This week: The Reviewing Heart of Writing.com Edited by: Choconut More Newsletters By This Editor
1. About this Newsletter 2. A Word from our Sponsor 3. Letter from the Editor 4. Editor's Picks 5. A Word from Writing.Com 6. Ask & Answer 7. Removal instructions
Hi. My name is Choconut , and I hope my newsletter will give you some ideas of how to get your items noticed. I also hope I can encourage you to review your peers. It is the beating heart of this community and you can learn so much by reading the work of others. |
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The Reviewing Heart of Writing.com
Sharing your writing with others can be a scary thing to do. It doesn’t seem so long ago that I first signed up to Writing.com with a view to testing out how well received my poetry would be. The anxiety at knowing other people — people who were good at writing — would read my words, tossed in my stomach. When I received my first review, I had to take several deep breaths before I could open and read it. So, I get it. It can be scary if you’ve never shared your writing before.
But the thing about Writing.com is we all understand this anxiety because we are all writers. And, because of that, we understand how to write helpful, respectful reviews. This really is at the heart of our community. Writers tend to be supportive of one another in general, and that is exemplified in this site.
Reviewing is an excellent way to learn more about writing while supporting your fellow scribers at the same time. When you first begin to review, you might find it helpful to join one of our review groups. By doing this, you will connect with people who are only too happy to help you use your Review Tool and set up a Review Template (if you so wish.) It is not necessary to set up review templates, but I find they help to keep me focussed on the areas I want to look at in an item. You can find your review tool by clicking on:
Account on the left-hand sidebar
My Review Tool
Here, you can create multiple review templates for different review groups and different kinds of reviews. While I’m on the subject of review groups, let me link a few for you: "WdC SuperPower Reviewers Group" , "SIMPLY POSITIVE GROUP" , and "The WDC Angel Army" . You do not have to affiliate with a reviewing group, but you can earn gift points (and, sometimes, other goodies) if you do. Plus, you have access to people with really great advice.
“But I joined up because I want to write,” you may be saying. Yes; most of us joined for this reason. However, there really is no better way to learn the craft of writing than to read as much as possible. To read with a critical eye because you are reviewing an item, you learn to look out for the things that do and do not work for you. I can honestly say I have learned more through reviewing than through any classes I’ve taken. Not only that; it is nice to give something back, right? We all want our work to receive reviews, so it makes sense to give some in return and even to pay some forward. As if this isn’t enough, each review of more than 250 characters earns gift points from the Writing.com system. You can earn extra points by clicking on “Read & Review” on the left sidebar. Alternatively, if you would like to read a fellow newbie, go to the right sidebar and click on “Read A Newbie.”
There are various ways to advertise your own work that you would like reviewed. Firstly, you can mention it and leave a link on the newsfeed. Say you are looking for reviews. You can even mention the areas for which you are seeking help. You aren’t guaranteed to get a review this way, but there is usually someone who will pick it up. The next way is to leave a review request on the Plug Page. You can find it here:
Community tab on the left hand sidebar
The Plug Page
Scroll to the bottom of the page and enter your item number and any extra information you wish to give.
Another way to obtain reviews is to go to the Reviewers tab on the left sidebar. Click on “most active reviewers” or “most credited reviewers.” If you click on a person’s name, one of the options that comes up is “Review Request” with either “on” or “off” next to it. If they have requests on, you can ask them for a review by offering the required amount of gift points (payment is almost always required for these requests), the item number, and any extra information. You can view other reviews written by each person to see who gives the kind of feedback you require.
The final thing I want to mention is the time of year. As with a lot of websites and groups both on and offline, the holiday season is pulsing through the heart of our members. This is a season for giving, and on Writing.com, there are so many ways in which you can do this. Writing a review for someone, buying raffle tickets or other goodies, gift certificates to signature shops, sending community notes. If you want to find some cool seasonal activities, you can find them here:
Community tab on the left sidebar
Activities or Contests
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Here are a few fun places where you can go to join the festivities:
Here are a few items by fellow newbies:
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter! https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Amazon's Price: $ 4.99
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Do you like to use a review template when you review? What are the pros and cons of doing this, in your opinion? |
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Product Type: Kindle Store
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