  Noticing Newbies
This week: Review settings. Edited by: ~ Santa Sisco ~  
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Hello, everyone. I am ~ Santa Sisco ~ . I'm one of the three permanent editors of the Noticing Newbies newsletter.
I aim to ensure you have a smooth transition into the site. I still remember my first day here. "Bitem?" Do I have to be a computer programmer to put my writing on here?  Forty-eight hours later, I realized it was a case of easy when you know how!. My biggest mistake when I joined was that I didn't take the time to read the "Writing.Com 101" . I was excited and wanted to do everything the same day. Sound familiar? 
You will see my contributions every four weeks, and I hope they help you with using this great site.
My fellow permanent editors are Brooke  and Sara♥Jean .
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You’ve written your first poem or story, and you are ready to post it to your portfolio. This advice also applies to anyone who has several new items in their port. Beware of the choice you make for the review options!
I get correspondence from many newbies complaining about getting only two or three-star ratings for their work; this is easily avoided if you make the right choice when submitting your item. If you are new to writing, your work will probably have room for improvement, and receiving reviews from other members will hopefully make your work even better than you imagined it could be.
My first item on here received two and a half stars.  I received a lovely review with lots of suggestions for positive changes. After a few more reviews, I rewrote the poem and the lowest rating after that was four stars!  I wish I’d understood the reviewing options when I started.  So let’s have a look at the four different options for reviews.
Email Comments:
This setting allows email comments to be sent to the author. These are emails and are not stored with other reviews for you to look at in future. If you use this setting, I recommend you make an email folder to store these emails for future reference. These emails can not be sent anonymously.
I would recommend this setting if your work is the first draft of something, or you know you need a lot of help to improve this item.
Reviews Only; No Ratings:
Similar to the previous setting, but these reviews are stored with your other reviews and can be retrieved to view at a later date. Anonymous reviews are allowed via this setting, but as there are no ratings allowed, this should not matter if you are after feedback for your work.
I recommend this setting until you have at least two or three reviews to judge for yourself if you think this is the best your work can be. (It can still improve with some helpful reviews.)
Rating Requires Review:
If you want reviewers to explain how they reached their rating, then this is the option for you. A reviewer has to submit a review to allow a rating to be applied to the item. This setting will stop anyone from rating your item without leaving a review. It is entirely your choice if this is a positive or negative setting. Some people love any ratings while others are more particular about their ratings.
I rarely use this setting. However, I like having the option should I wish to use it.
Unrestricted Rating And Reviewing:
This is the setting used by default for your items. Any member can rate, review, or rate and review your work. This option will gain you the most attention for your item. This setting is the one I prefer after I have received some email comments/review only.
PLEASE NOTE: Some contests require items to have this setting as a condition of entry, so check the rules!
Your selection of a reviewing option is a personal choice. However, I hope I have made you think about what feedback you want to receive once you have posted your work, and how to influence your star ratings.
As always, read the official WDC guidelines: "Rating/Reviewing Preferences"
"Writing.Com 101"
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This week I have chosen a selection from read a newbie.
Community > Read a Newbie
Selections:
| |  | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2134295 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2134270 by Not Available. |
| |  | pretty lady (E)
a poem about how important a woman is from the beginning of her existence
#2134267 by drumking  |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2134191 by Not Available. |
| | | Invalid Item
This item number is not valid.
#2134141 by Not Available. |
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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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From "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (August 16, 2017)"
the prodigal son returns 2024. commented:
Here are two stages of self-editing that most writers will want to keep in mind: Your first drafts are usually left-justifed with indented first lines of each paragraph, and double spacing between all lines. This allows you room to make your initial corrections (and notes) wherever they're needed. Secondly but no less important, is the conversion of your raw manuscript into a mock-up of how it appears when typeset with a plain font such as Times-New-Roman, right-justified, and with all hiatuses in place. New writers will be amazed by what a dramatic difference and impact this makes when conducting a more intense edit of whole chapters at a time. Only then, when our writing mimics the look and feel of a finished work, can we view our words in a more objective manner -- and realize just how unfinished we are with self-editing.
Thank you for your comments. Yes, there is a lot to do when editing. My comments were targeted at complete novices, so I didn't include the scary bit! . Again, thank you for providing our readers with your insight and advice.
From "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (August 16, 2017)"
Amethist. commented:
Hi Sisco.
Thank you for your e-mail. I have I a few questions for you? I read something about 'what to edit'? You've mentioned that when you post work in your portfolio, to first put settings into e-mail responses only? Can I put new work into groups for review or publication? I usually post my work into my portfolio and did not know about these settings/matter? Is there a possibility for newbies to post something in a group? If so, would you do that in a newbie group only?
I need to navigate through the site as I do not know what possibilities there are for newbies.
Thank you for your comments, and for giving me the idea for today's newsletter.
You can get reviews from anywhere or anyone on the site. If you are nervous about letting everyone seeing your work, you can join a group and make your item only visible to members of that group. If you are still unsure, drop me an email or head over to "The Newbies Academy Group" and we'll help. Thank you for your questions. |
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Noticing Newbies: September 13, 2017 Issue [#8503]
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