Sometimes I look at a story & think what rubbish, so refrain from commenting rather than crush someone's fragile hopes (after all sending your work 'out there' can be like taking off your clothes in public). Then I will see that others have added valuable feedback. What is the best/most useful way to approach reviewing someone else's work?
@ Oliver - why would you post your work on a public writing forum if you are not looking for a critique from your peers? If you want a professional's view then you pay for it, if you want some honest feedback from fellow writers (published or otherwise) then post it here. If you want people to say "Oh, aren't you clever?" stick to showing it to family and friends.
Hi again, Susan,
I was musing a bit more on your question while washing up this morning, realising I might be more resilient than some writers, due to a lot of Hit Me experience elsewhere. I think if all that comes to mind is ‘what rubbish’, it’s probably better to leave the commenting to someone else!
Incidentally, I got round to reading the Community Guidelines earlier and I think they make a lot of sense – worth a look, for anyone who hasn’t seen them yet.
Fliss
Lots of good feedback here but I can't agree with you Oliver!
I would say it's more that when reading someone's work things jump out that just don't work, don't flow properly, throw up inconsistencies in the story & so on - that's why criticism can be so valuable! I don't feel drawn to critique something because I couldn't write it myself, far more that I would do it differently.
I would also say that a published author wouldn't necessarily be any better or more qualified to critique a work than a good reader!