them other questions too, to show your interest in their writing, such as “what inspired you?” or “will this have apart 2?” Comment on their choice of genre and how effectively they have achieved this. Pick things out of the text using quotes, things that you found effective or liked a lot, such as a piece of description or dialogue. Also pick out the little things that need work, such as the grammar or a sentence.

 

And finally look at the writing as a whole. Did you enjoy the piece? Were the characterisations believable? Did the descriptions paint a picture in your mind? Always end on a happy not, to show the author that you have no hard feelings towards their writing and that you are just trying to b helpful.

 

Remember, no one likes horrid comments, not even you, so – do un to others. Treat people with the respect that they deserve and they will thank you for it.

 

Reviews

[hyancynthstofeedthysoul]

I like the way you attempt to aide in writing a review. It is a lot like writing a letter of complaint. You should not antagonize the person. If you do they only turn off.

I did find a couple of typos. Did you mean ''whip'' or ''wipe'' in the third paragraph? Also at the end ''do un to other'' should read ''do unto others.''

This is very helpful and I will try to heed your advice in the future.

one other thing. when you receive a review, it says ''We encourage you to return the favor by reading and reviewing one of ____________________ stories! Quite often this admonishion is ignored.

http://www.writerscafe.org/writing/naedknarf/169793/

[richard hurndall]

I thought this was crap... only joking, I'm hilarious aren't I. You've made a good point with eloquence, and I agree, this would be useful as a guide to reviewers in the writers cafe. It's very hard sometimes to give a critical review, especially if you don't know the other writer that well. I think the worst offence is when you see bad reviews given to new writers to the forum; that must be a real blow. Thanks for this.

[Anne Ransom]

Thanks so much for posting this. Very helpful and complete.

[Raef C. Boylan]

I agree with what you say here about diplomacy being very important in giving a constrcutive review, especially if you have criticism to offer. It's about being helpful, not scoring points off other writers by making them feel bad.

I think this is a well-thought out article on writing; simple, straightforward, clear and objective.
Nice work.

p.s. spotted a few typos:

"thoughts on way for the writing to improve" (should "way" be plural?)
"i.e. weather or not it is worth reading" (I think "weather" should be 'whether')
"And lets be realistic, there is no such thing as bad advice" (let's)

[BrightEyes]

now this needs to be sent to everyone...because there are those that are none too kindly in their remarks. I can't say I've had any truly nasty remarks...although I have had one or two where it was plainly obvious they had not even read what they were reviewing...merely skimmed through to find something to say. That irritates me...say what you want about my writing...but at least take the time to read it first. This is very informative and I think written in such a way to keep it interesting. A very good how-to on reviewing.

laura

[Este]

finally, a much needed review aid! what you've said is very true and there's nothing i dislike more than a dishonest review or worse...one that says nothing at all; a mere "good job" or "this was nice". i agree with daniel: reviewing a story and a poem are two different animals with the latter usually being the more vicious. nonetheless, a good review is always appreciated.
great write!

[Keri]

I think this is really excellent advice. I think it is also important to remember that a review is not analysis. Additionally it is important to keep in mind that no one is doing anyone any favors by praising poor (or even mediocre) work. You're actually doing harm. I see the results of this in my work too often!

I imagine many people have been helped by this essay.

[Jonah Hawthorne]

I whole-heartedly agree, except in the cases where the review simply states "good job!" or something similar, or worse, it is also a review of an extremely short piece (I have some that are one line long and don't really want reviews on them). Reviewing a haiku, or even a poem, is not the same as reviewing a story. Sometimes I receive reviews on my poems and go to read their work and find nothing that I can appreciably review in return, mostly because I cannot review poetry very well (without sounding mean, that is).

[Sara Muschweck]

I agree completely, look into the writing as a whole and not as the mechanics of writing. I loved the way you told it without being harsh, or preachy. Well written.