I do and I don't like how the forum is set up. The "must post 2 replies" in order to post a thread. I like this because your almost forced to look at other peoples work. That's a good thing. What I don't like about it is you have to provide something constructive. That is a good thing as well. The only problem for me is that I don't think that I am qualified to do so. I can try but I will most likely be wrong. I have way more questions than answers. I do try my best to help out but I may be forced to write something that is supposed to be constructive but instead it is the complete opposite. I'm not exactly sure how to go about this.
You don't have to worry about being "wrong" since what you think works or doesn't work in a piece is subjective. As long as you explain yourself when reviewing, you should be fine.
Constructive isn't a measure of right or wrong. The whole thing is entirely subjective. What is required is an attempt to engage with perceived shortcomings of the piece, explain what the problem is, and offer advice as to how to correct them. Aside from that, almost anything goes (obviously not offensive comments, etc). Mods don't check through your critiques to see if we agree with them. We just check that you're offering constructive comments aimed at the improvement of the writer and work. As long as you're putting effort into the reviewing, it's not as hard as it looks.
My exact sentiments when I joined this forum about six months ago. This forum actually allowed me to finally take the plunge (because I was eager to get reviews on my own work). As a reader you immediately know if a story is working or not, but you just don't know what is wrong with the story. That's frustrating. Believe me, I know. Here's what I did in the beginning: -First, read reviews by others before you do any reviews. -You might not understand everything the reviewer is saying, but don't worry. Just take in whatever you can understand, like, 'your sentences are too long so it's difficult to get the meaning', 'your first paragraph is too descriptive', or, 'your story needs some more descriptions'. You'll definitely get an idea why the reviewer is saying it. -Utilize that knowledge when you read stories which have similar problems. Congratulations! You are now giving constructive reviews, but you are not done. -Read more reviews by others. -This time dig deeper. Don't get intimidated by technical sounding words like 'viewpoint', 'POV', or words/phrases that doesn't make sense to you, like, 'show, don't tell'.. -Find out about them from the discussion threads and blog posts here in this forum and by googling. Those are very common words and phrases in the writing world, so it shouldn't be difficult. -Check if your understanding of a new thing you have learned is right by participating in discussions on that topic. Or, just start a thread (choose an appropriate forum) simply asking about it. Believe me many here will help you. -Arm with knowledge thus acquired, you can start reviewing like a professional. The more you review the more concepts will become clear.
