As writers, we can sometimes be so focused on the content of our work, that we forget about one of its most important components: the title. Dearbhlá McMenamin (Ireland), Best Peer Review winner for our Letter Writing Competition, reminds us that, most especially in this digital age, it’s the title that catches a reader’s attention. In fact, it was the title of a particular letter that initially drew Dearbhlá to write her prize-winning review!
Below, she provides tips for anyone worrying about saying the wrong thing in a peer review, tells us about the compliment sandwich method, and gives us her recommendations for the Irish writers she thinks everyone should read.
Guest Judge Brother Richard Hendrick said of your review that “I felt that the reviewer grasped the essence of the letter.” How did you go about picking a piece to review?
Titles are really what catch my attention about pieces, and if not the title, the first few sentences of the piece. In a world where people’s attention spans are getting shorter and shorter, I think it’s become increasingly vital that writers use their openings to grasp the attention of the reader. This piece I reviewed had a title that caught my attention instantly, so I decided to read it. After really enjoying reading the piece, I was left with questions and I wanted to let the writer know the points I really enjoyed and let them know the parts I would’ve liked to know more about, hence why I decided to leave a review. I like to review pieces that leave me with questions and leave me wondering about the characters after I’ve read it.
Brother Richard Hendrick also said that your “Suggestions for possible places or points of expansion are astute and clear while still allowing the writer to see these as only possibilities to be looked at rather than directions to be followed.” What is your advice to other editors to make sure that they offer points for improvement while not imposing their opinion on the writer?
It’s really important that you don’t force your suggestions for improvement onto the writer, because ultimately this is their piece that they’ve put their time and effort into. An easy way to make your suggestions sound like suggestions is to reread your comments and think how they would sound if someone said them about your work. Using words and phrases like “perhaps,” “maybe,” or “in my opinion” are also clever ways to make your feedback come across as optional. Another trick I like to use when writing reviews is the “compliment sandwich” format. This involves saying something you particularly like about the piece, then following with something not fully developed or that you didn’t understand, finishing with another point you liked. This way, you will always end with a positive note!
What advice would you give to another writer who is hesitant about giving peer reviews, perhaps because it seems hard or they are worried about saying the wrong thing?
I also felt like this before I chose to write my first review. It’s not a bad thing to feel this way at first, if anything it shows that you care about how your words impact other people! If you have the intention of encouraging the author to improve their piece, rather than tearing them down, then you shouldn’t be worried. As long as you try to be friendly and supportive in your comments, you can’t go wrong. Have confidence in yourself!
What’s one book by an Irish writer that you think all young writers should read?
I’ve been brought up in a house with bookshelves bursting with anthologies and novels from lots of different Irish writers, such as W.B. Yeats, Seamus Heaney, and Oscar Wilde to name a few. But one book that I think everyone should read is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne. I read this book when I was younger, and it was the first book I’d ever read that brought me to tears. I think that it shows that friendships can be possible across borders, and in this case barbed wire. I think this book has meant something new to me since I went to the Auschwitz camp two years ago. It’s a heart-wrenching read, and I think that young writers can learn a lot from the way Boyne writes in such an emotive way.
