In many of my reviews, particularly of the ones of stories that I have enjoyed reading, I have posted short comments and haven't rewritten anything in the story, as many reviewers do. The reason I do this is that I myself could not write anything of the quality of these authors, so instead of giving out bad advice, I simply let the authors know I have enjoyed reading their stories. I know these types of reviews don't count toward my review quota, and I hope the moderators don't think that that's what I'm aiming for.
The purpose of the Review Room workshop is to improve your critiquing ability. In order to do that, you must take a chance and stick your neck out. Vague, general remarks are of no value. Ratings are of no value. Constructive critique means you have to take a stand, for better or worse, and to be specific. Constructive critique means you are giving the writer something to try in order to improve the writing. If it doesn't actually result in an improvement, at least you have tried.
I think I did the same, its difficult because you don't want to hurt anyone's feelings when you comment on their work.
To the person above me...critiquing isn't about hurting someone's feelings or avoiding hurting them. It's honestly simply about the writing. If the person takes offense from a critique, then they need to work on their ability to handle critiques...and honestly, if they're taking offense from one of your critiques, you probably hit one of the problems with their work straight on the head and that's what causes them to get defensive. Most of the time, we (as human beings) don't get defensive about something we did/wrote/made unless we know that we're being confronted with the truth (and it's a truth we don't like). So I figure, if I offend someone with my critique, all I've done is force them to open their eyes to the truth they already knew was there to begin with. ~Lynn
I think all you have to remember is that everyone interprets a poem differently. Take a look at ee cummings' 'she being brand'. Many reading it pick up a guys first experience with a car. Others pick up on the sexual connotations surrounding a guy's first time with a girl (it's very subtle, btw). And that's mainly drawn from how the author uses line-breaks, types face etc (semantics in general). So, it may take several reads, but I try to go with what I personally interpret. If I get it wrong (and I have, many many times) it's a learning curve. I don't think it's one I'll ever stop learning from, or even stop being nervous about.
I have such a hard time finding anything wrong with things I read. I am not a very critical person, that's why i haven't posted a lot of reviews. I need to get better at it!
The only way to get better at it is by reviewing and reading other reviews. With practice you will improve and see more in someone's work.
