 Noticing Newbies: August 16, 2006 Issue [#1204] |
  Noticing Newbies
This week: Edited by: Puditat  
More Newsletters By This Editor 
1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions
 Welcome to the Noticing Newbies Newsletter!
Our goal is to showcase some of our newest Writing.Com Authors and their items. From poetry and stories to creative polls and interactives, we'll bring you a wide variety of items to enjoy. We will also feature "how to" advice and items that will help to jump start the creation process on Writing.com
We hope all members of the site will take the time to read, rate, review and welcome our new authors. By introducing ourselves, reviewing items and reaching out, we will not only make them feel at home within our community, we just might make new friends!
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Handling Feedback
This week's subject arises from a question posed by Breezy-E ~ In College to one of my earlier issues: "How about, as your next topic, something on deciding which suggestions to act on and which to think about, with the posibility of deciding not to use it?" thank you for the very fine suggestion, and I hope my tips are useful for some of you. 
Almost everyone loves to receive feedback on their writing. Some reviews and comments are easier to accept than others. One person's comment on your newest poem may make you dance breathless around the computer. The very next one might make you want to throw the nearest heavy object at your monitor. Part of being a writer, though, is to develop an ability to handle negtive and positive feedback, and to translate that across to improving your writing.
Our first reaction to a review is often not the best indicator of either our writing or the content of the review. Whether negative or positive in tone, we need to give ourselves time to consider the advice and comments before acting.
We can receive the most glowing review from a person and they suggest one minor change. Oh, that must be a necessity to change that one thing - they praised my work so much they must be right... Well, they could be right, and they might not be.
Inbox: Comment For [item title]
 I've got a review!
1. Don't worry too much about the rating. The rating is subjective, and everyone's use of the scale is different. I have often received a review where the rating does not match the comments. eg 2.5 : Perfect! I loved it. These are hard to comprehend and a tad annoying, but also invaluable for teaching you not to get too hung up on a bad rating. The average rating on your item is more reflective than an individual rating.
2. Read the review, and send a polite thank you. Acknowledging the effort and thanking your reader is essential. If you feel you need or want more time to respond to points raised, I suggest waiting half an hour or so, and respond with a gentle, helpful tone rather than a defensive one.
3. What you do next depends on what the item being reviewed was, and how detailed the comments are. For my novels/chapters I like to print off every review, even the 'fluffy' ones. For short stories, I will only print off detailed reviews. At a minimum I advise sorting (even if it's just mentally) which reviews are reviews and which reviews are comments. In my mind they are very different.
Comments are general, non-specific opinions eg. I thought Angela was a bit dull. Good story overall.
Reviews are specific and detailed, pointing out errors and often making suggestions. eg. Angela doesn't react realistically to losing her favourite doll. If I was a five-year old who had lost her toy, I'd be inconsolable.
What to do with the content of the review
So, now you have had the time to think about the comments, get over any offence or 'excited buzz' and can look more objectively at the content of the feedback. What does one do with all that advice?
1. Deal first to any matters of spelling. Double check against a dictionary if you're still unsure who is correct (regional differences often cause confusion - eg. New Zealand 'surprise' / USA 'surprize').
2. Tackle grammar next. Punctuation, parts of speech, etc. can be trickier to work through and you will want to weigh up the suggestions. You should try to work out why the person suggests this change. This is how you can improve your grammar in a practical way. It is easy to change a "we is but you cant" to a "we are, but you can't", however unless you know why, you're likely to keep making the same mistake.
3. Phrasing. I list this seperately because the way a sentence is phrased can be an element of a person's writing style. If suggestions are made about how a sentence is phrased, examine it closely. Is the sentence confusing? Does it mean what you intended it to? Is it important to represent a character's background/age/ethinicity/etc? Will altering it remove any clues to the plot, character, or setting?
4. Character, plot, setting, emotion...the list goes on. This group of issues are often not so clear-cut. Ask yourself the following questions:
 Has more than one person commented on this aspect?
Common suggestions will generally point to a weak area in your writing and is something you should look at closely for your overall development, as well as for the improvement of that particular story.
Does the suggestion interfere or support my plot?
Are the points about character consistent with my vision of them?
This includes any suggestions for changes of a character's dialogue.
Are the suggestions in keeping with the genre I chose for this piece? Is the genre I chose correct?
Do the suggestions go outside the bounds of the item's scope?
What I mean by this: if the item was an exercise in writing a descriptive scene, do the suggestions say it is an incomplete story? In this case you would want to add an end note about the purpose of the piece. 
What other changes would be necessary to incorporate this suggestion?
Someone might suggest a change to a character's reaction, and this may have bearing on later chapters or events.
Does the suggestion shift the emphasis of the scene, or strengthen it?
Are the suggestions appropriate for the intended age-range for this piece?
Do any of the comments remind me of another area in the story which could be improved in the same way?
Do any suggestions excite my imagination?
This is not a comprehensive list, but will hopefully start you thinking.
5. Format I put this last as the format is often a personal choice and not necessarily related to the skill of your writing. It includes things like paragraph spacing, colour, italics, etc. Your aim here should be to make reading your item comfortable and welcoming for any reader. So if someone says that they couldn't read the orange text, it may be in your best interests to change it, even if it's your favourite colour.
Summary
The most important thing is to remember it is YOUR story. In applying any changes, you should be trying to retain an individual voice and original plot while keeping to the tenets of good story-telling.
Thanks for reading.
Puditat
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| |  | All I need (18+)
A short peice about the little things we do to be free.
#1143384 by Tim |
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Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form
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Hey Puditat, nice NL.
Sincerely, S
Stripes
Thank you. 
Hi, and thanks, from a fellow freelancer, sans the paw print!
awriter
Glad you enjoyed the newsletter.
I started only a few months ago, i have done some short stuff that people liked. And I' am about thirty pages into something that i wanted to do since i started. I read the first chapter to my dad, he said he really liked it. But i can't really count that since he's family and he doesn't read much. Can you tell me where i can get a reliable review.
sephiroth
Family tend to be a little bias. We've all experienced that. To get started on receiving some quality reviews, try posting your item to the "Request Reviews" page or find a suitable forum in the "Review Forums" link. Both of these can be found under the "Item Jumps" drop-down menu at the top left of the screen.
hello editor,loving to know and loving to write pushed me to be a member and there are many rules and things i must know and do it so i hop that i can recieve the care and support from you.
nido
Welcome to Writing.com. This is certainly the right place for you to find support and encouragement as you explore writing and develop your skills. Best of wishes on your most exciting journey within Writing.com. 
i have a question... where people write their comments.... you know the little box you type in... anyways is that also the place you submit something to be one of your editors picks?? just wondering
Savannah Lynn<3
There are two boxes at the bottom of the newsletters. The top, and smallest box is "Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):" This is where you would pop in the ID number of the item you want the editors to consider featuring. The bigger box is where you place any questions, comments, etc. I hope it helps.
Any queries, problems, praise, or advice?
Send it to one of the Editors via the feedback form on this newsletter,
or direct to their email by clicking the wee envelope after their handle.
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