Longer works to review.

I have started a story and have gotten about 6,000 words into it. I would love to have some people look at it and slice it up, but it is pretty long.

The reason it got so long is that the opening sets the stage for the rest of the story.

I just want to do things the correct way because I have gotten some great suggestions from people. I also feel guilty because I will review a piece and then someone else will review the same piece and there's is always better.

So I have some guilt complex going on there too.

Any suggestions?

 

Six thousand words is sizeable, but not beyond reason for reviewing. It's smack in the middle of the size range for the current site contest, for example.

The best bet for getting a critique of the overall story is to first do your best to polish out the majority of SPAG errors. You might also want to start with a short excerpt if you are concerned about general style issues like dialogue or sentence variety and flow.

Then when the story is in the best shape you can get it from a "peephole perspective", put up the full piece, and specifically note the aspects you are most interested in getting feedback on.

Not every reviewer will pay attention to the request, but you should hopefully get enough responses addressing those specific areas to be helpful.


If the story gets much larger than that, though, I see no way it can be reasonably collect full reviews. Also, if it is intended for submission to publishers, you won't want to put up more than excerpts anyway. Anything that large represents a considerable time investment, and you'll need to trust in what you have learned about writing in general.

At that point, the most relevant reviews you can get are probably from the publishers you submit to.

 

Thanks very much for the feedback Cogito. I will follow your advice.

 

TenderHeart,

I don't think any one review is "better" than another. They are simply different, each with its own merit.

For example, your review might tell a writer things that you liked and disliked about the way a story was told. It might even be as simple as telling the author a few sections that you found confusing. The next "reviewer" might identify dozens of grammatical errors, punctuation problems, plot blunders and ways to enhance the flow of the story.

Which review is "best"? Neither. They both provide valuable information for the aspiring author. So don't diminish your contribution. It IS valuable. Give your honest impressions and let the writer decide for him or her self how to deal with the opinions provided.

.....NaCl