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# 2 || Reviewer's Preference

‘Please don’t rush us. We have lives outside AFF.'

To the review seekers, do you really think the reason reviewers can’t start reading your stories right away is because ‘they have lives outside AFF’?

Think again.

The question is obviously for the review seekers, but this post is for the reviewers.

Let me start by sharing an experience of mine: I once read a legit original fiction with non-celeb Korean characters comprised of more than 600,000 words within forty eight (48) hours on a school week (Not straight though since I had school and I took bathroom and meal breaks when the need arose). I also did my homework in time and didn’t afford to miss doing them since I was an honours list student back in high school. 

But how come I finished a story with that length on school days (3 days to be exact), to think that it didn’t have popular characters? (There’s still no EXO that time. Suho may still be a trainee during those days).

Folks, there is one ultimate answer: I was genuinely interested to read the story.

The statement ‘Please don’t rush us. We have lives outside AFF’ is kind of mainstream. Well, I’m sure they do, but this overused statement really makes me scratch and shake my head. Do you want to know why they won’t start away with the review and will rather procrastinate (by, I don’t know, reading stories they really like or writing their own stories instead) and do the review next week, month or year? 

This is the real answer: They simply aren’t interested to read your story.

But no, this isn’t your fault as the author. This isn’t because your writing and your story worse. (Come on, be proud of your work.). They simply aren’t the right audience, or in this case, the right reviewer to assess the story. If they are interested with your fic, trust me, they will read it right away and type the review in fast speed.

The factors that they aren’t interested are mainly due to different character-bias preference, genre, and general theme of the story (e.g arranged marriage, revenge, nerd-to-popular, etc.). So if I were you, I would suggest reading the profile of the reviewers to see which characters, genre, and themes would interest them before you asked them to review. 

And to the reviewers, how about specifying somewhere in your front page (maybe you can fill that blacklists of yours) which characters, genre, and themes that your shop caters to? Most of the reviewers don’t like to be rushed, adding the fact that the requests are building up. Well one thing that makes your lists build up is because you don’t filter the kind of stories you will WANT to review. 

I stand corrected if I say that most shops unstoppably accept requests and post substandard review only to increase their karma points, which I’m sure they will be transferring to their main accounts. Not only will the review look substandard, but it has “let’s-get-this-review-over-with, how-dare-you-even-ask-for-a-review-when-you-can't-write-to-save-your-life” written all over it. The review will look more like a rant than a constructively done one. There’s no interest in the reviewer’s part. If you aren’t interested in something particularly, you will have a hard time noticing the good in it. Reviewing is like auditing; you find what things the author has done correctly, NOT what the author has done wrong. But in reviewing, you also have to point out POLITELY improvements that they can implement as writers. (In reviewing, make sure you compliment the author, at the same time, control their heads from getting big by constructive suggestions). Basically the format is hinted like ‘I like your story but …. I like this and that…but with this and that, I’m sure your story will improve…’. It doesn’t sound cocky at all, but just the right tone that will make the review sound helpful and constructive (though genuineness is in the beholder). I’ve read reviews here that are neither helpful nor constructive, but just something that try-hard grammar nazis majoring in this-or-that degree attacking on authors who they presumed know nothing about writing, when in fact those authors had been reading and writing long even before the reviewers were born (exaggeration). I’ve also noticed that most of the reviewers here mainly focus on grammar instead of the structure of the story itself, like what technique of plot generation did the author use. Know why? Because their knowledge is in fact limited to grammar, while plot generation is more advanced (you can attend special lectures on this from renowned writers) and a talent basically. (Writing is both skill and talent in my opinion). They really don’t need to emphasise on grammar since that is something we learn in school and by reading. Most of the reviewers here think AFF authors are dumb-asses who know no dip about writing just because the former are taking this degree or what-not. But I suggest those reviewers do what they preach. Because if you glance at their own stories, you will cringe even more. (I think they need reviewers too. Don’t you think it’s time for payback?)

Even if they say they accept any genre or characters, do they really think we don’t know that they have preference at least? So let’s say they accept any kind of preference, but their interest to review is still affected by their dynamic mood. This is why I suggest sending them a message or a comment regarding their interest to review the story. Well it's fortunate if they genuinely, happily accept and start right away. 

For the reviewers, if in case the story isn’t really up to your liking, how about simply declining politely, instead of merely producing a rubbish, rant-oriented review later on? Because even if the story is really good, but if the reviewer isn’t interested to review it, the review will still come out bad. It will be counter-productive on your part as the writer while your confidence level declines, thinking your writing is really bad (Of course, you might say you can accept criticisms, but initially you will be disappointed somehow. It’s natural, don’t worry). I suggest trying this since MERE readers and lurkers in this site somehow trust reviewers’ insights for some unknown reasons without checking their credibility. Readers will judge your story even before they start reading it because of the low score you got from the reviewer. This will drive away potential readers from even taking a short glimpse of your story (if they’re really that stupid.)

The gist is, find a suitable reviewer for your story. Do not settle for anything less. Otherwise, you will be the one at loss (After all of the weeks and months of waiting, what you will receive is a rubbish rant instead of a constructive review). Most of all, your story is at a loss (If potential readers read that rubbish review, they’ll be driven away).

Most of all, reviewers aren’t above writers. If you think the reviews are counter-productive and negatively overboard, don’t sulk about them. Find another reviewer, and if you can’t find the suitable one, I suggest asking a few loyal readers of yours to do a review (A review is different from a comment. A review goes like ‘These are the pros…these are the cons. When it comes to grammar, plot, development…’. A comment goes like ‘OMG, he’s so hot. I wanna touch his abs! ^^ (oh and don’t forget)…UPDATE SOON!’). Yes, your loyal readers can be biased, but just point out what you want them to examine (e.g. grammar, development, etc.). Even so, I’m pretty sure they can give more constructive ones than those by insecure reviewers (slash-writers).

To the reviewers, filter your requests that you will enjoy reading. Review-seekers, choose your reviewer that you will be productive from.

It has to be mutual.

Saturday, October 11, 2014