So somethign Elkkun mentioned on this thread (http://www.fanbbs.net/honobono/index.html#4) was that some people might not know how to give a review, and so do not give one at all, but still alert or fave. We all know that this can be veryt frustrating for an author, who sometimes needs help or guidance, or just a little encouragment.
So does anyone have any advice on how to be a 'good' reviewer?
My advice would be to mention one good thing and one point for improvement. If the chapter is too short to really say anything, then still review but mention that the chapter was perhaps too short.
Giving a good critical review is easy, in my experience. The hard thing is giving a good review when everything about the story was excellent. The trick, I think, is to treat an entirely positive review like a critical review: point out specific things in the story, and then explain why you thought they worked so well.
Also, for personal preference, a good review is as spoiler-free as possible.
For starters, as long as it says something other than the thousands of variations of, "I love it, please update!" I think you're off the a good start.
Personally, when I'm reviewing I always point what I liked about the chapter/story as I know that I like reading specifics from my reviewers. And I usually try to point out at least one thing that needs improvement, even if it is only something that I was confused about or a grammar problem. I like getting constructive feedback myself so I just assume that other authors do as well. Unfortunately, we all know that this is not always true....
>>2 Must agree with you about the spoiler-free; there's nothing worse than seeing a review on someone else's story (or your own) that says something like, "I'm so glad that Julie and Bob ended up together!!" or, "I can't believe you killed off Sally!!!!"
One of the girls I beta for has a serious problem with this on her HP story, people keep reviewing things like, "I'm so glad you made the Dursley's nice!" or, "That's so cool about Harry and Hermione's bond!" and blah, blah, blah. It makes you wannna smack people....or maybe that's just me....
For starters, as long as it says something other than the thousands of variations of, "I love it, please update!" I think you're off the a good start.
Personally, when I'm reviewing I always point what I liked about the chapter/story as I know that I like reading specifics from my reviewers. And I usually try to point out at least one thing that needs improvement, even if it is only something that I was confused about or a grammar problem. I like getting constructive feedback myself so I just assume that other authors do as well. Unfortunately, we all know that this is not always true....
>>2 Must agree with you about the spoiler-free; there's nothing worse than seeing a review on someone else's story (or your own) that says something like, "I'm so glad that Julie and Bob ended up together!!" or, "I can't believe you killed off Sally!!!!"
One of the girls I beta for has a serious problem with this on her HP story, people keep reviewing things like, "I'm so glad you made the Dursley's nice!" or, "That's so cool about Harry and Hermione's bond!" and blah, blah, blah. It makes you wannna smack people....or maybe that's just me....
Sorry for the double post...damn school computers...
I think a good reviewer is someone who can say something good even when the story's terrible! There's always something you can find that's good, even if it's just the use of one word in a particular context, or a bit of description or something that you think works.
I think reviewers should be honest, but even if the story's really bad, there are ways of saying so without being rude or nasty. Like Bitch Goddess said up there ^, any serious writer would value constructive criticism so they can improve their writing. Just telling someone "Your story sucks big time" is not gonna do that!
A good review in my eyes is one that's completely honest, points out the most important pros and cons of the story. If all they say is "This story suxorz lololol" then clearly they don't know what constructive criticism is. Meanwhile, comments like "This story is awesome sauce" is good and kind but also isn't particularly helpful in improving the writer's abilities. And let's say the reviewer considers the story perfect. In that case, a, ahem, "professional" review would point out at least the top 3 reasons why he/she considers it perfect. Just because there's nothing to criticize doesn't mean you can't add a few details here and there.
>>7 - I am guessing you haven't read some of the fanfics I've read then. Then again, those are the stories I start off by saying something like, "I know you don't want to hear this, but someone needs to tell you the truth" and also say somewhere along the line, "If someone doesn't point out the faults, you won't be able to grow as a writer". I try to remember to end these with keep trying, keept growing, something along those lines.
I still remember the person who came back on one of my reviews and extolled the fact that they had perfect grammer and didn't rush through the boring parts. I told them that imperfect grammer is easier to notice then perfect grammer and that there is no point of not rushing the boring parts of a plot, when the plot itself is overly riddled with errors. I told them that instead of focusing their efforts in those two areas soley, they needed to round out what they were doing in their writing.
There are also stories that you know are bad, but can't place your finger on it. I think you should still say something, even if it is along the lines of, "I can't place my finger on it, but your fanfic seems..."
I also agree with trying to find something good to say about the fanfic if at all possible. Some... just aren't possible, particularly when you get ten year old on the site with low writing skills and you just have to say try again. Sometimes though, I have found something nice and I get accused of not saying anything nice at all. :<
What I tend to do and what I love people doing for my own work is leaving a review that is a kind of "walk-through" of what I'm thinking of. I write the review as I read, mentioning all of my thoughts and feelings and comments. I find that it's really interesting getting a review like this because it opens up a lot of possibilities for the author that they might not have thought about previously, like if I say "Oh, wow, Alice and Bob sure seem to hate each other. An old grudge, perhaps?". It's also handy if you/the author hadn't been aware of this tension between Alice and Bob, and realizes that the reader might take it that way.
Most annoying review I've ever recieved: "Good chapter lol <3"
>>10 strangely enough, I did a review just like that yesterday XD The story never actually made sense, because the author never explained how a certain thing happened.
I do believe a good review starts off light, after all you don't want to put them off your review, or make them think you're flaming (strangely enough, people actually think that if you don't include anything good, in the critique, it's a flame...), then add all the harsh stuff later, and try to finish on a light note, perhaps something you liked about it; explaining of course.
;3
>>10 VioletMadness: I see what you're saying, but personally I would HATE to get a review like that! I can't stand it when reviewers try and write my story for me or tell me what I ought to put next! (There's a thread on here about that - "Who's story is it anyway?")
>>11 Elkkun: I read a fic the other day that made no sense at all, and when I commented on it some basic stuff not making sense, I got a diatribe from the author saying "Well, you should have read my other fics then you'd know..." and she deleted my review! Ah well... my fault then, obviously!
>>12 obviously XD You should've re-written the review but at the end said
"and I don't see how reading your other stuff, would change my opinion on THIS story." Also, I think what VioletMadness means is to give a suggestion on another plot point, what the author him/herself has missed. For example the story I reviewed was a LOZ:TP fiction, with her own OC in it and when Link was dragged into the Twilight, he turns into a "divine Beast" (aka a wolf) because he is chosen by the Goddesses, however her OC just randomly turns into a wolf, she also pointed out she never really had anything else to write about, for a next chapter. So I told her she could add some explanations.
There was also something else, she /howls/ in pain when she wakes up, then instantly knows she's a /wolf/. Dogs and coyotes howl as well, so how did she know she was a flippin' WOLF? xD.
>>13 Admittedly off topic, but adding to the bit on wolves; dogs howl in pain, whereas wolves /whine/ when in pain, and howling is more of a group sing-a-long. So clearly she wasn't a wolf after all!
>>14 you see, if I had known that I so would've put it in! Somebodies done their research.
There's another thing I like about reviews, when they correct you on something so you don't look like a flippin' idiot, to everyone else XDD
>>12 & >>13 - The fact she couldn't point out EXACTLY which story one would need to go and read for something to make sense says all her stories are likely of simular content and nothing makes any sense. I had someone call me out on one of my one-shots, for having the characters OoC. They had a legitimate complaint if it has simply been a one-shot, however, I went and noted that the one-shot had ties in to another one of my fanfics and said exactly which one and said the characterization would be explained there.
>>16 you see, now that's a helpful reply to a review. Glad there're still sane people.
>>2 & >>3 I agree about the spoiler free thing, but sometimes it's really hard. Like when you want to congratulate the author on a good plot twist, but don't want to ruin it for everybody else.
When it comes to giving a good review, I think you need to be honest, but gentle. I like the start by pointing out something I feel the author did well, put in some critiques, and end on a positive note("I'm looking forward to the rest" or something like that).
I find the hardest stories to leave reviews for are the "average" ones. You know, they're neither good nor bad, just okay. I never know what to say, other then "nice fic." Half the time, I don't review at all.
Honestly, a story being put on someone's alert list (for ff.net anyway), me or the story getting favorited (again, on a fic site), or just a "yay!" comment is enough to reassure me that people are at least reading an enjoying. But of course, I like more in-depth comments better, and LiveJournal can't tell me when people are keeping track of my fic. :)
Point being, even a short comment is good to leave for encouragement purposes. For review purposes, I think it's best to sandwich any complaints with praise. "I loved X in this chapter! Y was a little ___, and also here's a typo. But overall, I liked it, and I can't wait to see if Z happens!" Not everyone can even accept that much criticism, but for most, it softens the blow enough that they'll actually listen and consider.