HELP: [NOT ACCEPTING NEW REQUESTS] Prototyping Review Template: Offering Reviews in Exchange For Template Feedback

[Snuggle Tier List]

EDIT: This project is currently not accepting new requests. Thank you to everyone that's participated!

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Ello! Want a review? I wrote myself a review template I want to test out. Maybe we can help each other out? Wink, wink, nudge, free* reviews?

Here's my offer: I'm willing to review your fic, no questions asked. In exchange, I need you to "review my review"; I'll be using a review templete I've cooked up (see spoiler below), and I want to gather feedback before I roll it out for all my future reviews.

The full template plus an example are in the spoilers below, if you want the nitty-gritty. My hypothesis is that some writing mechanics don't matter for every fic, but tend to be more often noticed (the fic's "image"). Likewise, there are some writing mechanics that do matter for particular fics, but tend to be less often noticed (the fic's "substance"). And some parts of a fic do matter and get noticed. I created a template that attempts to seperates image from substance, so that fic authors can get feedback on the often-overlooked substance of a fic (symbolism, themes, messages, etc.) while still nodding my head towards more commonly commented on mechanics (plot, characters, grammar, etc). Plus, as a reviewer, it lets me focus in on key mechanics, making my reviewers more to-the-point.

I fear this review philosophy might be perceived as disrespectful to some, which is why I'm prototyping with volunteers. If any reviews come off as disrespectful, please let me know so I can adjust my template. I'm starting with a "customer's always right" mentality to criticism, but I might need to pick and choose if I get conflicting advice.

Spoiler: Full Template

Greet the reviewer here. Mention any special circumstances that might skew the review (for instance, personal experience with the fic's subject matter).

Image
Bits and bobs I personally don't believe necessarily affect your fic's quality, but do affect how it's perceived​

Image-affecting mechanic 1
Short, direct comments on why I think this specific mechanic affects image, as well constructive criticism on "polishing your image".Topic can be anything and will vary by fic; for instance, if there's a few minor spelling mistakes (or absolutely perfect spelling), I'd put Spelling under Image. But if there's some misspelled words I can't parse, I'd put Spelling under Substance.

Image-affecting mechanic 2
Short, direct comments about a different image-centric mechanic.

Image-affecting mechanic 3
And so on. Use as many or as few headers as situation calls; one size doesn't fit all.

Substance
Bits and bobs I personally believe do affect the quality of your work, but not necessarily how it's perceived​

Substance-affecting mechanic 1
Short, direct comments on why I think this specific mechanic affects substance, as well as any constructive criticism I may have. Topics vary by fic; for instance, if there's a message that can be extracted from the fic, I'd put Messaging under Substance. Note that some topics can appear under both Image and Substance; for instance, Spelling

Substance-affecting mechanic 2
More short comments on a different substance affecting mechanic, and so on, and so on.

Closing Thoughts​

Final comments. Summarize review and offer words of encouragement.

Spoiler: Example of how a review might look

Ello! I read through some of the other reviews of your fic and found myself disagreeing with some of their recommendations, so I decided to review your fic myself. Without further adu...

Image
Bits and bobs I personally don't believe necessarily affect your fic's quality, but do affect how it's perceived​

Worldbuilding
I think in your fic's case, the fic's world is secondary to the story taking place. As in, I don't think the plot or characters of your story relies on it's world, and I found paragraphs dedicated to your plot and characters the most fun to read.

Grammah
I noticed a few minor grammah mistakes. In particular, you're spelling Pokemon without the accent (Pokémon). But I was still able to parse every sentence, so I don't think you need to polish your grammah. Still, it might make your fic look more professional. Your call.

Substance
Bits and bobs I personally believe do affect the quality of your work, but not necessarily how it's perceived​

Character X
I found Character X to be a workable protagonist. While I thought they made likeable enough choices when they could, it seemed the plot was making most of their choices for them (i.e. the chase scene: "should I run, I should I die?"). Thus, I don't feel like I have a good grasp on their character yet.

Character Y
Character Y is, in my humble opinion, the best character. They're making a lot of mistakes, but they're reasonable mistakes; they're clearly in a high-stress situation they weren't trained for, and while I know people in my personal life who would label them "whiney", I found all their complaints completely reasonable and worth mentioning. I'd like to seem them get more screen time.

Plotting
You have a twisty rollercoaster of a plot. I'm enjoying deciphering it all, and I have a few pet theories on where the plot's heading. Though be careful; from personal experience, I've found complex plotting to be prone to plot holes when writing in chapters. If you have an ending in mind, great! If not, I'd recommend some character-developing filler until you have an idea of where your fic's headed.

Closing Thoughts​

While I get why people are expecting worldbuilding, I found the world didn't impact the characters and plot. And I found myself enjoying paragraphs dedicated to your characters and plot more than those dedicated to the setting. I'm hooked on your plotting and have several characters I want to read more of. Looking forward to reading more!
uiv

I'll be taking review requests below. Just respond to this thread with an umambigous request so others know you're being worked on, and I'll post one response to confirm and a second once your review's compketed. You can "review my review" in your fic thread, a private DM, or in this thread here. I'm going off honor system, but if I start getting radio silence I might consider adjusting requirements.

Note that for my own sanity, I will not be using a wait list. However, to keep this offer as available as possible, I will be accepting max one request per author on a "first come, first serve" basis. In addition, I reserve the right to deny a request if it would require an unusually high time investment, makes an impossible demand, is unclear, or otherwise is unreasonable to fulfill (though you're welcome to refine your request!).

I will likely close off requests once I've refined my template to my personal satisfaction/my templete is revealed to be unsalvageable, in which case I'll publicly torch the project and run. But nothing's on fire yet; please, if no one else is up, request a review!

 

[Beth Pavell]

I presume, then, that specific issues could be shuffled between Image and Substance on a case-by-case basis? So you would potentially consider Worldbuilding a matter of Image for some stories, and Substance for others?

I like headings. I think for the reviewer they're useful memory joggers, for the reviewed they're an aid to referring back to criticism. I would suggest using a few standard headings in most of your reviews. It will likely help you to focus on specific points of feedback.

Review or don't review anything of mine as you like, you can consider this free feedback

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

I presume, then, that specific issues could be shuffled between Image and Substance on a case-by-case basis? So you would potentially consider Worldbuilding a matter of Image for some stories, and Substance for others?

Exactly. For some fics, worldbuilding might be the entire point. For others, it might be superfluous, taking precious words away from stronger elements. It depends on the premise, the fic's format (longfic, short story, poem, etc.), the world being built, the amount of time spent building the world, the characters' and plot's relation to the world, and a million other factors I can't imagine.

I like headings. I think for the reviewer they're useful memory joggers, for the reviewed they're an aid to referring back to criticism. I would suggest using a few standard headings in most of your reviews. It will likely help you to focus on specific points of feedback.

It's ironic you say that, because trying to review one of your fics using your style is what led me to avoid completely standardizing headings. For my review of Kanto: There and Back Again, I estimate I spent ~5 hours writing ~6 paragraphs, because I was trying to focud on predefined headings that didn't fit the fic. Even now, I feel that was one of my lesser reviews, because the very lack of headings left it (in my mind) unfocused. My Image/Substance distinction is me attempting to compromise with myself; I want headers authors can refer back to, but I also want to acknowledge the near-endless amount of writing mechanics an author can draw from. If an author wants to write a fic that's powered entirely by humor or source material expansion or research or wordplay or personal experience or messaging or whatever, then I want a template that can accommodate that. Or at least, I want to experiment with the concept. Always the possibility I'm barking up the wrong tree; hence my limited rollout.

Thank you for your feedback! If you do ever want to specifically request a review, please do. For now, I'll leave my offer open for anyone else. Don't want to deny a review to someone who specifically wants it.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

I'm robust when it comes to receiving reviews and I'm just now about to get back into the whole writing/reading/reviewing thing. So, you know what? Hit me. I'll review your review! I have the one fic here, link in the sig.

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

@unrepentantAuthor Looks doable, I'll get reading! 20K words is a little hefty for me, but I've been meaning to read your fic anyways. It'll probably be a more generalized review since there's so much, though as I write this I'm tabbing between your prelude and I'm noticing myself take notes with examples to use. Guessing it'll take ~1 week before a review's posted, assuming this stupid "real life" thing doesn't have any surprises. Looking forward to a re-review, thank you!

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

@Snuggle Tier List - reviewing what's presently published is an arbitrary call, my guy. Feel free to take it a chapter at a time. I mean, the fic's in its infancy, judging by the stacks of notes I have for future content. Regardless, cheers to that and looking forward to hearing from you. No rush.

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

@unrepentantAuthor Uh, so, I kinda just read through to CH1 (edit: CH2) in one sitting. Pile of reviewer's notes and all. I couldn't stop; ate breakfast, went to bathroom, all the while reading and jotting notes. And now I'm on CH2 (edit: CH3), and I don't want to stop.

It seems I misinterpreted your request to "read my fic" to mean "read my currently published fic". But after getting a sample, I want to read everything anyways. Give myself as much material to work with before I judge. I have some reader's hypotheses I want to test with as much published material as possible (I found your writing style to employ many different tricks and tactics, so I want to read as much as possible to avoid overgeneralizing).

I don't have much time left today to keep reading, but I do want to give as full a review as possible. I can't read what you haven't published, so forgive me for forming opinions solely on what you've published. But I'm getting ahead of myself; give me time to formulate thoughts into a proper review.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

@Snuggle Tier List - !

That's a more enthusiastic reaction than I could ever have hoped for. There's not much better a writer can hear than "I couldn't put it down"! Thanks for the implicit praise, I hope you'll have plenty of critical feedback as well.

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

@unrepentantAuthor I've finished Act 1. All of it, from Prelude to Interlude. I've jotted down unorganized notes on it all, but I've started to see patterns I can organize under headers and I want to take my time with this review. With Act 1 being complete and having (in my opinion) its own dramatic arc, I think I'll exclusively review the act Act 1 and ignore the as-yet incomplete Act 2. The interlude felt like a good stopping point, and considering your fic's pacing, I think I'll personally get the most enjoyment from your fic by reading each Act as a whole when they're completed.

It'll take some time for me to organize my thoughts into a review. But bit of a spoiler: this was the best Pokémon fic I've read so far. It addicted me. It scratched all of my personal itches. I couldn't stop until pre-morph Salem began their transformation. It isn't flawless, and I will be bringing up flaws in my "official" review, but damn, that was good! Really, really good!

Edit: Ninja edit for clarity.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Holy shit.

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

@unrepentantAuthor Review's posted. I couldn't help myself. Your fic was not only fun to read, but also to reflect on, find patterns in, analyze. I seriously could've wriiten five more headers under Substance, but I found four that gelled together and I think are the driving force behind my enjoyment.

After battle-testing my review template, I noticed some things myself:

1. Taking notes as I read was really important. They didn't need to be complete sentences; just something to jog my memory later.
2. Once I had notes, I didn't end up using most of them. For instance, there was a lot of redundant notes or nitpicks I discarded (though redundant notes clued me in on the more important, omnipresent topics).
3. Organizing notes into headers helped me spot patterns. For instance, I found a set of mechanics and devices that all worked in tandem for your particular fic; I never would've noticed that if I didn't organize my thoughts.
4. Have a "cut content" file made it much easier to trim/remove tangents.
5. While I'm absolutely pro-headers now, I'm a little shakey on my image/substance division. The seperation wasn't as clean as I like. I got to talk about very subjective issues that normally wouldn't get a platform (i.e. the amount of reviews already on a fic), but I easily devoted more words to Substance headers. Perhaps an "Fic's Content/External Factors" distinction would be clearer/more useful? Still brainstorming.
6. Subheaders need to be in bold to keep the review looking clean.

Just my own self-reflection. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, uA. Everyone else, review requestline is open!

 

[Beth Pavell]

It's ironic you say that, because trying to review one of your fics using your style is what led me to avoid completely standardizing headings.

Well, if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you

Thank you for your feedback! If you do ever want to specifically request a review, please do. For now, I'll leave my offer open for anyone else. Don't want to deny a review to someone who specifically wants it.

Put it this way, if you do want to roadtest this style of review further, then you could do the Prologue of The Long Walk. It's a couple thousand words, as I recall

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

Put it this way, if you do want to roadtest this style of review further, then you could do the Prologue of The Long Walk. It's a couple thousand words, as I recall

Just to confirm: are you requesting a review? I'm having trouble deciphering your intent. I do want to roadtest this style of review further, and I'm willing to review The Long Walk's Prologue, but if you're suggesting the review as something I "could" do and not something you want me to do, then I'd rather not give a review with my template. At least, not until I have proper testing with my template; I've already identified a few minor areas it could be improved, and so I do need more testing before I can conclude it doesn't trouble authors (I can't assume I've found all serious flaws until repeated testing stops finding flaws). I don't think it's fair to test on people without explicit, informed consent, hence why I'm confirming your intent.

If you have any questions, please ask! I'm more than willing to clarify myself.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

I'll probably give you your feedback on Monday/Tuesday, Snuggle, if that's cool with you?

 

[canisaries]

If you're still taking offers, I'd be down for a review of my oneshot HIM. It's certainly not a typical case of pokéfiction as it's not only TPP (twitch plays pokémon, yes that meme from 2014) but not even typical for TPP fiction, which I'm personally hoping helps to bounce it back to outside accessibility. I try my darndest to make them readable to all in general, so information of how others perceive it is pretty important to me.

As a programming student, I also know that abnormal cases should never be left untested, so this could bring some useful new perspectives the review format. If it's just too odd, though, I understand.

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

Since you @canisaries have given me a clear request and I haven't heard back from you @Beth Pavell at this time, I'm going to take canisaries's request. I'm more than willing to test abnormal cases; it might break down my template into a useless review, but stress-testing's the whole point of this thread. I slate you down as my next review; would you prefer me to wait until I get feedback from uA, or rather I start writing ASAP?

 

[canisaries]

Since you @canisaries have given me a clear request and I haven't heard back from you @Beth Pavell at this time, I'm going to take canisaries's request. I'm more than willing to test abnormal cases; it might break down my template into a useless review, but stress-testing's the whole point of this thread. I slate you down as my next review; would you prefer me to wait until I get feedback from uA, or rather I start writing ASAP?

Either way is fine by me, pick the option you prefer.

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

@canisaries I'll do the ASAP approach, keep my own schedule simple. I've looked at your post and (without reading anything yet) is in indeed short, so I think I can write a review pretty quick. I'm estimating within half a week, though I do have a block of real-life time sinks coming soon that could possibly cause a delay. So I'm gonna start reading right now (as in, right now).

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

@canisaries Finished HIM and I read up on some TPP lore beforehand via Tv Tropes. Got familiar with Red, Mom's TPP characterizations, King Fonz, Lazor Gator, and Lord Helix, God of "Anarchy". Organizing notes now, might take a bit. I have incredibly mixed feelings to organize and process; I honestly can't tell you my feelings on your fic, because I don't know yet. It's definitely one that encourages reflection, though there's a few nagging criticisms I can't seem to dismiss.

And also, your fic has touched on several topics that are very personal to me. I don't think a knee-jerk review is a good call, as I'll likely have to touch on some personal experiences. I'm going to need to decide how much personal info I feel safe sharing, which might take some time. Definitely a question I need to digest, think through, not act rash. Your review might take a few days, but hopefully that will lead to higher quality.

 

[canisaries]

Take your time, no problem. I probably should've mentioned the sensitive topics beforehand, though, so my apologies.

 

[Snuggle Tier List]

@canisaries I've reviewed HIM. You were right; I think HIM defies the usual measures of quality. But despite the fic's "orthodox" flaws (which I do point out and criticize), I did find value in ways other fics can't give. Thank you for your request; I'm not sure "enjoyed" is the right word, I do feel better having read and slept on your fic. My thoughts are complicated; my review explains them better.

As for my next review, this thing called Real Life will be demanding my attention for most of the next three days. @Beth Pavell, if you'd like to refine your request, I'll give you dibs until midnight Wednesday night Eastern Standard Time; if I don't hear back from you by then, I'll re-open up requests for everyone. Until then, I'm pausing requests until midnight Wednesday night Eastern Standard Time. I do not keep a wait list to avoid swamping myself in obligations; if you'd like a review (and aren't named Beth), please check back in a couple days.