I dont' know if this is the right place for this comment but...... So, I'd like to post a small excerpt of a YA novel I'm working on in the review area. I think that the policy of requiring members to review something before they post for review is a good one. That way you don't have pages and pages of posts with little or no reviews. So, I've tried to "pay my dues" and write some reviews. The only problem is by the time I get to a piece to review it there are so many other posts that they've, said it all. Some have commented on grammar and spelling, some on plot and character. I feel like I've got nothing to add. Any suggestions. I could just say the same things over again but it seems like a waste.
Just keep on searching Ann. There are new submissions every day. Unless you're truly that impatient to let us all rip your excerpt to death!
I think you shouldn't be bothered by what the other reviewers have said. Just say whatever you want to say about the piece. If somebody had already said the same thing, that's okay. It's certainly not a waste. Why? A writer will be more convince that there is something wrong/good in his sentence, plot, character etc if more than one people say it. Won't you if you are the writer?
Pretty much this, though I think it can benefit both you and the writer if you provide your opinions on their work without even reading any of the other responses- if you happen to point out similar concerns, the writer can pay special attention to it, while at the same time you may also have a different interpretation or reaction to a passage than another commenter. Unless a piece has an overwhelming number of responses, another perspective is almost always beneficial.
When I review something, I ignore the other critiques that have been posted. After all, this is simply MY take on the piece. That is what is required of you.
Well then just look for something that's been reviewed very little or has one sentence reviews. I know one of my poems I recently put up has no full review on it, and there many other works such as my own. We, of course, placed our work up for review, but it got lost in the shuffling of papers, so to speak. Just do a little digging and you'll find all kinds of stuff to work on.
Thie entire subforum, Writing Issues->Reviewing, is dedicated to leaning and improving the cririquing process. In particular, check out the Critiquing FAQ and Constructive Critiques. Then, as Flamingo said, peruse threads and critiques in the Review Room to pick up some ideas on what to look for. But don't read other critiques about a piece you plan to critique until after you have posted your thoughts on it, so you aren't biased by other opinions. After you have critiqued it is a better time to look at other critiques of the piece, to compare what you saw to what other critiquers came up with.
