Before I begin my review, I must say that this is a special case and I am proud to be a part of it. I don’t normally review a writer’s diary without their permission, but a few friends of this writer asked for a special favor and, because of the nature of their request, I simply could not say no. I’m stoked.
I hope I do them justice.
Content: Wow. You’re a genuinely nice person. Now that’s something that you don’t see every day...it left me rubbing my chin in contemplation, wishing that I had a goatee that I could tug thoughtfully on. Cursed womanhood.
There are several things I made a list of to comment on after reading all of your entries, so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and grease our elbows, shall we?
First, I’ll present you with a few of the negatives that I found, and then proceed to counter them with the positives. First, there were a few things that confused me in your diary. With many subjects –such as the mention of a “novel” in the beginning—were never elaborated on and, therefor, left me wondering what your novel was about, if you had interest in being an author, etc. Then again, this also shows several things. It shows at least in some situations, as you said in one of your entries, that we should “not rake up the past, but look to the future.” It also gives the impression that you write for yourself, and for those who know you, not to amuse anonymous readers on Diaryland. That’s a very commendable feat, as many find themselves falling into the role of “entertainer” when writing in an online diary.
Your updates were on average twice or so a month, which certainly wouldn’t be enough to satisfy my thirst. You are a working woman, however, and so I understand the demands on your time. It’s also great that you enjoy your job as you do, and don’t have to fill your entries with constant complaining and griping about the office. Although, I tend to think that even if you did have problems with your workplace, you would not complain much if at all.
Those, for the most part, are actually the only complaints that I had with your diary. Now I get to move onto the list of positives that struck my fancy.
First, I must congratulate you because, in the later entries of your diary, you really began to express more varying degrees of emotion in your diary, and you began elaborating on your feelings and what was happening around you. You’re writing style is one that many would envy; it’s very simplistic, but beautiful. You don’t need to cloud your message our dazzle the eyes with overly large five-syllable words, you tell it as it truly is. Not only this, but you’re sincere, and that’s a damn rare quality to find in people it seems. You would make a wonderful writer. Not only is your writing beautiful and easy to understand, but you are a very wise young woman. You have innocence in your writing, a happiness that seems hidden in most adults. You take life as it is, and you find joy in the little things that it offers. You’re diary was definitely a refresher after all of the angsty teenagers who make up a large portion of the Diaryland populace. I, of course, am one of those teenagers.
You have intelligence, poise, a sense of humor, a knack for spinning a web of words, and a great sense of optimism and charisma. Whatever you do in life—whether it deal with law, education, or any other field—I’m sure you’ll go far. [40/45]
Layout: I wasn’t sure, at first, exactly how I wanted to score this portion of your review. The layout, upon first glance, gives off an almost plain, simple presentation. But it grew on me every time I saw it, and I especially grew to adore that sickeningly sweet UnkyMood...thing. Never seen one of those, and I hope that I never will again. I jest, of course. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I signed up for one for my diary. But I digress.
My only real complaint about the layout is the transition. If I were a regular reader it wouldn’t be such a problem, but because I was going from entry to entry I thought that by the end I was going to tear out my own hair. I am quite pleased to announce my hairs are still in their follicles, and all is right with the world. I was going to dock only a couple of point off of your score for the circle hazard, but since you designed the layout yourself, you earned those few points right back.
Oh, and if you are looking for a site to host images, PhotoBucket is a good place.
I liked the scrolling at the top, although if I was going to get really nit-picky I would say that the yellow font didn’t match the borders of the layout in a constructive manner. But, honestly, who gives a damn? I’m not that anal-retentive. I thought it looked just fine, as it’s rather boring to make everything perfect. They layout matched your writing style well; it wasn’t flashy or attention grabbing, but it was worth paying attention to. Simple, yet elegant. Methinks it’s lovely. And, of course, you get extra credit for making it yourself. [20/20]
Mechanics: I must admit that it took me a little bit of time to get used to some of the spelling differences in your diary, such as “learnt.” That won’t affect your score, of course, but it is correct. I could be petty and say, “I don’t like that way it looks,” but not only would I be lying but I would be a fool. Your grammar was beautiful, as was spelling, punctuation, etc. Only minor errors were made here and there, but they were few and far between. [9/10]
Extras: TagBoard also counts as an extra, and you had a “Reads” list. You also had a link to the “Recommend my Diary,” which is a rather rare thing to see. So, I’ll count that as an extra as well. Oh, and let’s not forget my favorite UnkyMood character, which brings you to a total of four extras. Not too many, but not too bad, either. [7/10]
Contact: You had notes, TagBoard, e-mail, plus Yahoo!, MSN, and Icq on your profile. Niiiicce. I could stalk you till the sun don’t shine. [5/5]
Navigation: Easy peesy lemon squeezy. Everything worked, and it was all labeled clearly. Even an ape doped up on too much Tang could figure this one out. Nice work. [5/5]
Link: An exception will be made in this category, although don’t expect it from me all the time. (Actually, I’m quite a sensitive soul once you get to know me. Seriously.) Since it was your friends who requested the review, you will not be docked points for not linking to AS Reviews. I’m not even sure you knew this was coming...I’m part of a conspiracy! [5/5]
Favorite Quote: “They say that one can't love to order but is there a formula for one to stop oneself from falling in love?” I’m not sure what made me drawn to this statement. Perhaps it is the fact that I can relate to it so well, or maybe I am just a hopeless romantic. Either way, I found myself contemplating that very question, and I still am. Too bad it’s rhetorical, eh?
Favorite Entry: This’n. It really let the readers get to know you a bit more, take a look inside your head and see how you think and what you think about. More than that, though, you made some very good points that I agree with whole-heartedly. It showed, once more, your very innocent, uncorrupt and over-all sweet look at the world. We need more people like you in the world.
Return Trips?: Oh, I’m certain there will be many more visits.
Final Comments: First, congrats on being AS Review’s very first review! I would give you extra points, but, er, that would be unfair to future applicants and so on and so forth. Second, you have fabulous friends, and they were correct in their assertions that you have a talent for writing. Very stellar.
Total: [91/100]
Congrats, you apply for the Hall of Fame!
Reviewed by: Tory
