Wasn't sure where to post this question, I am hoping here is okay. I have searched for this answer but I am sure it is somewhere but I can't seem to find the answer. I read that you should reply twice for every piece you post. That is just polite and understandable, and I am glad there is a policy like that. I respect and approve of this practice. But the part that is stumping me a bit is story size, the closest thing I can see for a recommendation is in the novel section, where it is advised not to post entire novels. (That would be insane) I notice many post snippets of short stories, and people wonder where it is going. Is there some 1000 word or less rule. I had a story I was thinking of posting but it is closer to 3000 but I haven't seen anything quite that long. I don't want to be rude or inconsiderate. I actually have found great advice so far, what a wonderful site. To be honest though I gather just as much insight from reading critique from others work as much as my own. Odd. Though I am sure to add my thoughts too, I am not English major which is obvious but I do have opinions on how the work makes me feel and think and share them. Could someone please point me in the right direction, what is acceptable length to post of a short story, novel chapter or snip of a chapter? The fear I have is, if it is too long others will have to invest too much time and may not review it. If it is too short, the reader may miss the whole concept and not review the piece as a whole or ignore it as a flash in the pan because I spent little time investing myself. Sorry if this appears obvious, I just want to make sure I am considerate in honoring proper posting guidelines.
Yep...3000 words is ok, though more than 4000 will be stretching it. You can always post your story here and PM any one of the Reviewers (the one with their username's in Green) for a review. Hope that helps. Feel free to ask anything else
The idea of the Review Room is to get help pounding your work into shape. The larger the fragment you post for review, the more effort it will take to review it, and the greater the chance that members will go after easier ones first. So it depends what you need from the review. Ifo you're having trouble with dialogue, then just post a section of dialogue with enough context so the readers know what's going on. If you're having trouble with sentence structure, or description, or pace, post enough to illustrate your writing style - three or four paragraphs should suffice. The opening paragraphs are usually a good choice, because beginnings are so crucial to whether people read further. It you really need advice on plot or character development over the entire course of the story, and you are pretty sure the piece is in pretty good shape in terms of grammar and other low level detail, then you might need to post the entire short story - if it's a novel, forget it, no one will be able to put in that kind of attention. But if you do post the entire piece, people will still look at the low level writing critically, and only focus on overall development when the nitty gritty details pass muster. So there really is no fixed answer. You have to use your best judgment as to how much you need to post to get the help you need most. How well you choose will affect how much reviewing value you gain. Reviewing other people's work will also help you judge how much is enough to post.
Really, you can post as much as you like- but bear in mind that the longer a piece is, the less people will take the time to read and review it.
