The reviewer’s tone can make drastic differences, and is something that is apparent and obvious throughout the entire review.

It should be quite self-explanatory: be respectful and polite, sensible and mature, and friendly and approachable. And yet, there are many reviewers out there who seem to have a hard time choosing and adopting an appropriate and consistent tone.

One of the biggest difficulties when it comes to reviewing – for me, at least – is somehow being able to come across as friendly and pleasant while maintaining the dignity of being nobly authoritative. I personally believe that this is the main underlying temptation that lures me into wanting to slip in a few emoticons; without them, I find that I often come across as cold, distant and ruthlessly harsh. Another personal fear is the false impression of coming across as arrogant, stuck-up and condescending, and this is why I often ask my friends to check my use of words in reviews, tutorials or blogs, just to make sure that I don’t sound like an egotistical jerk without intending to.

Punctuation, word choice and emoticons really do make radical differences. Observe:

The way you characterized Jonghyun was great.

OMG I loved the way you characterized Jjongie~~~ ^^ *spazzing*

Essentially, the two sentences are communicating the same message: the reviewer is praising the author’s portrayal of a particular character. But it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the former is much more distant and solemn, while the latter does close the gap between reviewer and author a lot more effectively and brings about a much more cordial atmosphere. I think the fear of sounding overconfident or rude is one of the reasons that make people inclined to make their reviews so informal and “childish” in tone. However, it is imperative that one finds that balance; a reviewer must sound serious, to some extent, as well as sensible and responsible.

The tone that you adopt can often play the deciding factor as to how people will interpret and receive your criticism. Sounding haughty and overconfident will put off readers, especially the author. However, it is still important to remember to uphold a sense of poise when giving out your trusty advice for improvement. This is where the universal debate of Bashing vs. Constructive Criticism comes in.

I’m not an expert on the art of bashing, and I should keep things civil and decent, since this is a tutorial, but I shall attempt to illustrate the differences:

Your plot is… just… I dunno, it’s not very original >.< I just feel like I’ve seen a lot of stories like yours… sorry :(

Your plot is a f***ing piece of sh*t that doesn’t even deserve to be featured in a kids’ picture storybook. Even a three-year-old could write better than this lame-a** crap you’ve come up with. Do us all a favour and never write again.

To be completely honest, your plot doesn’t really fall into the category of being very original; there are several stories out there that are of a similar style and nature as yours.

These three attempts at addressing a story’s lack of originality are efforts in representing informality and lack of authority, condescending and disrespectful bashing, and what I personally believe to be an appropriate method of voicing criticism, respectively. It shouldn’t have been too hard to differentiate, and I apologise for my incompetent skills in accurately depicting the second one; the real things out there are most likely much worse, and the swear words certainly wouldn't be censored.

As a general rule, first and foremost, bashing in a review is absolutely forbidden. It is not acceptable in any way, whatsoever. The author of the fanfic has asked for advice for improvement and constructive criticism. This means no swearing, cussing, or any other form or variation of uncouth profanities, and no “flaming”. That is not called reviewing – it simply becomes heavily criticizing the story with unjustified arguments that put down and dishearten the author. It is disrespectful, rude, offensive and impolite on every possible level, skating along the line between downright insolence and cyber-bullying. No matter how dreadful you think the story you are reviewing is, no reviewer is entitled the rights to treat an author with such contempt. And this links back to the first chapter: if you realize that you just can’t review a story for various reasons, including it being simply so off-putting to you that you won’t be able to hold back your stream of vulgar profanities, then don’t review the story. Save the author some time and self-dignity, as well as some self-respect for your own reputation and humanity, and reject the review before anyone gets hurt. Thankfully, though, I have very rarely come across rude and disrespectful reviewers who bash on the stories they are reviewing, but this is just a heads-up, you know, “just in case”.

Tone does, in many ways, tie in and blend with your overall reviewing style. It’s sometimes a good thing to analyze the way you review (after having done a few) and reflect on your own reviewing habits: just what type of reviewer are you? Are you a soft, easy, sympathetic reviewer who prefers to focus on praising the positives and won’t hesitate to give out pity points? Or are you a harsh, cruel reviewer who is brutally honest and tears apart the story section by section, including all the tiny details that most people think don’t really matter? Most people tend to find themselves a comfortable spot somewhere in between these two polar extremes, and your tone, as well as your style, should try to remain faithful to that.

Now this following segment reverts back to the section I had touched on in the previous chapter. Here’s a recap of what I had written:

Sometimes, there is no point sugar-coating and waffling on, trying in vain to rack your brains to make the sentence sound nicer than you intended. Of course, I’m not saying that reviewers should all be mean and nasty, but don’t hold back on the truth because you think it will hurt the author. Sure, it is important to consider their feelings, but remember: they are the ones who asked for the review, and therefore, they should be prepared for whatever the reviewer has to say, which includes criticism. If you think they need to know the truth and that the truth will help them step on the road to improving, then get it out there. Don’t be afraid of coming off as mean if you think what you’re pointing out is fair and will help the author. But, of course, try to word it nicely and respectfully; there’s a difference between bashing and constructive criticism.

I personally happen to be one of these straightforward and extremely frank reviewers, and though I understand that a lot of people don’t want to voice every single bit of criticism they have, I highly encourage it.

As long as you adopt an appropriate and acceptable tone and were courteous in your method of communication, what is there to be afraid of? You’re not doing anything wrong; you’re just giving them the criticism they asked for. Fear not for their army of fervent supporters and avid fans, especially when it comes to a popular author. If they’re really “butthurt” enough to summon a legion of furious readers your way to condemn you for your allegedly unfair opinion of their story, so be it. I’m sure all authors can handle some criticism, and if they can’t, then they shouldn’t be asking for reviews. The purpose of reviews is not just to sing songs of praise for all the positive points – though that is important when these praiseworthy parts come along – but to bring awareness to the aspects that could be improved for future reference. I believe it is perfectly fine and absolutely acceptable to point out all the parts that don’t tickle your fancy – but remember, on an objective level – but this is where it all links back to your tone. How you word the criticism can sometimes have more of an impact than the actual criticism itself.

Also, don’t abuse the caps lock key and go all rampant on the author. Your point can be clearly made with standard-sized words, and if you must emphasize, use italics. Capital letters just don’t make you seem any more legitimate or imposing or anything along those lines, and you can easily come across as foolish and impetuous in many ways.