First, allow me to hand out the technical information.

I have transferred the system -- courtesy of my friend and fellow reviewer, TLR -- which I originally used to critique and review stories on a separate web site to this web site, so that all visitors, old and new, may have a general idea of how to critique and review stories on their own.

What follows is the system of ratings that I use personally. All readers are encouraged to use their own systems if they have their own preferred ways of writing critiques and reviews. Please bear in mind that any rating at all is completely optional. I do it because it helps to keep things in perspective using a concrete, definite scale.

I judge stories using five self-explanatory criteria, which are as follows:

Characterization
Emotion
Plotting
Style
OVERALL

For each criterion, I assign a number from 0 to 5, with 0 being unacceptable, and 5 being excellent. Please note that, according to my personal standards, I almost never hand out a 5 (excellent), and a 3 (average or slightly above-average) is good, while a 4 (definitely above-average) is very good, as well as rare. 2 (average or slightly below-average) is not bad -- it signifies a need for improvement, but it is not bad. I, personally, can be a little harsh in handing out those ratings, so I am warning everyone about them in advance. However, I encourage all readers to also be just a little harsh in their tender ministrations, since no form of love is more useful to a writer than tough love, in my considered opinion.

Now that I have the technical information out of the way, allow me to hand out I Abibde's Five Rules of Thumb for typing up critiques and reviews:

1.) Be nice. Give constructive criticism and positive comments to the writer. Destructive criticism and negative comments are good for hurting feelings, nothing more.

2.) Don't be TOO nice. I value honesty and useful commentary over back-scratching and ego-boosting, and many, if not most, writers feel the same way.

3.) Be specific. What works? What doesn't work? What do you think could be done differently? What do you think should not be changed? If there is one thing that gets under the skin of a writer, it is a comment which reads "I love your story!" or "Write more!" without explaining anything. Such comments are useless sound bites, not critiques or reviews.

4.) Give a rating from A+ to F-, or from 1 to 10, or whatever one prefers. I find (honest) ratings to be helpful when I critique and review fanfic, but not everyone may agree, so they are an option. I do, however, consider them a very good option, else I would not have detailed the ratings system shown above.

5.) Give and take. If one never gives a critique or review, one should not expect to receive a critique or review. One who follows the Golden Rule when reading and writing will go far in the world of fanfic.

Before the critiquing and reviewing starts, allow me to include one more rule of thumb, this one for writers:

Dear writers, please make sure to edit, proofread, and revise your stories as much as you can on your own before you submit them. I highly recommend finding a beta reader, editor, or pre-reader if you feel that you need any help with the writing process. If a story is not readable, it most likely will not be critiqued or reviewed. You have been cautioned.

On that note, please enjoy your stay at ASMR. We look forward to, and value, all that you have to offer, from feedback to stories to to universe-spanning epics.

[Andrea's note -- here is an example of I Abibde's style of editing]

Link to the story: Five-Alarm Fire by Viper Inferno
Link to critique:
Critique of Five-Alarm Fire

This document is copyright © 2002 I Abibde and the ASMR Network.