A Reminder on Reviews · 9:44pm Oct 13th, 2014
(I just feel compelled to say this more or less because I've noticed this a lot on the site.)
When you give a review, or aim to give criticism, make sure it actually helps the author improve their story. It's no secret that posting a story on this site is pretty scary, and the last thing most of these authors need to hear is some reader angrily ranting off their issues with the fic just because they don't have anything better to do with their time.
So if you see a story you don't like, move on.
But if you feel compelled to leave a dislike or a comment, make sure it's at least aimed at being somewhat constructive to the reader. And try to say it in a way that doesn't sound antagonizing.
Because we all started off as bad writers, unless of course you were the baby that could write a 100-page essay in your mother's womb. Or you're an alien.
How does one give constructive criticism?
Well, you can analyze the plot, characters, or grammar.
Grammar and sentence flow pretty much means you're analyzing how well the story communicates its tale in English.
Characters is more or less an analysis into their traits, whether or not they're a Mary Sue, and how they develop over the story.
Plot is also pretty self-explanatory, but just what happens in the story and does it make sense? Is it engaging?
I know, coming from a self-proclaimed publisher at Books and Crannies, rage reviews are really tempting to write. Especially if the story is so poorly written that you just want to let the author know how much pain it brought you.
However, don't forget that they're people too...and sometimes people who could probably beat you to a pulp if you said that right in front of them. So, aim to be constructive, not destructive.
I can't tell you enough how great it is to hear feedback that's constructive. It helps me hone my skills and improve my work. Often, I re-read those reviews just to remind myself what weaknesses and habits I need to look out for.
However, when those reviews are buried under a plethora of sarcastic remarks that aren't even that clever, I often miss the message they are trying to convey and more or less see it as:
"A wanted B, but got C. So A is going to spend the rest of the day complaining about how they wanted C and do nothing to deal with B."
Yeah...as one great commenter once said. "It's like complaining apples aren't oranges. You're not going to change the apple into an orange, so what's the point of taking the time to complain in the first place?"
Complaining is good. We all ought to do it. But when we do, let's make sure our complaints actually get something done.
So there you have it, m'kay?
Well shucks, and here I am a card-carrying member of the Rage Reviews group...
2531213
Honestly I've got no problem if the author wants a rage review.
Reviews actually play two roles, not just one. Certainly, if possible, a review should try to help the author make the story better, or failing that should at least help the author make future stories better (if e.g. the issues identified can't be fixed without a complete rewrite of the plot).
The other function is not aimed at the author at all, but rather at prospective readers: a good review can, rather than identifying what should be changed, identify only what is not fun to read. These overlap to a large extent, but they're not always identical.
And, of course, a review aimed primarily at the second function will probably be less pleasant for the author to read, but there's not necessarily anything wrong with that.
2531325
I'd care for a more detailed explanation on what is "fun to read". Because that could mean an opinion or just a glaring error.
That does indeed, as you said, overlap into the first one.
In all honesty, I've read reviews where the reviewer simply pointed out what they didn't like about the story. And what it came off as was this.
"You wrote a story about Rarity. But you know what, I wanted Pinkie Pie and so this story fails at delivering Pinkie Pie."
But as I said, there are many definitions of "Fun to Read".
2531346 For practical purposes, any definition of "fun to read" which other readers can identify as similar to their own is good enough. We're not looking for some sort of transcendent truth here really, just a useful idea of what to expect from a story.
Incidentally, why's there a story tag on this blog?
2531397
Alright, fair enough. I'd more or less get that out by seeing the work myself over a review. I dunno, I've had times from professional reviews that were more or less one's opinion that they didn't spend their money on something entertaining when I found out it absolutely riveting.
But I can understand your point now. Give a sort of preview as to what one guy found it and then read on and see if you agree or disagree? That's fair enough in my opinion.
Um...well...story tags? Why, I have no idea what you're talking about