Constructive Criticism · 8:07am Jul 16th, 2015
As I continue to write my first story, 'Friendzone ain't magic', I've come to realize how much I dearly love writing. But it's always better when I get reviews! That's right fillies and gentlecolts, today I wish to talk about the joys of 'constructive criticism'.
When looking over the status of the story's standings, my thought process goes something very much like this:
"Please-not-another-dislike-please-not-another-dislike-please-not-another-dislike."
And when I find that I have more likes than dislikes I am greatly relieved. Means someone, somewhere enjoyed it for some reason!
But my greatest pleasure, is a dislike with an explanatory comment.
It's often frustrating to continually rack one's brain for the true reason of a 'thumbs-down'. Maybe they didn't like the writing style? Was it the grammar? Or did they just not like the concept?
It's rather silly to excuse a dislike as "another hater". Though one shouldn't be discouraged, it should at least motivate them to improve in someway.
But what way?
That is where constructive criticism comes in. It's about identifying areas where something is left desired.
I typically narrow this down to 3 categories.
1. Concept (the plot and outline of the story)
2. Content (grammar and technique)
3. Overall writing style (maybe people just don't like the way you write)
I get that I rush things and there are a couple grammatical errors riddled in the story; constructive criticism allows an author to avoid these, or at least get the desired audience by using correct tags.
What I'm trying to say is it's a good idea to leave a note of what can be improved along with your overall verdict.
And hey, you could even track the story to see if it gets any better.
Marshall out.
