Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

What I Learn from Reviewing and from Being Reviewed

Reviewing other writers humbles me. There is so much talent on our site. Some of it is raw and needs to be polished, but that is a given. From where I stand, 99% of the ideas and the premises that start a piece are brilliant.

Reviewing makes me think seriously if my words can make the writing stronger and impactful, and if they are helping and encouraging the writer whose work I am reviewing.

Reviewing makes me research new facts and check upon what I know to validate what I tell to the other writer. Around my desk, right on the table and left on my shelves are my resources for grammar, syntax, and diction. Plus how-to books on fiction and poetry. I also use the internet; however, I don’t totally trust the www, unless the site belongs to a school of higher learning.

Reviewing also encourages and motivates me to do better with my own work. I try harder. True, sometimes my work doesn’t look like it, but I try anyway.

As to being reviewed: Peer reviews are helpful, usually, and they go much beyond proofreading. It is important to be reviewed by another writer, even if she or he is a novice. A non-writer would probably say, “I liked your work” or “I hated your work,” without understanding what goes into writing certain a piece or what a certain genre requires. This is understandable because non-writers are not trained what to look for in that certain piece.

On the other hand, having several other writers looking over a piece not only results in critical feedback but also supplies the writer of the piece with a wide range of different opinions.

A first draft is rarely perfect, and my work, I consider, never to be perfect. Even if I haven’t goofed on construction and grammar, chances are I have omitted some necessary areas and overdone others. Thus, I am open to suggestions and take negative critiques quite well; however, I don’t let them define me or my writing either, because one has to allow some flexibility for differences in the personalities of the reviewers. For example, what may feel too sappy for one reviewer may be emotionally uplifting for another. In other words, we all have our special likes, dislikes, and biases, and these may differ from person to person.

Judging from the reactions of some writers who have received not so glorifying reviews, I understand it is very difficult to take the less than complimentary words from another writer. Even so, it is a good idea not to let any review to lower one’s confidence or enthusiasm, and more significantly, it is important to keep on writing. As some clichés have the power of truth, Practice makes perfect.