Sandy Supposes....

To review, or not to review

PROMPT: Motivational Monday! Singer Mavis Staples, born on this day in 1939, once said, " If you don't get out among the people, how are you going to know what they need to hear about?" How has reviewing other people's work on WDC helped you become better? Have you received a very helpful review lately that made any difference in your writing?

          Reviewing the writing of others has taught me to slow down, and take my time to absorb what I am reading. Not everyone writes coherently, or logically, or so it seems to me. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Also, we all explain things differently. Not all of our descriptions will be the same, nor should they be similar. We are guided and persuaded by our natural speech patterns, our education, our ethnicities, and more. All of this can colour our understanding and comprehension.

          I realize I must not expect everyone to understand what I am attempting to say. What about a story is vital? is action more important than a long-winded description of setting? Does my character need to be identified as male, or female? Do I write run-on sentences? How is my punctuation?

          Basically, I've learned to edit my writing with a more critical eye.

         No, I have not received a recent, and helpful review.