|
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. |
|