Yeah, as the title says, I need help with being a critic. I joined this group hoping to help others with their stories, but I don't really have much experience. So I was kinda hoping someone could help me out, if that's not too much trouble for them.

I know the basics, (barely) but I'd feel much better if someone could help me out before I go and criticize someone's work.

Thanks for your time.

Well first off you gotta set some basic standarts you want to follow. Say: all american has a set of rules about HiE from which he oriantates..
Come to think of it.. Its hard to explain how to be a critic...

Tell you what: just surf the front page and look for stories whit a bunch of negative votes. Skim over them and write down what you think is wrong about it... Thats how i began.. And it kinda worked out

Be short and concise on where they went wrong and offer some possible suggestions to fix a problem.

An example on a butchered sentence, 'This whole sentence needs to be nuked from orbit and rebuilt. It's confusing and has too many pronouns. Try making it into several shorter sentences to clarify what's going on.'

If they do something good tell them. Be honest and thorough. There is a fine line between being an ass and being a good critic. Some people like myself enjoy trying to walk that line. However before you get that far you need to know your audience so you don't drive them away but improve on what they write.

1. Be honest. 'Nuff said.
2. Be brutal. No one will learn if you try and review things like Fluttershy would.
3. Use examples. If you point out a flaw, show the author how to correct the flaw.

368444 Then I am a massive, massive douche-waffle.

Oh, and be funny with your review. Make it something that people look forward to on a shit fic. Use hilariously over-exaggerated analogies to chastise the author.

Edit: Read on if you want to see me be an idiot and misunderstand what was said above.

368796 Hey I do make fun of myself first and I'm the first to point out my failings when I notice them. I personally don't mind when people walk the line with me. But please if your going to insult me use some better metaphors those are rather weak. I mean come on I've been called worse than a douche-waffle, by a five year old, granted I don't think he knew what smeg-head meant. Hell the standard name among my friends is ether Troll or Asshole.

I do respect people and I never insult the individual. The work on the other hand is free range for being destructed by my dissection in all of it's graphic detail. I also did curtail my comment with, 'However before you get that far you need to know your audience so you don't drive them away but improve on what they write.' I don't walk the line unless I know who I'm working with and I know they can take what I dish out.

368825 What are you talking about?

I was using your standards to judge myself. It was a joke.

368832 Okay well congrats on my on Derp.

I need one of those blood alcohol testers for my computer to prevent me from interneting when I've had to much.

368303>>368444>>368542 Thanks for taking the time to help me. I'll keep your suggestions and tips in mind.
Although the "Be Brutal" part may be a tad difficult for me.

I learned how to critique by writing a caustic mix of stories in hated genres, like crossovers and self-insert HiE, (or both at the same time) then finding the differences between my [strike]crap[/strike] mediocrity, and other [strike]crap[/strike] mediocrity that other authors produce, and look for mistakes made in these stories, then looking at my own for the same mistakes, sometimes, but not always, finding that I have indeed made the same ones. Then I learn from others' criticism of my own stories, and refine all of this information into a style of reading that picks up on bad things that my own stories contain. However, this makes me have a limit to how good a story is before I am unable to review it well. However, in that case, they're probably doing okay.

I am nice when I review, but it cannot be stressed enough that when you see something out of place, make sure the author of the criticism target knows your view, hold nothing back.