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Lib And that makes the review more entertainig to read ~ like yours.
Jan 13, 2020
ExOmelas fwiw your reviews are super helpful for me! sometimes i'll have tried to set something up then realised I've given off a completely different impression. fun fact btw, I reread chapter 1.2 and discovered I forgot to mention Hilene's skin colour when I introduced him because I was busy describing his clothes xD
Jan 13, 2020
JabberHut @Liberty -> I can be SUCH a conspiracy theorist omg, especially when a story like yours has SO MANY TWISTS AND TURNS TO CONSIDER. My emotions go BONKERS!
@ExOmelas -> I'm so glad! Many times, I feel like I'm just gushing wonderful things about your novel, but sometimes I say things that you inquire about to get a feel about how I came to certain conclusions or just wonder how in the world I got what I did. Those discussions are super helpful for you as the writer and me as your reader!
Also hahaha, I remember wondering about that for Hilene. I think I remember that you described his uniform being newer than Victane's, now that you mention it. Which is still a nice tidbit! But I'm glad it helped! That's an example of how a mindless comment in my review proves beneficial for the writer.
Jan 13, 2020
Oxara I admit that a lot of my works I post here are on deadlines and I suck at editing on a time church... or not on a time church (so sorry for anyone who has read anything form me) So a lot of my reviews focus on my grammar/spelling which is admittedly actually helpful a lot of it has helped me improve on it. But also some of the best reviews I have received are also the ones that are just like "hey this plot is actually kinda cool but this is what you could do to do it" or actually just like "wow this guy is creepy" when I was like "this guy will just be seriously and neither good nor bad" and then I'll just be "oh I guess I can roll with that and it does help the story at points. I realize I basically just said what you said in my own stuff BUT AHHhh.
Jan 13, 2020
Mageheart I definitely needed this reminder. <3
I always worry that my reviews aren't helpful enough/aren't really reviews because I can't find anything to criticize. But I do the other things you mention, and I love when people do that with my works.
Jan 13, 2020
JabberHut @Oxara -> lol, but you know! Grammar/spellchecks are just as important to do, too, for the very reason you expressed. Some items here ARE on deadlines or are on their final drafts, and that can easily be noted of by the writer or when requested with others. I know I don't do grammar/spellchecks anymore unless specifically asked because I can really dig in deep and get carried away with that kind of review, but they are just as useful as any other information! Perhaps, the writer will learn something new about proper grammar. Other times, you really just need a second pair of eyes!
@Jaybird -> Oh, me too! I worry about it a lot, but it really helps to reframe the thought differently. Review the way you want to be reviewed! (I just made myself laugh out loud, ahaha.)
This is also an interesting point to make too, Jaybird, 'cause I also find myself comparing my thoughts with the other reviews already left on the piece. Then I'm swimming in self-doubt because I have nothing to add, or this reviewer said everything better than I could, or maybe I completely disagree with this other reviewer and don't want to stir up trouble or confusion -- maybe even believe that I was wrong because I came to a different conclusion.
But it's perfectly okay to have different opinions than other reviewers. It's perfectly normal to find yourself in a position where you have nothing constructive to say. It's your perspective that matters. No one has your perspective but you. No one else can express your opinions for you. If a point is repeated three times in three different reviews, that's a flag for the writer. If you're the first reviewer to introduce a new perspective, it gives the writer something to consider because clearly, no one else has looked at the piece that way yet.
Sometimes, writers aren't even aware of what they're doing right. If we're told so often that we're wrong, wrong, wrong, we'll never learn what we're doing right, and then the right stuff gets warped or written off in favor of eliminating a wrong without our knowledge that maybe we were on the right track all along.
There's just so much more to a good review than we realize, and we have to really keep an open mind about whether or not to flip the switch from "review" to "comment" or about whether a simple 'like' on another review is enough to portray your thoughts on the piece. (Granted, review likes are perfectly fine, but you can do that AND say more things!! Writers love to hear you say something about their piece in your own words!)
Jan 13, 2020
Jan 13, 2020
Reviews also consist of analyzing character personalities, predicting what might happen next, explaining what you really liked or what they did well, and simply asking rhetorical questions about what you've read so far. It helps the writer to know what their readers are thinking and where they're at with this story. The writer needs to know if they're leading you along the correct path or leading you astray.
Just spewing out your thoughts as you read is a super effective way for the writer to know how they're doing with their storytelling or what kind of impression they're leaving on their readers. The writer will decide from there what they need to look into for their next draft, if anything.
This goes for stories, novels, individual chapters, and even poetry or scripts.
#twocents #reviewtips #greenroom