My View on Reviewing

My view on what makes a good review, like everything else I write, this is only my opinion

         First let me say that I appreciate every single review that I have ever received or will ever receive. This piece is not meant to judge anyone or insinuate that my way of reviewing is any better than anyone else's. This is strictly just my point of view and in the grand scheme of things, really doesn't mean a hill of beans.


      When I first started writing, it never occurred to me to wonder what others thought about it. Like for so many others, writing was and still is an outlet for me. My laptop, like paper used to be, is my lover, my sounding board, my best friend.  It never mattered to me what other people thought, or their opinion of what I wrote because I never had any intention of allowing anyone to read what I had written.  As the love for my craft grew, I realized that I wanted others to read my writing; but I wasn't sure how to make that happen.
         
      I came upon Writing.com by accident, and I was quite surprised that I had never thought to search for such a site before. In this day in age of technology and the world wide web…of course there would be such a site! I was so happy to find it, and I signed up immediately. Once I did some quick light reading of how the site worked and how you go about posting your work, I wasted no time uploading what I considered my most precious thoughts for the world to see.  Yet again, it never occurred to me to wonder what other people would think…I just wanted other people to read my work, and I didn't necessarily want to know what their opinion was.
         
      However, it wasn't long before reality hit me; and I realized that with opening yourself up to let others read your work, you are also opening yourself up to their opinion. It took me some time to get used to the idea of people disliking what I wrote and having the bones to tell me so.  Believe it or not, it is a good thing…keeps you grounded.
     
      In all of these reviews that I was getting, I realized that some reviews were better than others (of course), and I realized how frustrating it was to put your work out there for the public to read but only get a sentence as a review in return. Many times when I would receive a “one-line” review, I wanted to email them back and ask why they even bothered. I don’t consider that a review. I've also had people review a piece and say that they liked it, hated it , or felt like it was a poem that was “trying” to be good; but didn’t give me the reasons why they felt that way. I feel that these types of reviews are empty, not constructive and are not true reviews.
   
      After experiencing these type of reviews one too many times, I set out to make sure that the reviews that I did were everything that I would want to receive when getting a review.  I am not perfect or right all the time, but these are my views on what makes a good review.
         
      If I am port raiding, I always search for items that do not have any or have very few reviews. As an author, these type of items are what I want reviews on most. Doesn't matter how old it is, ideally I want everything that I have written and posted to be reviewed. I can only assume that other authors feel the same. I always appreciate any review I get, regardless of what item it is for; however, I appreciate it that much more if I get a review of a lesser known item that needs reviews rather than for an item that already has many reviews.
     
      I also find it pertinent to inform the author where I found their item. I think this is important because in case they have their item listed on the Plug page or Request Reviews page, but I found their item through the Random Read...then I do not know if they requested certain points to be critiqued. This way they know why I may not have addressed the points they asked for. It may not make that much of a difference and I think for me it may be more of a pride thing, but I feel better in the end for telling them.
     
        I also think it is important to tell the author that I am coming from a place of support when I give my review. Sometimes if you have a lot of issues that you address in your review, the author may take it in a negative way. Most of us at the WDC know that the reviews you receive are not meant to hurt you in any kind of way...but the newbies may not know that. So I just make it a habit in all of my reviews to state in some form or fashion that my review is not coming from a judgmental or negative place.
         
        Whenever I read a piece, whether it is a poem, story, or even a bio, I stay in tune to myself as well as to what I am reading; and I base my review on several factors.

1. What is my first impression upon reading the title?
2. What are my range of feelings?
          a. What turn of events changed the direction of my feelings?
          b. Did the piece ring true to me…was it believable, relate-able? If not, why?
3. If the author wrote their piece based on a prompt and had the foresight to note it (most do);                 
        does the piece follow the prompt? If not, why?
4. Are there other issues in their piece that I feel with correction would make it an easier read?
        (meter, rhyme scheme, word choices, consistency, grammatical issues, character development…)
5. Is there a quality in this piece that the author accented well?
        (imagery, rhyme scheme, meter, character or plot development…)
6. Did I have a favorite part in their piece? If so, what was it? If not, why?
7. Did my first impression of their piece change upon finishing it? If so, how? If not, why?
8. Did this piece touch me in some way? If so, how?
       
    I also think it is very important to read the bio of the author if it is someone I have not 
previously read. Not that it would change my review, but it may change the way I present it and it may give me some insight into what kind of writer I am reading.  Sometimes, especially on pieces that authors have requested reviews on, the author will have certain points or issues that they want the reviewer to concentrate on. If I am going to take the time to review that specific piece, I make sure I cover those points. Of course the most important thing for me to do while reviewing is to be kind, but completely honest.  You don’t do the author any favors by not telling them the truth. The main point of reviewing is not necessarily to agree or disagree with what has been written, but more to help polish it up.
         
      There are some authors on this site who really could care less about getting a review and what you think. I have come across quite a few that let me know emphatically that they do not care how their work looks or comes across to the public. However, there are many more authors who value a good in depth review.  For those authors and for myself, I make a point to write a review that I would want to be given and can be proud of. As a good friend pointed out to me recently, the reviews that we give are art; just as poetry or stories are, so why not put out the best in-depth, well rounded review that we can? Like everything else we write, it is also an extension of us.
         
        I have been a member of the WDC for just over a year now. I have met some really nice authors and read some really good items; however, it is obvious that the art of reviewing is lost on quite a few of us. Reviewing requires more than a few pretty colors, a change in fonts and some awesome sigs (don’t get me wrong, all those things are great…I use them myself).  But if you leave the author wondering why you even stopped by to begin with, then the review was pointless.
     
      Personally, I can always use improvement; and every time I am looking at a blank reviewing/ comment screen after reading an item, my first thought is how can I make this review better than the last review that I wrote? When I am finished, I ask myself if this is the kind of review I would like to receive. Is it well rounded, as an author does it answer all of my questions, is it encouraging and helpful? Am I proud to have my name attached to it? If I cannot give what I consider a more than adequate review that requires all of my attention at that moment, then I just will not review.
     
      I feel that as a member of this wonderful site that the authors here deserve more than just a passing glance with a morsel of haphazard comments thrown their way, and I want my review to reflect my respect. I would love to feel as if the authors who review my work felt the same about me.

Thank you so much for reading Taryn
Special thanks to Jakrebs for all of his support.