A Disclaimer
I am no expert. But I do have one skill, a skill that every human has; I can be honest. Sometimes when reviewing, I hold back. To preserve people's feelings I don't really say what I think, or I don't critique the points I want to. Because no one asked Andrew to tell them his honest full opinion on their work.
Well, here is the place to ask for it!
If you want your work to be seen by eyes that will not baby you and [/b]will[/b] hold you to the standard of the amazing author you could be, I want to help. You can get honest complete feedback to help build your story into its best version. I will read your story closely and thoughtfully, and give you my most honest and considered opinoin.
I will tell you if I would read your work outside of reviewing, I'll tell you if I'd pay money for it, and I'd tell you if I'd share it. And if I wouldn't do one of those things, I'll tell you why.
I hope my somewhat harsh opinion can help. The only reason I share it is I believe deeply you can be an amazing writer, and that the only way to get there is through constant self-reflection and improvement, and maybe, just maybe, I can help you do that.
If you are in need of a review, just post a link to your work! I read short story's and novels regularly, so I could be of the most help there, I would also love to read a piece of nonfiction, especially something that's an argument because I love arguing. Poetry is probably where I'd have the least to say, but currently, I'm trying to get into poetry, so maybe eventually I'll be able to help.
Rules
It's called Harsh for a reason
You asked for a harsh review, so prepared to get one, that means,
Don't Argue
If someone gives me a harsh review I have a hard time not arguing! Please don't do this! Arguing with the reviewer's opinions helps no one. Take it or leave it. If the reviewer misunderstand what you were saying or trying to do in the story, you can explain that to them, and that can help them critique effectively. That being said, if someone misunderstood something, that may not be their fault, and could be a sign others will as well. If the reader is confused, that's a problem and one the you should fix in editing.
Understand that what I say could most definitely be wrong
My critiques could be incorrect, they could come from a weird personal preference I hold that nobody else does, or they could be because I didn't get enough sleep. I'll try my best to avoid this, and state, when I believe, something's just my weird thought, but I still might critique your story in ways that are unhelpful. All your get from my review is a look inside the head of someone who read your work. But, I think a real look into someone's head can be extremely useful. I can be a test to see if the critical agent, publisher, or inattentive reader at home will like your story, and what they'll think of it. So, take everything I say with a grain of salt, but do remember, enough grains of salt can really ruin a meal.
The piece cannot be longer than five thousand words
This is a rare problem, but I don't have infinite time and want to be able to review more than just your work (sorry), and if its too long, I will not be able to give it a considered opinion and still have enough time to do other reviews. If it's long, maybe consider splitting it up into multiple pieces, but I cannot guarantee I will read all of the pieces, either.
Never, ever, under any circumstances, post someone else work in here
Pretty self-explanatory, just don't!
I'm excited to read your work a plurality of times and review it! In full transparency, I'm a bit busy, and I normally read the work three times if I'm going to review it harshly, so sometimes it might take up to a week for you to get your review back, but I'll make sure to do it eventually.
Thanks, and keep writing,
Andrew
