Story Review How to do and Accept a critical review

How to Write a Story Review (W, A)

1. Pick the story that you like the most.

2. Write a 250-500 word review.
A good review should entice the reader of the review to read the story. To accomplish this feat you will need to create 4-8 exciting and engaging paragraphs in the following
format:

Paragraph 1 – Introduce the author, the story, and publishing facts including copyright date, the fact that the story is part of a larger work, and the name of the publisher. This is also the paragraph where you will make a grand statement about why you like and recommend this story. Don’t be boring. Talk about the imagery or the characters or another aspect that affected you. Be descriptive and exciting.

Paragraph 2 – In this first body paragraph you should give a short plot summary. You
should also mention the significance of story – the theme.

Paragraph 3 through Paragraph 7 – The number of additional body paragraphs is your
choice. Each paragraph should highlight a different aspect of the story that intrigues you.

• At least one of the paragraphs should discuss the author’s style. For instance, you
could write about O’Brien’s vocabulary, his sentence structure, or something else.

Think about how his style impacts the story.

• One of the paragraphs could focus on one of the aspects of war literature that we
have learned about in class: fragments, memory, obscenity, truth as relative

• Additional paragraphs could focus on theme, imagery, metaphor or another
literary aspect

• You can also make connections between your story and other stories in the
collection. Just keep in mind that the focus should always be on your story.

Closing Paragraph – This paragraph should be short. Remind the reader why this story
rocks!

Steps for Writing a Good Book Review

Introduce the subject, scope, and type of book
Identify the book by author, title, and sometimes publishing information.
Specify the type of book (for example, fiction, nonfiction, biography, autobiography). Help your readers to review with perspective.

Mention the book's theme.
Sometimes you will need to include background to enable reader(s) to place the book into a specific context. For example, you might want to describe the general problem the book addresses or earlier work the author or others have done.

Briefly summarize the content
For a nonfiction book, provide an overview, including paraphrases and quotations, of the book's thesis and primary supporting points.
For a work of fiction, briefly review the story line for readers, being careful not to give away anything that would lessen the suspense for readers.

Provide your reactions to the book
Describe the book: Is it interesting, memorable, entertaining, instructive? Why?

Respond to the author's opinions:
What do you agree with? And why? What do you disagree with? And why?
Explore issues the book raises: What possibilities does the book suggest? Explain. What matters does the book leave out? Explain.

Relate your argument to other books or authors: Support your argument for or against the author's opinions by bringing in other authors you agree with.
Relate the book to larger issues: How did the book affect you? How have your opinions about the topic changed? How is the book related to your own course or personal agenda.

Conclude by summarizing your ideas
Close with a direct comment on the book, and tie together issues raised in the review. Briefly restate your main points and your thesis statement if your teacher requires it. If you like, you can offer advice for potential readers.

If you're still having trouble getting started writing your review, try working through some prewriting questions for writing reviews of books, movies, or plays.

For questions and suggestions, please e-mail us at leolink@stcloudstate.edu.

How to Write a Review in Fanfiction

Ever wanted to review a story but can't think of what to say? Or, maybe, you wanted to tell someone something but are afraid of being labelled a flamer or troll?
Here's your solution. Or salvation. Whichever you please.

Steps
1. Read the story. Again. Even if you've read it yesterday, make sure you read it again. You can mix stories up and it can make you look slightly stupid and/or unprofessional if you comment on something that never actually happened in their story.

2. Make sure you know what kind of thing you want to say. A blathering review does nothing for a writer.

3. Make sure you spell check it. Same with grammar. See the warning section for a bad review. As previously stated, a bad review does nothing for a writer.

4. Be precise and concise. Adding meaningless waffle does nothing for you or the writer. Also, it just wears out your keyboard quicker.

5. Say what you want to say and nothing else. Mostly reviews tend to be around fifty to about three hundred characters. Any more than that and you're looking at PM kind of thing.

6. Offer constructive criticism, not unnecessary insults. When reviewing, it is always nice to start off saying what you liked about it and then gently say what can be improved. I.E: Good job! I like your style of writing. You might want to up the rating though. This can be a touchy subject for some. This is a much better review than: Ugh! I hate it! How could you even post this trash online?

7. Be honest. Not cutting. Writers have feelings too.

Tips
• A bad review is something along the lines of this. "Hay man i liek ur storeis. u hav inspirt me 2 maek moar storeis. kthx." It's not worth wasting your keys to write something like that.

• A good review is something along of this. Say how much you like the story, add in one or two of the most blaring mistakes in the whole thing. For example spelling or repetition. Put in some good aspects like...the fact they have the time line down pat or that they have a good plot line. Add at the end that you want to see the next chapter/part/instalment. It makes people want to write.

• A nice review is always better than a mean one but sometimes it's just so bad you have to write a no holds barred one. In that case, try seeing whether it could be reported for abuse (If it's really that bad) or whether it would be better to nicely point out some things that could be changed and then leaving.

• If a writer asks for help, like whether you know a decent site for reference or something, trying to help can be also useful. Even putting it a link or something, or telling them what they need help with (i.e. How old is character X?)can make your review better. Writers do appreciate it, a lot.

Warnings

• You should take care when reviewing not to sound like you are unfairly criticising or being mean. Writers, particularly first time writers are very sensitive. Sometimes overly so, but if you make it pleasant, nice and not condescending, they shouldn't be able to accuse you of being a flamer. Make sure you know their circumstances; a first time writer might not have the same experience as a writer who's been going a long time or someone who does it semi-professionally, so it's unfair to expect them to have the same standard.

• Likewise someone's who's first language is not yours.

• Being gentle is fine, but be honest. If you aren't honest, writers can tell. Be nice but be honest. It should be your mantra when reviewing.

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How to Give Constructive Criticism

It can sometimes be difficult to tell someone that what he or she is doing is not quite right. Here's a simple method for criticizing people nicely.

Steps

1. Use the "sandwich technique". When you use the sandwich technique, you sandwich one bad point between two good points. Start off with a good characteristic of the person, or special gift they have. Then, put in the "but". Then always end it with another good point.

Example: "You are so good at making those grilled cheese sandwiches. They taste so good. But I really wish that you would clean up the kitchen area after you do it. It would help me out a lot. You are so good about helping me out around the house.

Variations include:
o What I liked most was… One way you could improve this is… One of your greatest strengths is…

o The first thing I observed was that you did (_____) right. Well done. Now if we can tweak this one thing (_______) it’ll be even better. There, you got it. You did great.

o One really good thing about you is… I would really appreciate it if, instead of doing __________, that you do ______. That would make me very happy. By the way, in case I haven’t mentioned it lately, I just want to say that one thing I really admire about you is…

o You make a valid point. One thing I like about how you think is…Let me counter your argument by saying… Like I said, you made a good point. One thing that always impresses me about you is…

Tips
• The purpose of using this technique is:

o To relax the other person and help create a situation or a state-of-mind where they will be more open to receiving the criticism or advice.

o To reduce the possibility that the other person will get angry with you for pointing out their faults.

o To let the other person know that you are “on their side”. Rather than being antagonistic, you are showing that you recognize their good points, too.

o By closing with a positive statement, you remind the person of their strengths, their worth and their value. They are more likely to be motivated to accept the negative if they are reminded that they are “not all bad”.

• This formula has typically been used in evaluation situations (employee evaluations, for example.) It can also be used, with variations, in any number of other situations. It can often “smooth out” interactions of all kinds.

• Timing is everything. Do it when the person is in a good mood. Make sure they are not overtired when you bring up the topic.

Warnings

• Pick your battles. Decide if it is really worth criticizing the person. If not, don't. How important is it really?

• Watch your tone and your expression. If you sound and appear holier-than-thou, criticism will not be well received.

• Each of these examples follows the positive-negative-positive formula. Critics of this formula suggest that it is inefficient, wastes time and is condescending. Creating a situation in which the other person is open to your feedback is never a waste of time. If you do not, you are opening the door to conflict, misunderstandings and anger. The key is to be honest and sincere every step of the way. If you lie or exaggerate, the other person will likely sense this and you will lose credibility and respect (not to mention that your advice will be completely ignored.) Used correctly, this technique can smooth communications and enhance understanding in the boardroom, the bedroom, the classroom, sitting at the kitchen table, or just about anywhere else you can think of.

• Use of force will not help promote your rational. Punching the receiver of your criticism in the face will likely incite hostility between the two of you and could potentially end any possibility of constructively helping each other. Therefore it is advised that any use of physical force be saved for an appropriate time and place.

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How to Accept Criticism With Grace and Appreciation

Steps
1. Postpone your first reaction. If your first reaction is to lash back at the person giving the criticism, or to become defensive, take a minute before reacting at all. Move slowly (not acting-out) toward the person, then turn away saying, "Let's talk about this in a minute." Take a deep breath, and give it a little thought. For example, let a critical email sit in your in-box for at least an hour before replying. That is like walking away from someone instead of saying something you’ll regret later. Save your reply as a draft and come back an hour or a day later to polish it before sending. Remember, emails can be forwarded to others by the recipient with a few clicks.

2. Cool off! You have to absorb and convert some heat to positive energy. That cooling off time allows you to give it a little more thought beyond your initial reaction. It allows logic to step in, past the emotion. This is not a criticism against emotion, but when it’s a negative emotion, sometimes it can cause more harm than good. So let your emotions run their course--while making positive and pro-active inputs as usual--and then respond more specifically when you feel calmer. Don't get into a dog fight of snarls, red-eyes (burning tears) and glares that stem the flow of purposeful work or study...

3. Turn a negative into a positive. One of the keys to success in anything you do is the ability to find the positive in things that most people see as a negative. Sickness forces you to stop your exercise program? That’s a welcome rest. Tired of your job? That’s a time to rediscover what’s important and to look for a better job. Super typhoon ruined all your possessions? This allows you to realize that your stuff isn’t important, and to be thankful that your loved ones are still alive and safe. You can do the same thing with criticism: find the positive in it. Sure, it may be rude and mean, but in most criticism, you can find a nugget of gold: honest feedback and a suggestion for improvement.

4. See it as an opportunity to improve — and without that constant improvement, we are just sitting still. Improvement is a good thing. For example, this criticism: “You write about the same things over and over and your blog posts are boring and stale", can be read: “I need to increase the variety of my posts and find new ways of looking at old things.” That’s just one example of course — you can do that with just about any criticism. Sometimes it’s just someone having a bad day, but many times there’s at least a grain of truth in the criticism.

5. Thank the critic. Even if someone is harsh and rude, thank them. They might have been having a bad day, or maybe they’re just a negative person in general. But even so, your attitude of gratitude will probably catch them off-guard. Thanking a critic can actually win a few of them over. All because of a simple act of saying thank you for the criticism. It’s unexpected, and often appreciated. And even if the critic doesn’t take your “thank you” in a good way, it’s still good to do — for yourself. It’s a way of reminding yourself that the criticism was a good thing for you, a way of keeping yourself humble--not cocky.

6. Learn from the criticism. After seeing criticism in a positive light, and thanking the critic, don’t just move on and go back to business as usual. Actually try to improve. That’s a difficult concept for some people, because they often think that they’re right no matter what. But no one is always right. You, in fact, may be wrong, and the critic may be right. So see if there’s something you can change to make yourself better. And then make that change. Actually strive to do better as a communicator. You'll end up being glad you made the extra effort.

7. Be the better person. Too many times we take criticism as a personal attack, as an insult to who we are. But it’s not. Well, perhaps sometimes it is, but we don’t have to take it that way. Take it as a criticism of your actions, not your person. If you do that, you can detach yourself from the criticism emotionally and see what should be done. But the way that many of us handle the criticisms that we see as personal attacks is by attacking back. “I’m not going to let someone talk to me that way.” Especially if this criticism is made in public, such as in the comments of a blog or on a forum. You have to defend yourself, and attack the attacker … right? Wrong. By attacking the attacker, you are stooping to his level. Even if the person was mean or rude, you don’t have to be the same way. You don’t have to commit the same sins. Be the better person.

8. Stay calm and positive. If you can rise above the petty insults and attacks, and respond in a calm and positive manner to the meat of the criticism, you will be the better person. And guess what? There are two amazing benefits of this:

1. Others will admire you and think better of you for rising above the attack. Especially if you remain positive and actually take the criticism well.

2. You will feel better about yourself. By participating in personal attacks, we dirty ourselves. But if we can stay above that level, we feel good about who we are. And that’s the most important benefit of all.

9. Rise above the criticism. How do you stay above the attacks and be the better person? By removing yourself from the criticism, and looking only at the actions criticized. By seeing the positive in the criticism, and trying to improve. By thanking the critic. And by responding with a positive attitude. A quick example:

Someone criticizes something you have written by saying, “You’re an idiot. I don’t understand what x has to do with y.” A good typical response should be to ignore the first sentence.

10. Take the interjection as an opportunity to clarify. Thank the critic, overcoming the insult by using the opportunity to explain your point further. By staying positive, you have accepted the criticism with grace and appreciation. Say something like, “Thanks for giving me an opportunity to clarify that. I don’t think I made it as clear as I should have. What x has to do with y is... and... Thanks for the great question!” And in doing so, remained the wiser person, and you will feel great about yourself for overcoming and adapting the insult to a higher purpose.

11. Avoid seeing business and training as a "contact or blood sport" and see that you are not mainly hanging them high or letting them twist in the breeze: instead you are being the masterful communicator showing the low-achiever how it's done. Be the one who is thoughtful and demonstrating how to communicate to achieve your goal!

12. There may be some times where an insult isn't as bad as someone calling you a horrible name of some sort, but they say something that could embarrass you.

1. Think of it as a chance to laugh or make your day better. Smile at it as if it were a joke. Who cares if you turn red. See that moment happening only once in your life. You'll look back on it one day and laugh. So, pretend you're grown up in the future, looking back on that day and laughing at it.

2. If you can handle it, fake-agree. Fake-agreeing speaks for itself. Just agree, but fake it in a fun manner, such as a snappy, funny (possibly sarcastic) way.
Here's an example: "Man, you got some messed up hair" (everyone notices and laughs) Smile (or laugh) "Yup, hair dryer won." Or whatever else you can think of. Yea, you might feel a little bad, but others will admire the positive part of your reaction.

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