How To Offer Suggestions For Improvement - Practical Advice For New Reviewers
Reviewing another author's work is fun. With so many items posted on the Internet, looking for feedback, there is plenty of opportunity to share your thoughts and offer helpful advice.
To the beginning reviewer, this can be daunting. There are many aspects to giving helpful reviews that can be explored. In this article we will analyse giving feedback on plot, character development and good endings. These are just some basics, but they make a good example to gain some insight into what to do when there are serious issues with a piece.
Plot
A good plot helps to shape a good story. A weak and/or inconsistent plot can soon chase away a reader. Of course, it is not always as simple as that. You might come across a story with an excellent plot but something seems to be missing, or at the last moment the story gets too predictable. Perhaps there could have been more twists and turns, or perhaps there are too many of these.
As a reviewer, you should not be afraid to speak out about this. If something doesn't add up for you, point this out. If something seems missing, point this out. If the tale left you confused, the author needs to know.
One way to get your point across to the author is to first of all reassure him that you did read the piece and thought about your suggestion. You can do so by sharing your insights on the plot, rather than give a suggestion along the lines of "I am confused".
For example, let's say there's a character called Karen. She runs into a building to get away from the bad guys who are after her. She hides behind a box, as there is no way out. The bad guys look around for her. Suddenly, somehow Karen has managed to get outside.
As a reader, I would be confused with this scene. As a reviewer, I could ask the author the following:
Karen was hiding behind a box and there was no exit to the building other than the one she ran into. The bad guys were actively looking for her. Suddenly she was outside. This confused me a bit. How did she get out of the building without the bad guys spotting her and probably keeping an eye on that doorway? Perhaps you could give a bit more detail and description in that scene, for greater clarity. I think that that would also increase the tension, which is always good in an action scene.
This is just a made-up example, of course, but hopefully it will give you some ideas for when you come across similar situations, or when you find other issues with the plot.
Character Development
To make a story work for a reader, a character has to be appealing, realistic and there has to be some sort of personal development throughout the piece. It doesn't matter whether that development is good or bad. A character can be driven to a negative act, and that is fine, so long as we see why and so long as this development is shown to us, so that it makes sense.
A "flat" character does not make for good reading. It does not inspire the reader to feel anything, be it positive or negative. That will make us feel less involved and we won't care about the character's fate. There won't be the impact the author likely had in mind when he was writing.
Again, so long as you show the author that you have thought about this character and the overall impact (or lack thereof) the character has on the piece, the author is likely to appreciate your feedback and think about your suggestions.
Endings
I think it is human nature to want the ending to a story to satisfy, one way or the other. Most of us like a happy ending, but a not so happy ending can be satisfying, so long as we know why things turned out that way.
The ending of a story should be gripping. We should be wondering how everything will turn out, and we aren't happy when a story just fizzles, or takes a turn at the end that doesn't make any sense.
An example of a great ending is the film The Sixth Sense. I think most of us were surprised at what the ending revealed. But this was a positive twist and on thinking back everything added up. It left the viewer happy, and eager to watch again to see if they could spot all the signs this time around.
Unfortunately there are plenty of bad examples all around, both in published literature, movies and stories online. The unexpected can be good, but it has to make sense.
Perhaps it is because we journey along with the characters all throughout the piece. When we feel for them, when we care, we will care about what happens to them. The ending is pretty much the reward we receive for going on this journey. And it needs to be a good one. Not necessarily happy, but good nonetheless.
If the ending is weak, doesn't add up or doesn't leave the reader satisfied, the author needs to know. Let him know why, and let him know your thoughts and feelings. Perhaps you could share what you thought would happen, to give him something to work with.
Your suggestions for improvement count. You are the reader, and you have taken on that journey, experienced the piece. So long as you explain your views and reasons, the author will be likely to consider them.
It's truly rewarding to see an author implement your suggestions. You will know that you were helpful, and it's always nice to have had a positive impact on someone's work.
To the beginning reviewer, this can be daunting. There are many aspects to giving helpful reviews that can be explored. In this article we will analyse giving feedback on plot, character development and good endings. These are just some basics, but they make a good example to gain some insight into what to do when there are serious issues with a piece.
Plot
A good plot helps to shape a good story. A weak and/or inconsistent plot can soon chase away a reader. Of course, it is not always as simple as that. You might come across a story with an excellent plot but something seems to be missing, or at the last moment the story gets too predictable. Perhaps there could have been more twists and turns, or perhaps there are too many of these.
As a reviewer, you should not be afraid to speak out about this. If something doesn't add up for you, point this out. If something seems missing, point this out. If the tale left you confused, the author needs to know.
One way to get your point across to the author is to first of all reassure him that you did read the piece and thought about your suggestion. You can do so by sharing your insights on the plot, rather than give a suggestion along the lines of "I am confused".
For example, let's say there's a character called Karen. She runs into a building to get away from the bad guys who are after her. She hides behind a box, as there is no way out. The bad guys look around for her. Suddenly, somehow Karen has managed to get outside.
As a reader, I would be confused with this scene. As a reviewer, I could ask the author the following:
Karen was hiding behind a box and there was no exit to the building other than the one she ran into. The bad guys were actively looking for her. Suddenly she was outside. This confused me a bit. How did she get out of the building without the bad guys spotting her and probably keeping an eye on that doorway? Perhaps you could give a bit more detail and description in that scene, for greater clarity. I think that that would also increase the tension, which is always good in an action scene.
This is just a made-up example, of course, but hopefully it will give you some ideas for when you come across similar situations, or when you find other issues with the plot.
Character Development
To make a story work for a reader, a character has to be appealing, realistic and there has to be some sort of personal development throughout the piece. It doesn't matter whether that development is good or bad. A character can be driven to a negative act, and that is fine, so long as we see why and so long as this development is shown to us, so that it makes sense.
A "flat" character does not make for good reading. It does not inspire the reader to feel anything, be it positive or negative. That will make us feel less involved and we won't care about the character's fate. There won't be the impact the author likely had in mind when he was writing.
Again, so long as you show the author that you have thought about this character and the overall impact (or lack thereof) the character has on the piece, the author is likely to appreciate your feedback and think about your suggestions.
Endings
I think it is human nature to want the ending to a story to satisfy, one way or the other. Most of us like a happy ending, but a not so happy ending can be satisfying, so long as we know why things turned out that way.
The ending of a story should be gripping. We should be wondering how everything will turn out, and we aren't happy when a story just fizzles, or takes a turn at the end that doesn't make any sense.
An example of a great ending is the film The Sixth Sense. I think most of us were surprised at what the ending revealed. But this was a positive twist and on thinking back everything added up. It left the viewer happy, and eager to watch again to see if they could spot all the signs this time around.
Unfortunately there are plenty of bad examples all around, both in published literature, movies and stories online. The unexpected can be good, but it has to make sense.
Perhaps it is because we journey along with the characters all throughout the piece. When we feel for them, when we care, we will care about what happens to them. The ending is pretty much the reward we receive for going on this journey. And it needs to be a good one. Not necessarily happy, but good nonetheless.
If the ending is weak, doesn't add up or doesn't leave the reader satisfied, the author needs to know. Let him know why, and let him know your thoughts and feelings. Perhaps you could share what you thought would happen, to give him something to work with.
Your suggestions for improvement count. You are the reader, and you have taken on that journey, experienced the piece. So long as you explain your views and reasons, the author will be likely to consider them.
It's truly rewarding to see an author implement your suggestions. You will know that you were helpful, and it's always nice to have had a positive impact on someone's work.
