A very, very important part of becoming a better writer is through feedback.

For years, I wrote stories only for myself. With the lacking feedback, it's no surprise that I learned slowly.

However, giving others feedback and receiving feedback oneself isn't as easy as it sounds.

Having engaged in review swaps on RoyalRoad and review shops here on Wattpad, I made a lot of mistakes and I'd like to share my journey.

The first thing I've learned is that there are three types of "reviews": Beta-reading, editing, and reviews in the strictest sense.

What's the difference?

When you review a story, you read it and then you tell the author your opinion. Simple. Beta-reading is the same as reviewing, only that it's done to unfinished stories (I don't just mean stories that still have chapters missing; beta readers look at google documents of chapters that haven't been released yet). Editing, by contrast, involves hiring an expert, and that expert (appropriately called an editor) can tell you how to change your story so that it's marketable and achieves your goals as a storyteller.

Editing is probably the most useful for improving a story, but it's also expensive and, quite frankly, it's just too much if you're just writing as a hobby.

Beta-readers are, in my opinion, more useful than reviewers, but less useful than editors. In exchange, they are easier to find than editors and harder to find than reviewers.

As one might expect, reviewers are the easiest to find, but also the, IMO, least useful. Why do I think so? Well, unlike beta readers, reviewers look at stories and chapters that have already been published. Sometimes, the mistakes they note are easy to fix (like grammar mistakes). Sometimes, the mistakes are so severe (e.g. unlikeable and unrealistic characters, an illogical plot, worldbuilding that just doesn't work) that you can only fix them if you start the story again. Even more minor problems (slow-paced first chapters) can be hard to fix if you are already working on your next chapters and don't want to stop updating. This is part of the reason why I wish I had had someone look over Starsnatcher before I started putting chapters online.

But like I said, beta-readers are hard to find. I tried to get beta readers for my first Starsnatcher chapter on Reddit, but no-one responded. People are more willing to chapters that are already "complete" rather than rough first drafts that probably haven't even been proofread yet. Plus, even if reviewers don't like a story you already put online and you aren't willing to revise, you at least have tips for the next story.

But that's just my experience. For some, reviewers might be more helpful than for me.

So, with that said, here are some tips of mine for reviewers and reviewers:

For reviewers:

1. Include something positive and something negative. There is something called the sandwich method according to which you should open with something positive, then say something that could be improved, and then close with something positive again. I don't fully agree with this, but I think it works for most stories. Of course, if you think the story is perfect, you don't have to mention anything negative. Even if you found the story really, really bad, I'd suggest mentioning at least something slightly positive, like how the author described a sunset well.

2. Remember, you are reporting your own experience. I used to suggest changes in many of my reviews which was a rather dumb thing, as I'm not qualified to be an editor. Saying "chapter 10 was boring" is better than suggesting changes via "chapter 10 needs more conflict". Even better, you can use "I" language to make clear it's your opinion/experience ("I found chapter 10 boring").

3. If possible, try to stick to reviewing stories from a genre you like. It's hard for me to give reviews, as I don't like common Wattpad genres, so, I might dislike stories that are loved by the intended target audience. Although I think I can still comment on stuff like descriptions I like or pacing issues (maybe).

For reviewees (or however I can call those that receive reviews):

1. Learn to take criticism. This includes not doing something I always do: Arguing with your reviewers. And unless they ask questions, don't add unnecessary explanations either. If a reviewer doesn't feel any chemistry between your characters, don't add lots of arguments for why the characters are meant to be together that aren't even in the story. That doesn't mean you should never reply to reviewers (in fact, it might be nice to show that you're reading their comments), but it shouldn't look like arguing. I have to figure out myself what exactly is appropriate though.

2. Appreciate their time. Thank them. Reciprocate their reviews. Whatever.

3. If possible, only seek out reviewers who like the kind of genre you're writing in. It kinda ties into the above.

Hope that little guide helped with a topic I struggle myself with.