Hi there Flaming Keys! So to make sure the road to 550+ reviews is filled with quality feedback, I’m creating this thread to discuss how to make our reviews the best they can be. If you have a question about reviewing, ask away! If you’re more experienced and have tips to add, please do!
I will be posting each of mine in a separate post (currently 8 total) because the formatting gets weird otherwise.
Flaming Hot Review Tips!
12 posts in this topic.
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Tip #1 : Read the piece thoroughly
This might seem obvious, but copy-pasted reviews have been an issue in the past. They’re bad for the author, who doesn't get quality feedback, and bad for the team, who loses reviews and points. A quality review will show that the author has read the piece by offering specific advice.
Typically, I read shorter pieces, like poems, at least twice: once to get the “feel” of the piece, and another to focus on certain aspects I’d like to comment on. For a longer chapter, I might read the whole thing once and go back and re-read things that stood out to me. -
Tip #2 : Be specific with praise
“Omg dis story wuz grate keep writing!!!!!!!!!”
That’s not much of a review. Not only is it short with terrible spelling, it doesn’t provide anything useful to the author beyond a brief ego boost. Flesh out the “praise” part of a review by stating WHY you liked it. Maybe the characters are original, or the plot left you hanging on the edge of your seat, or a poem had excellent imagery. As an author, it’s good to know what your strengths are as well as what you need to improve on.
Better example: I really liked the imagery in this poem. It put a unique spin on the idea of lost love. -
Tip #3 : Explain your criticism
“Wow this really sucks. You really can’t write a good story.”
The above comment is bad because it’s mean, it gets personal, and it’s unhelpfully vague. Criticism can only help the author if the author can understand what needs fixing and how to fix it.
Better example: The dialogue seems strange, as it sounds more like modern-day teenagers than esteemed elders. Think about how people in formal positions of power speak, and that should help you revise the dialogue. -
Tip #4 : Mix in critique and praise
Now, a quality review should not be 100% praise or all criticism. Instead, it should have a good helping of both (although it doesn’t have to be 50/50).
One way to do this is The YWS Critique Sandwich
This is a great way to structure it, but it’s not the only way. I often mix praise and critique together instead of in separate chunks. However you do it, try to be encouraging and helpful! -
Tip #5 : It’s not about “you”
There’s two parts to this tip. First one applies to any review. Try not to say something like “You have some clichéd images”. Instead: use the third person “This poem could use more original images…” This keeps the focus on the piece rather than making it seem like a personal attack on the writer.
The second part is more relevant to poetry, but can also apply to prose, especially first-person narratives. The author is the person whose username shows up on the right-hand side. The speaker is the narrator of the piece. They can be the same, or they can be different. Therefore, try to avoid assuming they are the same. For example, if I write a poem about my lying cheating scumbag boyfriend Joe, don’t try to give me relationship advice. Just critique the poem. -
Tip #6 : Dont spend to much time, on speeling/grammer
Did reading that make you cringe? Well good, because it hurt to type.
Spelling and grammar are generally pretty easy to correct, so a lot of people go for editing them. However, a review that reads something like “Good story, but there’s a lot of spelling and grammar issues. For starters…” isn’t the most helpful. In time, a writer can probably fix most of these on their own. However, they may not be able to see the bigger issues, which is where outside feedback is really helpful. Proofreading is also time-consuming, which isn’t great during Review Days.
I’m not saying don’t point out these issues, but try not to make it the only thing you discuss. Sometimes if I want to point out a section for another reason, I’ll just quote the section, bold the edits, and then discuss the bigger stuff. -
Tip #7 : Don’t be afraid to branch out
So most of us (me included) tend to focus on one type or genre of writing, so that’s what we review. That’s fine, but often, what ends up at the bottom of the Green Room barrel is unfamiliar territory. So does that mean you’re down for the count? Not at all! You can still provide valuable feedback as a reader. Focus on general impressions. Did you enjoy it? Did anything seem strange or illogical to you? Does something seem missing? An outside perspective can still be helpful.
On Review Day, I suggest starting with something you’re used to reviewing. The Green Room should be full enough that you can find something. But after a few “comfort zone” reviews, go ahead and tackle something you’re not used to that catches your eye. If you’re a Knight of the Green Room, you may even get your Wild Boar badge!
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Tip #8 : Never make absolute statements
“All poems must have capital letters at the beginning of every line.”
“All stories need to have dialogue”
“Never use adverbs.”
What’s the problem with these statements? Well, yes, they’re pretty easily refuted, but beyond that, they are really disguising opinions as gold standards of writing. An author could feel like the writer completely missed the purpose of their choices and thus dismiss the review.
Instead, justify the change you’re suggesting beyond “It’s a rule.” For example,
“For a structured piece like this, I think starting each line with a capital letter would be a good fit.”
“More dialogue would help me understand the relationship between these characters.”
“Instead of ‘he moved slowly’; why not say he moved like a tortoise or molasses? It would make the image more vivid.” -
Tip #9 : Stand on the shoulders of YWS giants
The Knowledge Base has some excellent articles on all aspects of writing. You may even find some of them helpful in a review! If you do find one and want to refer to it in a review, go ahead and link to it! Just make sure to credit the original author (i.e. don't copy-paste the article) as using other's work without permission, even in a review, is plagiarism and will get you banned.
There's also some great KB articles about reviewing! Here's a few:
How To Make a (Poetry) Review Go Further
Critiquing poetry
What isn't a good critique?
How To Write A Good Critique
Need Help Writing a Basic Review? -
Wow, niteowl. This was spectacular done!!
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Thank-you so much! I appreciate these tips niteowl!
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