Reviewing Stories - Just do it! (swish)

[Liam Naisson]

This is a bid a two edged sword. Speaking as an author that is just not experienced enough, if I give a review it might not be by a long shot as good as someone like Clevernick or Mad Lewis. So this is a bit tricky to do. Useless or bad critique will not do much for the author either. So to just go and review something wont help as much. I think a better approach would be to write the thoughts inside the levels, for assignments of other authors. That way it is less embarrassing for the newbies like me and they learn better what to look for in other people's stories, which then will make them look out for that in their own stories.

Just throwing that out there

[Nikita]

Several years back, Ruby wrote a guideline for reviewing stories. It was posted in the FAQ in the library itself. I'm reposting it here for your convenience.

How to write a review: Do's and Dont's

Authors are working hard to present their fine works to you (for free !) and they deserve some recognition from you, readers. At least let them know your opinions. The easiest way is to write a review for a story.

A gentle reminder: Please refrain from judging the work based solely on its content. All stories on this site are accompanied with story codes and synopsis. They are there to give readers some advanced information on the type of content they contain. If you have an emotional issue with any particular type of content or gender code, do the author and us a service by not reviewing his or her work unless you can provide a dispassionate review that concentrates on style, writing skill, novelty, etc rather than your personal distaste for its content.
If such reviews are found, they will not be removed but may be ignored when counting toward the final review rating of the story. This does not discourage you giving low rating score, but please focus more on the story itself and provide a non-biased review.

We also encourage you to give more constructive reviews and comments. A simple "Great story" note is ok, but authors and other readers will appreciate it if you can let us hear more. Here is a short reviewing guide provided by Ruby in the forums:

A challenge to all would be / not so frequent reviewers
Review one story a week. That's 4 a month and with that you could make the top ten reviewers list. One a week - you can do it!
(You'll find it becomes a habit whenever you finish a story and you'll do more if you are not thinking about it.)
Your reward - bragging rights, the right to complain that others aren't reviewing, satisfaction knowing that you helped others... whatever motivates you.
Review writing made easy:
Rate the story based on the description given in the numbers.
Those descriptions are very helpful.
One to three sentences will help the author and future readers. So without giving away the plot or story twists (spoilers) fill in some of the sample sentences. Strive for quality of comments instead of quantity.

The plot was _____ (believable, unrealistic, wonderful, well conceived ....)
The visual descriptions were _____
The characters were ___
I liked this story because ____
I thought this story could use a bit of work on ____ (dialog, grammar, ...)
My favorite character(s) was/were _____ because ____
Needed a warning - please add code ____

Or go with your gut - and tell everyone what you felt/thought:
Samples below - I'm sure you can create your own.

Great writing style kept me wanting more long after I was done.
The story had me reaching for my vibe.
This story was so hot I had to grab my partner.
A perfect story for reading to your partner while they are tied and waiting
in anticipation.

There's nothing to it
Just be polite, have fun and do your best.

Imo, I learn by reading others' stories and feedback. I may not agree with what I'm reading, but I'm getting something out of it.

[H Dean]

This is a bid a two edged sword. Speaking as an author that is just not experienced enough, if I give a review it might not be by a long shot as good as someone like Clevernick or Mad Lewis. So this is a bit tricky to do. Useless or bad critique will not do much for the author either. So to just go and review something wont help as much. I think a better approach would be to write the thoughts inside the levels, for assignments of other authors. That way it is less embarrassing for the newbies like me and they learn better what to look for in other people's stories, which then will make them look out for that in their own stories.

Just throwing that out there

You have to start somewhere and reviews can be changed. Also, don't sell yourself short. Your review is just as valid as anyone else's review. Get out there and do it - I'm telling you, it means a lot to authors and it'll help you out, too.

[pejanon]

Liam, . people post their stories there for variety of reasons - but most of them want and need feedback

ANY review is better then no review. Not even "I loved it' and "I hated it' are completely worthless.
Silence is the worst.

In depth reviews (and I've done my share of them) are great but no one can
expect many of those and some of them are just clever exercises.

Your opinion of the story has an equal weight as any other, no matter how you choose to express it.

I know that many authors actually went back and reworked their stories if
promised an upgrade in rating.

So, if you are in mood: do go and write some reviews. And: it is a good
exercise for budding authors,