Getting Read, Reviewed And Rated - Are You Ready?
By Harriet Silkwood, Mon Dec 26th

You've finally decided to join a writing workshop to show yourwork and hone your skills. Right? You've read in the ad's that,'members read and give constructive reviews.' You want to beread! Did you quit reading before the end of the sentence?

With excitement you think: "Will anybody read it? Will they likeit?" Then, you take the plunge and, Merry Christmas! It wasread! And it was critiqued. Oops.

" but I did'nt expect anyone to rate my things! the "SPELLING &GRAMMAR POLICE"sent me a low rate!"

I've had more then a few express surprise at actually beingreviewed. They don't think to proofread or check theirformatting, then they're hurt when they receive a low rate.Being critiqued is not easy to take by anyone, but especiallyfor beginning writers. Writing is our personal thoughts andfeelings, our 'babies'; and we want to protect them for as longas possible. But remember, reviewers are not judging you. I knowthat's hard to accept, and you won't believe it at first. Yourwords 'are' you, right? You've poured your heart and soul intothem. You've looked forward to being read and enjoyed - praised.Believe me, I know.

If someone gives you an honest opinion of where your story isn'tworking for them, try to be gracious. Don't slam the reviewer ormake excuses. Try to view your story through the eyes of thereader and understand for yourself why your point isn't gettingacross. Read what the reviewer had to say.

Don't edit or delete your work simply because one reader didn'tunderstand it or your feelings were hurt. Wait to see what otherreviewers say. By clarifying what you meant to say, you don'tneed to change the story - only the way you chose to tell it. Ifone reviewer makes a suggestion, and

you don't agree, then leaveit alone. It's your story. If several make the same suggestion,it would be to your advantage to at least take another look atthat area.

The opportunity to have someone look at where your story isgoing wrong and offer advice should be treasured. Learn from thereactions of your readers; they are your future audience. That'swhy we're here.

The Excuse

"but it's supposed to be slow-paced. I wanted the reader tothink."

" my character is supposed to be inconsistent."

" you weren't reading it right. You didn't get it."

" but I wanted to leave the readers in suspense."

"I intended to write with ambiguity." (New writers love thatone, and they do accomplish it.)

There's nothing wrong with your story containing any of theseelements. What is important is that the reader must be able tounderstand why you wrote it that way.

A writer who needs to make excuses for his or her writing ismissing the point. The idea of writing a story is to takereaders into your make-believe world for awhile, and make thembelieve it. Write so your words are clear enough to carry theimages from your mind into the minds of your readers. If youfeel the need to explain, then you haven't achieved the goalyet. No one said it was going to be easy; in fact, it's veryhard. You'll cry and tear up more than one writing during thejourney. Just be sure you always keep the original. After awhile, you'll go back to it and see it in a new light. Youreally will.

Poor writers make excuses for their work. Good writers revise,tighten and polish until every word shines. Keep practicing,you'll make it.

About the author:Harriet is an author on a site for Creative Writing (http://www.Writing.Com/ ) Her portfolio can be found athttp://www.Writing.Com/authors/storytime