The Riches of Reviewing
The Riches of Reviewing
The Rewards of Reflecting on Others' Works
Writing well takes time. To develop the skill, one must expend consistent effort over a sustained period. What if there was a powerful tactic which allowed a writer to chisel the statue of their writing style from angles previously unreachable? Such a tactic does exist: reviewing others’ articles.
Providing feedback is a valuable way to level up writing skill. The process is straightforward.
The Review Process
Reviewing is simple, requiring only three steps:
Read the article
Answer three questions from the feedback guide
Give the answers to whomever wrote the article
After reading the article, there are three questions which require answers. This exercise is great for understanding your own works better. Let’s look at each question.
What’s the main point? Look to capture the heart of the article in your own words. If you blaze through this question without hesitation, take a moment to examine what made the writing so easy to understand. On the other hand, if you're struggling to find an answer, identify what about the writing is making it a challenge. It could be disorganized, too verbose, or missing important content.
What’s a strength? Positive feedback is easier to give. However, good feedback of this type requires specifics. Was it the clever use of adjectives? Could you feel the writer’s energy in a certain section? Did the entire article flow as if every last word was chosen for this purpose?
What’s an improvement? Often, this is the toughest question. The writing isn’t perfect. If feedback isn’t apparent, give it a moment. Perhaps you feel vulnerable or stupid, because something didn’t make sense. That was not the author’s intention. They’re trying to grow an audience. Help them understand where you got lost. If there are several misspellings, give them a quick reminder to check; it may be just the feedback they need. Beginners to the process can be overwhelmed, and often overlook the obvious.
Inform the writer about what you’ve noted once the three questions are complete. We established a bias towards publishing to get the most out of our writing. Now, we do a similar thing to get the most out of our reviewing. Having this publishing bias allows us to review articles faster.
Providing feedback to other writers also unlocks many benefits.
Treasures of Feedback
There are several benefits to reviewing the work of other writers.
You help others. It won’t be everyone. It isn’t all the time. But every now and then, you will make a meaningful contribution to the growth of another writer. Writing is lonesome much of the time. Providing feedback gives it a hint of a team sport.
You build rapport with other authors. Like financial investing, this may take some time to mature. Once compounding starts to ramp up, you’ll have a community of strong writers who have your back. When aligned on an objective, like espousing the epic nature of network states, a small group can change the course of history.
You are exposed to lots of new ideas. This expands the breadth of your own library when contemplating new works. New concepts or ideas provide additional foundation for your own writing, even if you never tackle the subject matter head on.
You develop a stronger writing style. If we learn from our own efforts and experiences, we will experience growth. However, if we combine these personal writing lessons with those from reviewing other writers, we expose ourselves to a wider variety of styles, mistakes, and opportunities.
To receive all these benefits, fears must be faced and challenges overcome.
Defeating Dragons
There are obstacles standing in the way of your feedback. Here are some of the bigger offenders, with helpful hints on navigating them.
Time Crunch - Much like the publishing process has timed sessions, honoring one's time during the review process is important. Setting a timer forces decisions and resolution. Note the feedback and hit send. Return later if you cannot complete the three questions in five to ten minutes.
Being Offensive - This is a valid concern when providing feedback in a new community. We have no desire to shut someone down when they're learning to write. Our intentions are to improve and to help improve. Imagine the other person benefitting from the feedback. Craft feedback which is direct, but neutral in tone.
Imposter Syndrome - I'm a new writer, what the hell do I know about good writing or bad writing? It's all subjective at some level. No one's writing is going to be universally appreciated. As a new writer, you will find things that feel off in other's writings. Identifying them helps find the path which leads to your personal style. By explaining why, you provide your unique lens which grants them visibility to the unseen.
Conclusion
Your writing can improve by reviewing others’ works and providing feedback to them. This feedback helps the other writer improve while building rapport and community. It also exposes you to a wider collection of ideas and writing styles, boosting your personal repertoire. A bias towards publishing compounds the returns on this process, just as it does in our writing.
Avoid pitfalls like time crunches, concerns of offending others, or the dreaded imposter syndrome. When we understand the deeper goals of reviewing, we can leap over these hazards with little effort.
I challenge you to review an article today!