Copyright ©2011 by Tina V


All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced, used or transmitted in any forms or manner, electronic, graphic, recording, or mechanical such as printing, photocopying, or stored in any systems, except for brief quotations for personal use, without prior written permission from the author.


The content of this e-book was written to serve as guidelines for Bookrix members in writing reviews and comments. A research was made if some reference materials included in this book required permission to be quoted. If there has been an error, I apologize and corrections will be immediately made.


Writing doesn’t only pertain to finishing, publishing or marketing our articles and books. It does not only refer to good grammar and style. Creative writing goes beyond that; somehow, writing comments, giving feedbacks or making reviews are part of it.

It is easier to write and read positive comments; however, it is more sensitive to receive and accept weaknesses. Most often, we also avoid telling somebody of his mistakes for fear of conflict. There are times we are tactless when voicing out something, even if there is truth to it. We become unsympathetic to the feelings of others.

But why do we need to give critiques or criticisms to others? I think we need to step back a little bit, reflect and understand our purpose for writing our comments and giving feedback. There are seven possible reasons why we criticize others, which are as follows:

(1) to help someone improve their work

– The writer gives constructive feedback to help improve the material and the style of writing without expecting anything in return.

(2) to impart new knowledge for further consideration

– The writer shares new ideas not included in the material, but it is still related to the topic.

(3) to see changes in the material’s viewpoint

– The writer shares his personal opinion that may post some questions to consider, which may needs attention.

(4) to give critiques to others so that they also will do the same to our work

– This is the “I read your story; you read mine”

principle.

(5) to boost our self-esteem

– This is “I’m okay, you’re not okay”

theory.

(6) to express our anger or frustration on certain topics

– The material becomes the writer’s voice to convey disappointments. This is the “Here’s my chance”

technique.

(7) to retaliate on somebody we don’t like

- This is the “If you think I’m not okay, then you’re not okay too”

notion.

The first three reasons are more helpful, the fourth one has a question on the sincerity of the feedback; whereas, the last three are quite unfavorable.

Inasmuch as we don’t have any existing guidelines or rules in writing our comments, this might be useful to help us in giving constructive feedback to each other. Yes, we are all entitled to our own opinion. But this will remind us that negative criticism can be helpful if it is presented in a cautious, respectful and constructive manner. The Do’s and Don’ts listed below will fit to the first three favorable and helpful reasons. It is encourage that we stay away from the last four purposes in giving critiques.

I’m studying a book written by Wendy Burt-Thomas about Creative Writing (1). I want to share with you what she wrote about giving critiques –

“When it’s your turn to critique another member’s writing, put yourself in her shoes. Criticize the work, not the writer. Give your full attention to the material. . . And keep in mind that your role is to help improve the material. . . And try to offer suggestions for improvement when you find flaws.”

Below is a list of do’s and don’ts that we need to consider in writing comments, reviews or feedback to our fellow writers –

DO’s

1. Think first before you speak or write.

Rationalize your purpose for giving critiques or feedback.

2. Focus on the topic or story concept

, presentation of thoughts and style of writing, design layout, or even just the general overview of the material.

3. Jot down important notes

that will help you express your thoughts. This will guide you in expressing your opinion or views. Keep it simple, clear and relevant to the material.

4. Communicate undesirable criticism as gently as possible

by citing something positive and then the negative aspects. Point out both the strengths and weaknesses of the material. For instance you may say, “You have a good story concept, but I suggest you need to be careful with your punctuations and tenses.”

In this way, you will be able to relay your message without offending the writer.

5. If you think that you cannot hold on to your negative thoughts or you have a long list of corrections, you can still send a message through e-mail to convey your opinion but keeping it private.

You will definitely help the person concerned; besides, you’ll never know if your fellow writer will help you in the future.

Remember, too specific details of the mistakes might be too sensitive for public viewing. Be sympathetic and let the person save his face.

6. Offer useful information

and suggestions that will help improve the writer’s material. The main purpose is to give a constructive feedback and objective review.

7. If e-mail doesn’t work in other websites , they may rate the story or essay as “voted up or down.” Perhaps, this is one feature that Bookrix might also want to consider in the future.

8. If you have nothing good to say, then SHUT UP! Less words, less mistakes, less dilemma. . .

Thoughts to Ponder on – “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, his lips promotes instruction.” (2)

DON’Ts

1. Do not comment

anything about the writer’s age, race, religion, gender, or anything that may discriminate somebody from the group.

It has less relevance to the material you’re reading. Age may be stated for positive comments, but avoid mentioning it for citing the negative areas of the writer.

2. Do not focus on the negative side

, but also try to see the positive aspects. In every article or story we read it has something good and something bad to offer to its readers.

3. Do not embarrass the writer

by writing harsh words or insulting remarks. Harsh words can leave a scar in one’s heart. It will not help improve the material or the writer.

Being frank doesn’t give us the authority to say anything we want, in any manner we want and whenever we want. It doesn’t give us the right to be rude. We can still be honest, but “speak the truth in love.” (4)

4. Do not post a long list of mistakes

or errors in the comment box. It will only embarrass the writer. If you really want to help, then send him a private message. I assure you that that member will surely appreciate your effort.

5. Do not accuse somebody if you don’t have any proof.

For instance, never say to another writer that he’s guilty of plagiarism if you cannot prove that he is indeed committing such act based on his materials. But if you have the evidence, then report it.

6. Do not compare a writer to another writer.

Remember, every person is unique. We will all learn and grow at our own pace – sometimes it may be slow or sometimes it may be fast. But growth is possible to all who strives to achieve it.

7. Do not always think you are better than the other writer.

As Morgan Freeman said in a TV interview, “If you think you are good, then most likely, you aren’t.”

8. If you don’t like the topic, then don’t bother to continue reading the material. The few lines of an essay and outline of a book will give you an idea of what to expect from the writer and his story. At least, it will offer you some hint. So do not write any comment.

Thoughts to Ponder on - “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (3)

These instructions do not encourage superficiality with your critiques, but rather to promote courtesy, cooperation and support for each other as one community of writers.

For those who are being given the critique, be open-minded to criticisms and learn from it. Let us be reminded of the golden rule – “Don’t do unto others what we don’t want others to do unto us.”

Just to mention what Becky (a.k.a. becky12345) said, “A good critique should help you improve, not make you feel like an idiot.”

Likewise, Barry (a.k.a. barryj1.write) shared an important lesson to us, “How important it is to be supportive at the same time that we offer constructive remarks/ feedbacks.”

Remember, the manner you write your comments, reviews or critique will show your personality. If you think it’s fun to put down other people, I bet you it’s not; it just shows the level of your professionalism or insecurity as a writer.

Our comments, and even our interaction in the forum, will reflect what type of writers we have in this website. Eventually, it will create the Community Image of Bookrix.

So before you post any comments be sure to ask yourself, “How will my comments affect the writer? What can I say or do to help improve the material? Or what can I say or do to help resolve any conflict in the forum?”

Please feel free to add and share your thoughts, too. I’m sure we can learn from each other’s ideas, opinion or even from our mistakes. This instructional material can help us prevent conflict, improve this website and write better as professionals.

APPENDIX 1
Good Examples of Giving Critiques
(For Both Positive and Negative Aspects)

I randomly selected some comments written by Bookrix members, which can be considered as good examples of giving critiques. The writers were able to show both the strength and weaknesses of the material without being offensive. If your name is listed, and you want it to be deleted, kindly send me an e-mail so that I can make the necessary changes.


ayelet (http://www.bookrix.com/-ayelet)

Agree with the above - there were some spots where I also had to read twice to get the meaning of the sentence. I enjoyed the plot... please keep writing it!

One concrete suggestion: watch your commas - adding them in appropriate places might help people understand the writing more.

bexalicious(http://www.bookrix.com/-bexalicious)

There were nice messages behind these poems. However, I felt they were a bit too preachy. The good messages you were trying to get across were bright and evident which was good but it would have been better if you let it come more naturally.

peeps927 (http://www.bookrix.com/-peeps927)

So sorry...this is not the kind of book I would read...due to personal beliefs. Thank you and the best of luck to you. I do think this is the market that seems to be growing more daily.

Evercaptivating (http://www.bookrix.com/-evercaptivating)

You are a talented writer... from the start I could see that. I enjoyed your writing and the playfulness of your descriptions... very visual.

A few things, if I may, I don't get the ending. What happened in the last bit? I need more to this story.

I would say, that in the beginning I think it is a little wordy. Can I say too many big words? That sounds weird, but I think it needs to be 'simplified' to run more smoothly. Read it aloud and see how it flows now. Simplify it and make it like the rest of your writing. I think the first two or three paragraphs need it.

The writing is lovely and you have a great vocab, but I think it's a bit too much. My opinion... hope it helps.

felixthecat (http://www.bookrix.com/-felixthecat)

I liked this very much, _______! It was short. It was also charming, sad, and romantic : ).

You adhered to the contest theme, and I was impressed with that!

I'd like to see you go back to the opening (in your file manuscript) and enter that subway car with your characters. As Stephanie said, extend the scene(s) a bit. WHAT do you see as you stand there? Write it out. Walk with them through the book :) Try it. Tell us what they see in detail. Smells, tastes, touches, sounds...use as many senses as you can in the story. Describe their dying selves and their dying world a bit more, especially you main male character.

I am compelled by your great effort to vote for you :)

roscoe63 (http://www.bookrix.com/-roscoe63)

I read the story for content which was intriguing throughout. The story was well thought out. One suggestion I would make would be to organize the content so it flows more and doesn't jump from one event back to a previous one too quickly, refer back but not too much. Good job-really!!

rgabel (http://www.bookrix.com/-rgabel)

Again, you have an amazing imagination. I don't know how you sleep at night with all these ideas rolling around! LOL! You are also improving; your writing is flowing better. Now, it's time for you to refine your writing.

You keep switching Point of View. You write very well in First Person, I envy you that. But you slip every now and then as in the first few paragraphs after your prologue.

Now, on the first page, 3rd paragraph,
"What if I fail them?" Take out 'I thought'. Being in first person we already know as readers that you are thinking to yourself.

4th paragraph, may I suggest the following rewrite to make the sentence flow better, 'If I hadn't gone through the bitter experiences of the past month ...’

Hope this helps and you understand that I admire your writing, just offering help.

gooduklady (http://www.bookrix.com/-gooduklady)

The mark of a good writer is being able to make the reader care about the people in the story. You have succeeded very well here. I read the whole story with interest, and was naturally given a shock at the end, which was good. So you definitely are able to write, no doubt about it and I have given you my vote. Your sentences and emotions flow naturally and I am sure you have a good future in front of you. My only suggestion to improve would be the mechanics of the story. Go back and fix every spelling and grammatical mistake. There are lots in your story...words left out, the word "wondering" instead of "wandering" - you use the word "to" occasionally instead of "too" - and "then" instead of "than" --- however these are small things and are not relevant to your actual writing. Fixing them would polish your work and make it more professional. So go back and re-read every line, fix the errors, and you will have a story to be proud of. I am proud of you for writing it

APPENDIX 2
Negative Examples of Giving Critiques

Since this e-book will serve as a guideline in giving critiques, these comments were randomly selected to give you examples of a negative manner of writing our opinions. I hope that those writers concerned will take this as a constructive feedback. If you wrote one of these, and you want it to be deleted, kindly send me an e-mail so that I can make the necessary changes.


• (Don’ts Guidelines – Refer to Rule 1, Rule 2, Rule 3, and Rule 7)

ok this really sucked you used would in bad areas you sound like an 8 year old
it like me saying
i would go into the kitchen and would eat an apple
see its retarded
you should edit this then ill reconsider sorry but you should work on this
a lot

• (Don’ts Guidelines – Refer to Rule 2 and Rule 3)

was this written by a kindergartener I'm sorry but you need to check your spelling, grammer, conventions, spacing, and word placement

• (Don’ts Guidelines - Refer to Rule 1, Rule 3 and Rule 6)

First impressions are most important. When you mis-spell a word in the title of a book you are not off to a great start. I presume you meant ___________. I would advise you to take a look at some of the entries in the top ten of this contest to see what writing is all about. I shall be very blunt, and perhaps hurtful, when I say that unless you can put together a proper story, with a beginning, middle and an end, don't bother. You expended no energy or imagination with this entry, so I am not inclined to save your story or vote for it. Sorry if this critique seems harsh, but I feel my time in reading your work was wasted. When a fourteen year old can win the DEAR DIARY contest, hands down, a sixteen year old can do just as well, with a little effort. Next time, please work on a proper story and I shall be thrilled to read it.

• (Don’ts Guidelines – Refer to Rule 4)

In the next three pages, this feedback offers useful information to help improve the material; however, the specific details should have been sent through e-mail to the concerned writer. Remember, too specific details of the mistakes might be too sensitive for public viewing. Be sympathetic and let the person save his face.

Love the front cover and the poem. You've really put some time and effort into this.
You've opened the story so well, with a wonderful hook.
Need to look at your comma use, in particular with your adjectives.
I think you've been quite creative in introducing her physical character through the glass table top.
You're narrator is omniscient. You have an authorial voice happening, which can only happen when using omniscient POV. E.g.: pg. 7 'Yes, her life was perfect.' It's the use of 'yes'.
Great prologue, again full of action and intrigue.
I've noticed 'simply' is a pet word of yours. You might want to re-edit with this in mind and see if any can be changed. Every writer has one.
I think you did really well, introducing bit by bit more clues.
I think you could do away with many of your speech tags and adverbs relating to the speech.
I enjoyed this first installment. I think you're onto something and your plot seems strong at this stage. Good stuff. For 19 y.o. you're quite talented.

Workshopping tips:
Pg 7: I'd get rid of 'behind him' as it's assumed and therefore redundant. This'll tighten your writing.

Pg 9: First Angeli is walking, dragging her feet, but then she rushes in the bedroom door and lands on her knees, why? What she spewing blood or coughing blood or both? I'm not sure 'tainting' is the right word. Spewing implies a lot of fluid, which would do more than 'taint', I think.

Pg 11: 'Out there at the cold', is that meant to read 'out there 'in' the cold'?

Pg 12: 'Past' should be 'passed'. 'At least for Daniel's case' should be 'at least 'in' Daniel's case'. Missing 'to' between 'air' and 'get'.

Pg 13: With 'she just stared at him', I'd get rid of 'just'. You could also get rid of 'he was just sure.'

Pg 14: 'Whip' should be 'whipped'.

Pg 17: 'Black back pack slung on his', here you need to add 'that was' between 'pack' and 'slung'. 'Pushing close' should be 'pushing closed'.

Pg 18: 'This early quiet time' doesn't make sense. I think it is the 'quiet'.

Pg 19: Not sure on the 'huddled in beds'.

Pg 20: 'Where he is cornered', 'is' should be 'was'. I'm not sure on your meaning of: 'he'd been to this scenario a couple of times before'.

Pg 21: 'Word per word' should be 'word for word'. 'It seemed like a genuine laughter', should not have the article 'a'.

Pg 22: 'Of the government' should be 'or the government.'

Pg 23: 'which each step' should be 'with each step'.

Pg 24: Is your chapter heading meant to be 'CRSHS' or is it missing the 'A'? 'Hoping you've finished it' should be 'you'd'.

Pg 25: I don't think 'squinted' is the right word choices for squeezing between.

Pg 26: I don't think 'affixing' works here.

Pg 27: Did you mean 'violet' or 'violent'? You've done this in more than one place. 'Onto' should be 'into'.

Pg 31: You've used latter twice in close succession, but the second doesn't make sense. Daniel 'retrieved' his hand, isn't correct use of 'retrieve'.

Pg 32: 'Walking on bare foot' isn't correct. You could put 'he had no shoes on. You've used 'run' instead of 'ran'. You've used 'trickle' instead of 'trickled'. You've used 'rush' instead of 'rushed'.

Pg 33: 'Run' instead of 'ran', and 'past' instead of 'passed'.

Keep up the great work. I'll vote.

• (Don’ts Guidelines – Refer to Rule 8)

I don't like this book. just kidding


• (Don’ts Guidelines – Refer to Rule 5)

This is the first comment I received from another website’s forum when I posted my first article. Remember our rule; “do not accuse somebody if you don’t have any proof.”

Sorry to sound harsh, but how much are you paying your freelancers? I may sound jaded, but I've seen waaay tooo many of you folks who can't compose a decent English sentence in the forums, but your posts are way too "on" grammatically. So just spill the beans. Where did you get your content, because you obviously did not write it.”

APPENDIX 3
Resources

(1) Burt- Thomas (2010), The Everything Creative Writing 2nd Edition, Adams Media, Avon, Massachusetts, U.S.A (www.everything.com)

(2) Proverbs 16:23 - Scripture quotation was taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible (1973, 1978, 1984, 2001)

(3) Ephesians 4:29 - Scripture quotation was taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible (1973, 1978, 1984, 2001)

(4) Ephesians 4:15 - Scripture quotation was taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible (1973, 1978, 1984, 2001)

Imprint

Publication Date: 06-21-2011

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
This book is dedicated to Elizabeth Towles (a.k.a. etelizabeth) for her encouraging words and sincere feedback about my first e-book, The Journey in Life. Thank you for taking the time to send me a list of writing tips to help me improve it.