Laura Oliva: Reviewing is as much an art form as poems, short stories, and novels, but it is much more. There is a responsibility to the craft that must be upheld. There should be an unbiased standard in place that provides insight into the strengths and weaknesses of the writing. In my 20 years of tutoring students, I have never been comfortable with telling someone that the subject matter of a creative piece was wrong. Just because I don't enjoy it, doesn't mean someone else won't. I have, however, developed my own set of guidelines for determining the basis of a review, and I must admit, my criteria for poetry is much more lax than prose due mostly to the very subjective nature of poetry itself. Criteria for poetry: 1. How the work flows 2. Word choice 3. How the work sounds Criteria for prose: 1. Content flow 2. Characterization 3. Dialogue 4. Visualization 5. Show not tell 6. Grammar and word usage Of the six criteria for prose, those points I grade hardest on are 5 and 6. The ability to show what is happening in a story and not just tell about it is a key component in creating rich prose. Grammar and word usage are two vital tools in a writer's toolbox. Writers must master these two tools. Doing so not only brings clarity to the work but also the ability to write in original ways that take the work to a new level. The care a writer takes with the words and sentences used to create a work reflect on the overall care the writer uses. More likely than not, I will point out one or two grammar issues within a particular work and leave it to the writer to find other instances of similar mistakes. After all, we learn best by doing, and learning to edit our own work is a big part of the writing process. :) Not everyone will agree with my criteria, and some will wonder why I don't include more personal likes and dislikes in my reviews. I must repeat what I wrote earlier. Subject matter is - well - subjective. I may not like the subject matter but that doesn't make the work bad. I prefer giving a writer concrete structures to help improve the writing. |
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