Is it OK to review stories that have been posted for a couple-three weeks, or is that just sort of a waste of time? I'm loving reviewing, even though I'm not very good at it yet. Thanks, Cady
I don't think there's any problem reviewing works that are a few weeks old, no. Just make sure the poster is still active (you can find out by going into his/her user profile) and make sure they haven't specifically asked for no more reviews. People do that now and again, when they're in the process of editing the piece for re-post. If the piece is three or four months old, though, I don't know if it would be worth it, and the person may not want any more reviews.
Reviewing is never a waste of time if you put your best efforts into it. There are plenty of newer stories to pick from though and that would benefit both you and the writer.
Thanks, guys - I've responded to a lot of the newer stories that I feel capable of saying anything constructive about. Some I just don't get, some I can't see any changes to make, and some are fraught with SPAG errors that I don't feel qualified to correct. I'd hate to actually give SPAG a shot on one of these and have someone muuuuuch more qualified come along; confusing to the author, and the other review would probably be much more helpful than mine. Also, when I correct grammar, I tend to also adjust sentences for clarity, and I don't want to mess with anyone's style. (And I don't think "I don't get it" or just a post of praise are really valid reviews, coming from me ) Anyway, I'd just noticed in the genres I'm most comfortable in, I've reviewed the stories that have come in in the last day or two, and was wondering if there was a time limit. Thanks for the quick responses! Cady
There are even stories out there a couple years old, and they still get critiques. As garmar said, there's value in performing the critique, even ig the writer is long gone. There's no guarantee that even the writer who posted ten hours ago will be back to read the critiques. Many of them, in fact, will get their threads closed due to posting slapdash reviews just to meet the requirements. And a good nimber of those that get closed never bother returning anyway. But it doesn't matter. By digging into a piece of writing to try to find ways to improve it, YOU benefit, regardless of whether the writer did.
I think I'm lucky. I didn't sign up here with stories to post for review (although I kicked a short short yesterday). I mostly came to relearn the stuff I've forgotten and finally learn the things that I should have learned when I was writing fiction years ago. This is an incredibly good place for that, and yes, reviewing really is helping.
I have to throw my hat in that reviewing of older works is never a waste of time. As Cogito already mentioned, the fact that a work is new is no guarantee that the author will stick around to take any words of wisdom. The opposite holds true as well. There are some folks who have been on the site for a while who have seen their own works scroll off into oblivion with little attention who I am sure would be tickled to see their piece resurface in an honest, non-threadbumpy manner. Happy reviewing!
There is nothing wrong with just giving praise every once in a while. However, because of the nature of the group, you should be specific about why you liked it.
