One of the best parts of writing (and reading!) is experiencing the world from another point of view. And as Flash Fiction Best Peer Review winner Ruth Foote (Australia) points out, this is a technique you can also use as a reviewer: “I try to help the author see their writing through different eyes—not just mine, but someone else’s. For instance, think about it through the eyes of your character! This helps me provide useful feedback that (hopefully!) isn’t cliché.”
Read on to learn more about Ruth, her favorite genre to review in, and how she finds the silver lining in COVID!
To give a good review, you must have a grasp of the genre the author is writing in. What did you do to ensure you understood the Flash Fiction genre?
One thing that helped was reading other flash fiction stories. Quoting Dr. Seuss: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” It definitely helps knowing the rules of each genre; for instance, if an author doesn’t know one of the rules, you can pick up on it for them!
Guest judge Janelle Milanes said, “I found this to be an encouraging review that picks up on what the author does well while specifically addressing changes large and small that could strengthen the story.” How did you make sure you were providing the author with useful feedback while motivating them to return to their draft?
When I review something, I am as encouraging as possible. A kind word can make someone’s day, and a kind peer review can make someone’s piece! I know from experience how difficult it is to stay motivated for something, especially something like Flash Fiction! When your story is so short, sometimes you just feel like you’re reading the same thing over and over and over again, and trust me, that’s not much fun. When writing a peer review, I try to help the author see their writing through different eyes—not just mine, but someone else’s. For instance, think about it through the eyes of your character! This helps me provide useful feedback that (hopefully!) isn’t cliché.
What is your favorite genre to review in?
It depends! For Flash Fiction, I like how you can give the author information on how to be concise and make every word count. But in other genres, such as poetry, I can try to help the author make their piece less cliché, more interesting, etc.
What is inspiring your writing most right now?
At the moment, I think it’s COVID-19! That’s something I think a lot of authors are inspired by lately. Though it’s really difficult to cope with, I feel like there is a positive element to COVID. It gives us writers time to stop and think about our writing. It’s like watching the world in slow motion, and that helps me with my writing, as it allows me to reflect more about what is relevant right now.
