Hey, life? Are you kidding me?

Reviews, Rethinking Prior Blog, & whatever else

My opinion on REVIEWS:

1. Give them -- you don't have to be an expert to have an opinion and you will learn as much from doing them as the people you are reviewing.

2. Don't summarize -- A review is not you telling me what I wrote in a few sentences - maybe that's Reading Comprehension help for you, but for me it does nothing. It's not like I was so high on crack (do you get high on crack - is crack even still a drug? I don't know I'm trying to make a point) that I don't know what I wrote. Let me give you an example:

In your short story of The Man that Sucked Ass at Reviewing you introduced us to a character that lacks strong reviewing skills. Further along in the story, an irate writer rants in her blog and plots various forms of revenge. Next the reader is taken on a journey of cat and mouse between the Suck Ass and the writer only to find out that surprise - the writer was right all along.

It's not a review, people - it is a book trailer - and a bad one at that. You don't have to be technical - I mean you can (I am - but that's who I am) - you can just tell me how it made you feel - did you fall asleep during it, laugh out loud, have the urge to shoot someone? Does it inspire you to write or ban my port from view.

3. Back up your rating -- Writing is subjective - I totally get that - What I give a 3 someone else might give it a 5 and the next person a 2, but please, please don't write: Excellent story - what a talented writer you are - exemplary - and then give me a 3. Why? Tell me? I won't get mad; I'm on here to improve.

4. Return Reviews or at the very least say Thank you -- This is just manners/etiquette. If you get a review it takes maybe, 20 seconds to type 'thank you' and press send. Even if you don't agree with them. I mean if Grandma Suzie gave you the same ugly sweater vest with different matchbooks on it, you would still yell thank you in her good ear. It may take me awhile but I respond and return every review. I'm not patting myself on the back. I'm glad I do. I've met great people, read amazing pieces, and learned so much. I'll be honest there are the rare occasion I don't return a review - a. If the writing is so far over my head that I don't even know what i read. 2. If I can't find at least one thing nice to say - which is extremely rare and 3. sometimes there is a language barrier - it's sad but true.

I'll stop at 4 (it's my favorite number) though I'm sure there are other things that irk me.

Okay, yesterday I wrote about the freedom to be different. I said who cares what you do in the bedroom . . . blah blah blah. Well, Karma must have been bored yesterday, because she visited me while I was in chat. Someone started talking about Bronies. Now initially, I thought they had just misspelled Brownies and I was all about that = bedroom or no bedroom! And then they linked me. I admit it - I'm a hypocrite - I made fun of 35 year old men attending a My Little Pony convention with pink, glitter pony hats on their head calling themselves Bronies. In retrospect, after giving it way too much thought, I would like to apologize to the Bronies of the world. Long live My Little Pony. I just have one request. IF I ever go on a dating website, please refrain from contacting me.

I think that's it today - i have some other thoughts swimming around, but I'm tired from cleaning the house and I'd hate to have to issue another apology in tomorrow's blog for writing something I'm not really coherent about.

Happy Cartooning,
Audra





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