Reviewing Rules

So, first things first. How do you give a review?

How to Give a Good Review

Many, many people think that just by saying someone's story is good, they're giving a good review. However, this is not the case.

"Good story! But I don't like the main character."

What's wrong with this? Well, to put it simply, everything. You're telling the person they have a good story, but you're not saying why. Then you say you don't like the main character but, again, you're not saying why. Is it the clothes? The personality? That way they snort when they laugh?

You must give specific details or else the writer will not know how to improve their character. Also, a touch upon grammar would be a good thing to do. If the grammar is less-than-perfect, you should tell the writer where they went wrong and how they should have put it. That way, the next chapter will be twice as good.

Next, I shall touch up upon the types of reviews.

Character Reviews

A character review tells the writer how to improve their character. These reviewers will generally tell them what flaws they should implement or if they have too many flaws.

Plot Reviews

In a plot review, the reader tells the writer how to improve the plotline. What they should add or what they shouldn't add are always included. These reviewers will also tell the writer if they need to slow down the plot.

Grammar Reviews

Grammar reviews are the most common kind of reviews. Basically, the reader tells the writer where they need to improve with grammar.

Comprehensive

A comprehensive reviewer reviews every aspect of the story, including the three above. These are the least common kinds of reviews, but the most helpful.


What You Should Do

You should always pick a review-type most suited for you before you tell anyone what they should improve on. Once you're done reviewing, be certain to read over your work. Most likely, the writer won't want to take the advice of someone who has a review filled with spelling or grammatical errors.

What You Shouldn't Do

You should never go into a story and try to act like you know what you're talking about. No one will fall for it and reviews will most likely be disregarded. One-liners are also not a good way to review.

You shouldn't just dish out criticism if you have nothing helpful to say. If someone's doing something wrong, then calmly and politely explain what their problems are and, if possible, suggest how they can be resolved.

There's no excuse for just flaming someone's work. They've gone to the trouble of writing it and sharing it with you.
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