Essay Reviewer Types

Happy Holidays

Having essays be reviewed is very humbling.  It's weird because I've reviewed my friends essays and when I see how many changes I've tracked it's usually a lot!  But the changes that I suggest are definitely helpful...or so I'm told.  It's funny that I can review my friends essays but have trouble editing my own.  I think that's just the nature of the beast.

In any event I wanted to write this post explaining the differences I've found between essay reviewers.  The key is to find a reviewer that will add the value you need.  And yes... in my opinion this can be the same person.  But here's what I've found - let me know if you agree or if I'm missing any type.

The Grammar Checker - This title is self explanatory haha.  This type of reviewer is very important for me because I can be a lazy writer, hence the title of my blog.  I know I've said it before but I use Ellipses because I'm lazy and for me it's to be used when I complete a thought.  So it's a big help when someone says that a comma should be somewhere or a semi-colon.

sidenote - I got a 5.5 on my AWA.  I was surprised by this since I only spent 15 minutes on each and didn't even check it.

The Negative Nelly - This is the person who reads through the essays and just picks apart everything that they don't like.  They don't give any constructive criticism but just say "Oh I don't like this part" or "Why is this in here?"  What they don't realize is that this is the not the final product yet so it's a work in progress.  But this person is necessary because they keep you on your toes.  I've found that while some of my harshest criticism has come from this type of person, some of my best ideas have blossomed from something this person has said.

The Positive Paulie - This person loves it and everything you've done and thinks you should submit it right now.  When you need a pick me up and someone to just cosign on what you've done, this person should be your go to.

The Suggester - I like this type of reviewer because they point out things and ask questions.  This is the type of reviewer I tend to be.  When I'm reading an essay, I try to understand the direction the person is trying to take the essay in and then I input a lot of questions to fill in the holes knowing that it will get them to their desired finished product.  Me....personally....will never tell someone "I think you should change this essay and write about something else."  I simply won't say it because I don't like when people say that to me.  It's not helpful.  I love when people say "I would have done it ______" because then I think to myself... "Well great... when you're writing your essay then you can write it that way, but clearly I chose to write mine in this manner."

I say all that to just warn people to make sure that the people who are reviewing your essays are providing the right kind of feedback.  Gotta go!  Happy Holidays