I've been enjoying reading and commenting on this board. So far this contest has been very informative and instructive, not only about games but about the process of writing itself. However, there is one aspect I feel compelled to comment on. As I've been reading through the various review reviews, I've noticed a great deal of criticism being leveled across the board. "Duh!" you may say, and right you'd be, but I wanted to make sure that people don't take all this criticism the wrong way. After reading many reviews (I admit I haven't read all of them), I can tell there are several first-time or inexperienced writers who submitted entries. To that I say: bravo! It takes guts to open up your work to public scrutiny like that, especially when you know that your writing skills may not be that strong. Hell, it takes guts even if you're confident in your writing. People just love to pick things apart.
It seems to be human nature to seek out negatives rather than positives when crtiquing. I think you'll find in both the game reviews and in the review reviews that more effort is expended in describing what went wrong with the work rather than what went right. I know I've been guilty of this when writing my reviews. Unfortunately, this tendency sometimes makes a review seem harsher than it really is. So I urge you inexperienced writers not to become too disheartened by the criticism of your work.
It's difficult to write effectively, and that's why so few people do it. I've worked in publishing, and I've seen plenty of lousy pieces, many of them penned by professionals who write for a living! Plus, even the best writers commit the occasional grammar error or write an awkward sentence or two -- that's why there are professional editors. So don't feel too bad if your review receives a lackluster score. Even if you can only write reasonably well you'll still be doing better than most people in the world. So far, I've read precious few reviews that seemed irredeemably bad, which is a good thing. I'd hate to see anybody walk away from this contest convinced that he or she can't write. Anybody can, with enough practice.
Write on!
</soapbox>
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