How personal is your writing? For your eyes only? Unratable? Write, post and be read to your hearts content. As long as the genre is personal, write it your way. One draft with no editing shouldn't matter to anyone but you. Its personal - not publishable.

But, do you want it to remain personal forever or will you release it to go public; to someday shine so bright on the shelves of Barnes and Noble that the world cant miss it? Do you actually want to sell something - for cash? The purpose of a serious reviewer is not to critique personal writing, nor is it that of an elementary school teacher of English. I assume anyone who has written a novel, novelette, or short story will know their nouns and verbs and be above the seventh grade level in their education. I assume they know how to write. To assume anything less is condescending in my opinion. Hardcore reviewers are not better writers, they are experienced readers who are able to read with comprehension and remember what is being said throughout the work.

A serious critiquer goes directly for the body of the story and digs out stuff that bogs it down, they dont waste time searching out the occasional typos or misplaced commas. Those will be found during editing with nice, gentle reviews. Experienced writers know the worth of negative feedback, and ask for it. Specifically. They dont need someone to be so gentle with their work that they point out a spelling error, whisper, and smile - but dont touch the content.

Critiques are the single best source of feedback that writers can get to find the flaws and to improve their writing skills. If a writer has the nerve to post and ask for critical reviews, the least a reviewer can do is have the nerve to give it. To do anything less is not doing the serious writer a favor. Isnt that what the writing group is all about? In-depth critiques helps to move the writer closer to his goal of getting published.

The reviewers who are able to do this are few, and no wonder. Its hard work! It takes a lot of time and concentration. It takes a dedicated heart and pain. The rewards are few, while the aggravations are many. There is little respect shown and many opinion pieces and articles written on how they do more harm than good to the writers. Well, Im not buying that one. Good honest reviewers are worth their weight in gold to the serious writer who has a deep desire to be a published author. The problem lies in knowing who these authors are. They also need to be honest and ready to accept the responses when they ask for in-depth critiques.

Harriet Silkwood
http://www.Writing.Com/authors/storytime