When it's not your cup of tea....

Ok, so this is more of a give me your ideas on this, cuz I haven't got a clue kinda thread.

To be a good reviewer (and I think writer) it would seem obvious that you have to branch out and away from the things you like. Not easy for me. MC did a review on a piece for me (you rock, MC!) and I know that there was subject matter in there that made her a little not-so-comfy. But, being the awesome lady that she is, she did the review!

I have to say I would have had a hard time with it, had I been her. Yes, I must admit this about my own self. If there's no robot, aliens, spaceships, other planets, or people with special powers (the last is my favorite) I have a hard time getting through a review.

I want to improve this about myself.

Help?

My only suggestion is that you change the "you" to "your" in your subject line! LOL

I have no problem reviewing subject matters that I don't find interesting, but I absolutely will not review work where the author obviously did not run a basic spell check or has demonstrated little regard for peoples' time.

For example, Marksman posted a story for review and began by saying "This isn't exactly what I would call my finest in writing...". Such disclaimers reveal a lack of regard for the commitment of time and effort by others. If it's not your best effort, then why waste people's time offering corrections that you could/should have done yourself?

Of course, there is no law preventing such posts, nor should there be, but I will make my own choice as to where I invest my limited time. And, when I post anything for review, you can bet it will be my best effort before I ask others to invest in it.

As far as your gay-based story, I plan to review it in the future as soon as my current business demands let up a bit (about 2 months). You know of my "legendary" homophobia (LOL) but I still think I can offer legitimate insights despite the topic. Besides, in my own mind I'll just convert one of the guys into a black female so the tension is only from interracial dating! LOL

NaClmine wrote:My only suggestion is that you change the "you" to "your" in your subject line! LOL

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?

I think to have your heart into it, it helps to be interested in the subject matter. I would imagine some people could critique in cold blood, so to speak. I'm not one of them.

My thoughts would be to try reviewing works that don't appeal to you. Would be a good experience.

As far as reviewing work that may go against your beliefs or values; I feel the best course would be to move on to something that doesn't upset you.

I reported a story at another website that was posted in the Humor forum about child molestation. Fortunately, it was deleted soon after I called attention to it. So it wasn't just me that thought it was inappropriate. In a case like that it's best to report the offending story to administration - whether you're here or on another website.

Garmar wrote:

NaClmine wrote:My only suggestion is that you change the "you" to "your" in your subject line! LOL

Whatchoo talkin' 'bout Willis?

Here I catch the guy in a silly mistake inside a "review" forum and you fix his blunder! Now, THAT'S gay! LOL

Who, me?

Was that a naughty thing to do?

So, a little late into this topic obviously, but I think that's a problem for a lot of people.

i think, mostly, that when people are faced with a topic of dislike or discomfort on a forum, they completely avoid the posting all together. I think as long as you're honest about what you're reading, then every aspect is important. It sounds as if you read the same types of stories I do, anything that is fantastic in anyway, and so a non-fiction story on an upcoming city with no history or magic would be torture. I think just sucking it up and commenting on parts that read especially boring would be very beneficial to someone trying to get published.

This all sounded much clearer in my head then when I started writing it. Isn't that the story though

I find it fairly easy to do the mechanicals-grammar, punctuation and so on, at least to the limits of my knowledge. There are questions like how tight should pacing be, how far in can the hook be located, will a stunning description work or must a hook really be hard action. I feel less confident about these. They are judgment calls, and I have no way of aligning my critical sense with the unknown editor / agent who will send back the dreaded rejection slip.

Even in grammar I have found "violations" that improve the flow, making it closer to a human spoken narrative. They flow so smoothly a professional tech documents editor didn't pick them up, but were pronounced the kiss of death, absolute proof of amateurism and totally unpublishable by some knowledgeable contributors to other websites who have shown excellent editorial ability.

All editing is opinion, at some level. We all listen to the advice and weight the criticisms, but in the end we decide what we write. Would anyone want it any other way?

CS