Constructing Criticism

Meta
Title:	Constructing Criticism
Creator:	Merlin Missy
Date(s):	September 28, 2007
Medium:
Fandom:	multifandom
Topic:
External Links:	Constructing Criticism (page 1), sadly page 2 is offline ;a later re-post that includes the whole thing
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Constructing Criticism is a 2007 essay by Merlin Missy.

Series

This essay is part of a series called Dr. Merlin's Soapbox.

Some Topics Discussed

• how, where, and why give criticism
• readers sometimes don't leave comments because they don't know what to say, that "I liked it" seems too brief and lazy
• how to respond to negative criticism, and positive comments
• different kinds of non-constructive criticism

From the Essay

So you have just read the most wonderful, heart-pounding, well-crafted piece of fanfiction it has ever been your pleasure to open, and you'd like to leave a review. But where do you start? Is a simple "I loved this, please write more" sufficient? What if you didn't find the story perfect, and you'd like to say so? And what if you are the fanfiction writer, opening a new review and wondering how to respond?

Reviews are polite, and as everyone knows, manners are the lubrication of society. Someone has just spent time entertaining you, and as you cannot applaud, sending a note is the next best thing and will probably make someone's day, regardless of the brevity. Also, it is in one's self-interest to leave feedback for authors writing one's preferred fandom/pairing/etc., as this encourages more stories to be written and posted, and everyone is happy.

That bastion of democracy Fanfiction.net is by far the largest fanfiction archive on the planet, and lucky for you, dear reader, FF.net makes it very simple to leave a review. Simply point and click at the bottom of the story you have just finished reading, and you don't even have to log into your account. Many large fanfiction sites include review features in order to make it easy on you to drop a note to the authors. Some older fanfiction archives lack this functionality, alas, and so if you are going to leave feedback, you will need to use the author's email address, if given, and the older the story, the less likely that email address will be current. (I've gone through a number of email addresses, but I've had what I now use as my main contact address since 1996.) Going the extra mile to leave a review is always appreciated, but if your author makes it too difficult, the best you can do is sigh and perhaps recommend the story to your friends instead.

Some readers are more gifted with review and response than this, and they are to be saluted. One will never have a more valuable review than one that goes through the tale point by point, remarking what does and doesn't work, and using metaphor and simile to compare one's story to the greatest works of fiction. These reviews are rare. Do not feel bad if you never leave one or receive one; that would be like feeling sad because your review of the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment was less detailed than [Roger] Ebert's. "I loved it!" is just as valid a review as a two-page essay on one's use of lunar imagery. It's also easier to read. Do not decline to leave a review simply because you are not in the mood to give in-depth feedback, and please do not think you will come across as a lesser reviewer because of it. Your feedback is desired and appreciated regardless.

More fondly known as "constructive criticism," negative reviews are just as important as positive ones, even if they do sometimes smart on the receiving end. If you have just read a story which was good but you feel was marred by some aspect or another --- perhaps something was not canonical, perhaps the author spelled a character's name wrong --- you should not feel intimidated about pointing this out to the author.

To leave an effective critique, you must keep some things in mind. First, you are not superior to the author, and the author is not superior to you. You are peers and equals, perhaps not friends but certainly companions along the road of fandom.

Constructive criticism is often best handled via private email rather than public messageboard. You can engage in a dialogue with the writer and perhaps the concerns you had will be explained as intentional on the part of the author rather than errors, at which point the discussion becomes a matter of what is and isn't effective storytelling.

[...]

Critiques on small details (spelling, eye color, canon trivia) that can be easily changed, especially right after publication, are blessings on an author's house. Critiques on large details (pacing, characterization, plot structure) are lessons for future stories, and are also blessings. Critiques on small details for older stories, especially those more than a few years old, are perhaps not worth your time in pointing out. Critiques on large details on older stories can be useful; use your best judgment and remember that the author may have forgotten this story entirely or may already look back on the story with embarrassment.

Do not be afraid to leave negative reviews. Do understand that authors will not always respond graciously to them. If an author does respond in anger to you, ensure you haven't committed a faux pas in your review such as getting the details wrong yourself or submitting a not-review..., then decide if you wish to continue correspondence with the author. Unless you are good friends with the author, you probably should not advise the adjustment of medication, but rest assured it will probably happen in good time.

If the review is negative, the proper response is still “Thank you.” Reread that last sentence! Negative reviews are just as valuable as positive reviews, if not more so. Negative reviews tell you what didn’t work in the story, be it intentional or otherwise, and this is what you need to know for next time. If something was intentional, you may wish to indicate this, but do so politely. Thank your reviewer for the time it took to write such a useful piece of feedback. Keep your mental critiques of the reviewer to yourself, especially when you were the one who screwed up (and if you did not — regarding a piece of canon detail, for example — you may indicate so with a reference to the episode in question). Fix what you can, save the rest for your next story, and move on. If the reviewer suggests you find a good beta reader, take the advice to heart, and if the reviewer offers to be that beta, thank your lucky stars because you have just found someone who loves your work enough to reread it half a dozen times per story and is bright enough to find your mistakes before you release your ideas to the world. (Caveat: Be sure to review other work by this same person before you accept, as it is best to know up front how strong your beta’s writing skills are and how closely their view of the characters are to your own.)