How I Review

One thing we really want to discourage is grading the writing. To some extent, the quality rating can be inferred from how many aspects are tagged for improvement, and the nature of the suggested changes.

But the emphasis here is not on, "How good or awful is this?" The emphsis is on, "What can I do to make this, and all my writing, better?" So it's less important to worry about "How good is this now?" A better question is, "How good can this be, and how do I get it there?"

No piece of writing here should be considered as the final draft. It's a work in progress, and by focusing on process rather than a rating, we all have an opportunity to improve, writer and critic alike.

I dont know so much about the grading scale --I'm in the same boat with Cogito on that. Besides, I dont think it's the reviewer's job --especially in this online workshop setup we have here, to grade the writing. It's the reviewer's job to help improve the writer's writing. I dont think a grade really helps in any way. It's why even English teachers (the good ones) pepper assigned essays with notes. These personalized notes say things far more than a letter grade ever could. While a letter grade is holistic, they are too definite for a subjective practice like writing.

However, I do agree with the fact that in some of the posts, reviewers point out the minor nuances that the writer should have picked up the first time. What I do in that situation (not so much on this site; I dont review as much as I should, but my excuse is that I do it both academically and extracurricularly ) is I point out the same mistake in several instances if I feel the writer really doesnt have a grasp for a certain mechanic. Usually, at the end of a review, I like to cite what I felt was done extremely well, and what seriously detracted from the writing. It's a more personalized way of pushing the writer in the direction you want them to go, and they know exactly what you mean. Grades can be interpretted differently, even with your translation above. You know, a C to someone might be perfectly acceptable. To a straight-A student, it's a nightmare.

Your blog gets a C-.