In the fan fiction world, there are different things writers strive for. Many of them believe that just a good review saying, “I love this, update soon!” makes them believe that they got a good story on them. Sure, just the ideas alone may make a story good, but there is one thing that isn’t done often enough. That is constructive criticism.

Constructive criticism is when a reviewer makes corrections and suggestions in a story. This is one of the best tools because it helps the writer improve their writing skills.

Some people take constructive criticism as a flame. There is a thin line between constructive criticism and a flame. A flame is when a reviewer bashes the story (and possibly the author). Sometimes, a constructive criticism may end up turning into a flame. To see the difference, here’s an example of a constructive criticism;

The reviewer was helpful and mature about the mistake and offered to correct it. Here’s an example of a constructive criticism with a flame;

The reviewer did point out the mistake, however they failed to correct the mistake and instead insulted you simply because of that mistake. Everyone should know that ‘learn how to write,‘ doesn’t really help much either. Never take a flame seriously. Most reviewers who do nothing but flame are either jealous of your writing and can’t write themselves or just plain out rude with nothing else to do. Even if the writer made it obvious that they didn’t even try and only made a three sentence chapter, there is no reason to try to hurt their feelings. You can either ignore them or tell them the real deal of being a writer.

As mentioned before, some writers take constructive criticism as a flame. This is mainly coming from new or younger people who don’t like changes in a story. Unless the reviewer was trying to change the entire idea of the story, there’s no reason to lash back at them. Take note that even though you might not like it, they are only trying to help you be a better writer. Take their advice for granted. If they point out your mistake, go back and edit your story once you get the time. Just adding or deleting a few words won’t change the idea of your story.

Sadly, constructive criticism is not done often enough. For writers who are serious about their writing, although they love the attention of praises from reviewers, it’s good to have at least one or two reviewers correcting their mistakes. Most writers don’t receive this treatment enough when they need it. It’s understandable if a reviewer is not too sure about the real concept of writing, but there’s always someone who does. In a story, most writer’s won’t even get a constructive criticism and when they do, it only happens once. This may force it to where nearly no one will get interested in the story.

Therefore, constructive criticism is a good thing. It’s encouraged for all reviewers to give out the best advice as they can, though it’s not required. At least do it once in a while. You may end up helping a writer who may one day write an amazing story.