Tips in fairly critiquing fan fictions.

As fan fiction writers, we enjoy hearing opinions from readers about how good our works are and what we could do to improve them if there were any mistakes in the work.But, we also would like to help other fan fiction writers improve their works and encourage them to write more stories as they please. So, here are some helpful tips on critiquing fan fiction in a fair manner.

1. Check for Grammar.

One of the most important things in critiquing other fan fictions is to check to see if the grammar is understandable. Readers want to read fan fictions that make sense and are written well. Checking to see if the grammar in the fan fiction is done correctly would really help many fan fiction writers write more comprehensible stories for the readers to take in.

2. Be fair in your critiques.

If you are critiquing another fan fiction, don’t be rude and disrespectful to the person’s work. It is often difficult to give the story the right touch and we should be supportive to the person trying to write a fan fiction.Provide helpful tips in writing a good story and always encourage that person to write even better fan fictions in the near future.

3. Encourage New Ideas!

Fan Fiction writers, both new and old, are always looking for new ideas to put into their works! In critiquing fan fiction, you are always welcome to give new ideas to writers who want to write good stories that suit their characters and the situations they put the characters in.This will help the writer establish what will work and not work in the fan fiction they are trying to tell to the readers.

4. Encourage writers to have fun.

It’s always important to have fun in writing fan fictions! If you could encourage other fan fiction writers to have fun writing the characters they enjoy, then the fan fiction community would definitely be a fun community to be in! The best thing about writing fan fictions is the fact that you could decide what directions your favorite characters should go in and that’s what makes writing fan fictions fun for anyone!

Well, that’s my top 4 tips in critiquing fan fictions and if there are any other tips that you like to point

These points are idealistic, but not always practical. We're assuming here that every writer wants to hear constructive criticism, but not all do. They think they're great, and are disappointed to hear that they need additional work. If you can draw that person up to be better, great. If not, then they become a dreaded call-out every time they post something new. ...I think maybe what I'm saying is that this needs a companion blog of how to take constructive criticism gracefully.

Added to my FF Long Box. :)

V. Have sensitivity awareness.

Not everyone Has tHick skin. Be aware tHat Humans naturally take pride in tHeir work, so be kind. Make an attempt to not intentionally Hurt an autHors feelings wHen trying give constructive criticism.

To quote TecH N9ne - "You don't understand wHy I'm so pissed? Understand tHis, I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my $#!%. Yes, I'm fragile" (Fragile, SometHing Else).

So wHen critiquing, Handle witH care.

June'sVeryOwn

This is a very good point! People would get really sensitive if other people do criticize their work a bit too much (I personally get a little upset if other people just bash my work, even though I worked really hard on it). It would be best to try to handle criticisms with care and find a way to gently encourage a person to correct some of their work without offending them too much, but that can be very difficult to do at times.

@rabbitearsblog: Really Helpful Thanks

I definitely agree that there needs to be a companion blog about taking criticism gracefully (maybe you could do one?) :D But, I also agree that some people don't take criticism of any kind very well and we would have to tread lightly on how to help that writer without insulting them.

I should have also added another tip:

Give Advice When Needed

Basically, if a writer needs help and they ask you to proofread their works, then you can easily give advice then. It would make it much easier for the writer to trust you when they ask you about helping them improve their works and it wouldn't seem too much for the writer, since they asked for your help.

You're welcome! :D

It is hard-- I always want feedback so I can improve, even if it's only a "good job!" or "I didn't like this!" to the other end of the spectrum, "I thought that this wasn't good because..." / "I enjoyed it because...", both are really valid and helpful. If you don't enjoy it, then I'm doing something wrong. If you do enjoy it, I'm doing something right, etc. Sensitivity comes into it, obviously, but I've always believed in giving as good as you get!

Something salient points though, nice post.

Encouragement always helps a writer in their craft so comments along those lines are usually best. If someone posts a story and invites criticism, I would suggest they be specific in regards to what they want critiqued. It's crushing enough to not receive comments on your story, suggestions for improvement can be downright devastating.

Not saying writers should be molly-coddled but if they aren't asking for advice/criticism, don't give it.

Great blogs, and great points made! My favorite was point four. ^_^.

I definitely agree with this! Thanks for the kind words! :D

I definitely agree with this also! I think that the people critiquing the writing would get better feedback from the writers if they asked them to critique their work.

Thanks!!! I loved point four the best too! That's pretty much what makes me love writing fan fiction!

@rabbitearsblog: My pleasure!

Grammar and spelling, like rhythm & melody, are key factors for me anyway.

This is a handy guide, ask @the_poet to maybe pin this

@m3th: Nice to see another Tech fan.

@cbishop: I always like constructive critisms. I dont like when im being insulted but just blanket support regardless of quality doesn't help me get better either.

@joshmightbe: Not sure what you're getting at. I'm not suggesting blanket support. There are certain writers that I read and think there's not much to say about it except, "Hey, this is great." At those times, there's little else to do except discuss story predictions/options, etc.

@cbishop: just saying constructive criticism is helpful

@joshmightbe: Gotcha.

Sounds good!