For writers, a review or a critic is one of the most important things that they could receive so that they could make their story better and slash out errors and loopholes in their story. And as you have known, I am writing a story at Wattpad on which I wanted to make some improvements, because I also wanted that story to be published one of these days, or in the near future, and the review I have received last month was more than helpful to make my story more easy and fun to read.
I have been working on a story called "Reincarnated Memories" and I am having a problem with how well my story goes beside the content and originality. I have confidence with it, but what I am not sure about is the technicalities in writing. We all know that a good content with proper grammar really attracts readers to stay with you. But sometimes, basic grammar corrections isn't enough. What writers need is a feedback that could make their story improve a lot more than what they can do in case they can't afford some editors. Which I honestly don't have.
(Read More: Types of Wattpad People)
Writing in Wattpad for some time now, I have encountered a lot of writing style and tried to adopt them. I grew up to be a storyteller by writing there. And I must be honest that I still have a lot to learn as a writer. I was a part of a lot of writing group, but this certain group gave the "eye-opener" experience. It's a group in Wattpad called, "Filipino Writers in the Fantasy Category" or simply called FWFC. They provided review sessions for Filipinos who's writing in the Fantasy Category to help other their fellow writers in the same genre improve their stories more and to promote them, which I must say is a great help to bring exposure to us.
To know more about the group, you could visit their profile here: "FWFC Book Club"
Entering the Review Cycle
What I experienced before being admitted to the cycle, you are given a task to make a sample review to make sure that the integrity and quality of the reviews are up to the review that a critic can give. I have submitted mine, and at first, I was given three yes, but two of them have reservations. Why? The review I made was not clear enough and I was given questions to make sure that I improve more on writing a review, to be more descriptive, and be detailed on giving the review. Like where should we put the punctuation, and what would be the alternative words that can be used to make sure that the featured writers get what they needed for their story. And thankfully, after clearing up all those questions, I was admitted to be a part of the review.
So you see, it's all about helping your fellow writer improve, but at the same time, you are learning to be a critic that can give constructive criticism.
During the Review Cycle
When it was time for my story to be featured at the Book Club, I was really nervous about what will be the impact of my stories that my fellow fantasy writers have. As far as I know, they really know their genre well and they give a really good review of each chapter you have. But as soon as they started submitting their reviews, I was devastated at first, because there are a lot of improvements that I have to deal with than I thought. Because I thought that the way I write was already good. But I was wrong, and this is a real eye-opener for me.
Some of the contexts that I received were:
I think "Reincarnated Memories" has a lot of potential and I feel like a lot of thought and preparation went into the story. Sa execution lang siguro medyo nagkulang (But, I guess that the execution feels lacking). Aside from the technicalities, the setup of having too many characters in one scene was confusing. Most probably mabibigyan din ng spotlight ang bawat character in the succeeding chapters, but the first two or three chapters are very important to establish the main character and make the readers care about him or her. (Most probably each character will be given a spotlight in the succeeding chapters, but the first two or three chapters are very important to establish the main character and make the readers care about him or her."
purple_porpoise
Oof. I didn't notice my review cascaded this long for such a short part of the story I've read, so a summary of things to improve is in order
+tenses, preposition, word choice, and narrative flow
+character presentation and differentiation
+settings
+dialogue
And that's it, in a nutshell. It would help a lot if you continue reading more English books that have similar themes of action and adventure as your story. Try to enjoy the story as well as observe how the author presented his/her ideas on written paper. Don't worry, I believe you have a firm grasp of your fantasy world and a stable inspiration behind it. Just need a little fine tuning on the execution
These are just some of the examples, but I have to admit that there are a lot of things that I need to make sure that I improve my story if I want it published.
Now, another good thing about the review is that the admins are proactive on reminding people whether or not a writer have given his review or not, and managing the timeliness of the posts for the featured story for the week. What I liked about them is that they are friendly, and well, dedicated to what they are doing. Another reason to support them.
After the Review
After the review of your story, you will definitely know what are the things that you have to improve your story. This will also give you the motivation and inspiration to write more and read more so that one day, you could see your story in bookstores internationally if possible. Because you know that your story has been given critic and you were able to edit the story to relieve it from technical errors.
(Read more: Finding inspiration on Little Things)
What made the review cycle awesome is that they gave the participants their Certificate of Recognition, or what they call, "The Certificate of Awesomeness".
Which is really awesome indeed because it's a comic style and well, it looked cool!
Since the cycle has already ended, what I am planning to do, is that I have to edit the story rigorously and try to liven up the critics that they have given to me. Like I said from the start, reviews and critics what makes the writer better. This is just what I need and what every writer need. I hope that after editing "Reincarnated Memories" better, I would be able to join the next cycle and to have them review my work again. But for now, I am satisfied with the comments they have given me.
How about you? What were your critic to your story and writing style? Share it down in the comments and share this with your friends!
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