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Self Reviewing!

Hey guys, I'm posting these self reviewing tips for you. It probably wont be better than me reviewing (as its good to have a different set of eyes of a person who doesn't know you or isn't afraid to tell you the truth looking at your work) but it will be far more efficient!

Before you start i would advise having a hard copy of your story!

1. Read your story OUT LOUD
- listen for any awkward phrases/sentences etc.
- listen for grammatical errors
-make a note of where you can make some improvements
-things that could just be reworded in general to make it easier for readers to understand

2. Grammar
- Tenses; what tense are you writing in (you should be writing in past or present nearly all the time unless the character is saying "ill go to the shops later and buy..."). Don't deliberately switch tenses, it confuses the reader. Only do this if you need to, or a flashback is occuring. Finding parts in your story where you switch tenses is hard to catch in your own work, so be really careful!
-Common errors; Basic things like
- They're vs. Their vs. There
- Your vs. You're
- its vs. It's
- To vs Too
Etc.

3. Punctuation
- Comma Usage; 
-To Separate Elements in a Series: Each element in a series should be separated by a comma. For example: "I brought a jacket, a blanket, and an umbrella to the park." That last comma is optional. It's called an "Oxford comma"
- To Separate Independent Clauses: You can use commas to separate independent clauses that are joined by "and," "but," "for," "or," "nor," "so," or "yet." For example, this sentence is correctly written: "My brother is very smart, and I've learned a lot from him."
An independent clause is a sentence that can stand on its own. Here's how to test it: Would the second part of the sentence (following one of those coordinating conjunctions) make a full sentence on its own? If so, add a comma. If it doesn't, leave it out.
- To Separate an Introductory Word or Phrase: At the beginning of a sentence, we often add an introductory word or phrase that requires a subsequent comma. For example:
In the beginning, I had no idea how to use a comma.
Or:
However, after reading an awesome blog post, I understand the difference.
Other common introductory words and phrases include "after," "although," "when," and "while."

-Capital Letters
You should be using capital letters when;
- Pronoun I (I'm happy when I read)
- Direct speech
- Peoples Names
- Place Names
- Brands
- Movies, T.V shows, books
- Months of the year
- Days of the week

-Dialogue and Direct Speech
-Before using dialogue think, is this necessary? Does this move the story along? Does it make sense? Does it sound like something the character would say? Take out anything that isnt needed.
-Then make sure that it is punctuated correctly;
- Speech marks should go around what was said
- punctuation must go inside speech marks
- ALWAYS start a new line when a new person speaks
- If the speech is in the middle of a sentence use commas
- don't use capital letters after closing speech marks

E.g.
"Run!" Yelled Ron.

"What else would we do Sherlock!" yelped Hermione.

"Hurry!" Harry bellowed as he ran behind his friends, firing spells at the dementors.

4. Imagery
-Description
Adjectives; when using adjectives think, Why am I using this? Is it necessary? do they add the information the reader needs to know? 
Adverbs; you can consider using adverbs as description, but you need to be careful not to overdo it
-Figurative Language
Identify if/where you use some figurative language.
These are similes, metaphors and personification. They are 'figures of speech'. They make comparisons.
These comparisons must have a purpose. What is the purpose of the comparison?
-Paragraphs
Make sure to use paragraphs! if you don't then it makes it a lot harder for the reader to read! they should all be around the same length. With Wattpad, on your phone I would recommend a paragraph taking up o more than half a page, usually aiming for about 4/5 lines (times new roman, size 11) on a word document

5. Sentence Structure
-Simple Compound Complex; 
- The dog ran. Simple Sentence.
- The dog ran and he ate popcorn. Compound sentence.
- After the dog ran, he ate popcorn. Complex sentence.
 - After the dog ran, he ate popcorn and he drank a big soda. Compound-complex sentence.
-Your Sentences; Listen to your sentences. Identify your sentences: do you use a variety of sentences? What is the purpose of the choices you are making about your sentences structure? In other words, you need to know why you are choosing particular kinds of sentences.

So that's just basic things to hepp with your writing in general, but fir what im reviewing, heres some tips!

For the title, make sureit relates to the story, and a theme that works with the title is introduced in the first or second chapter.
For the cover, try to have something that reflects on the story. But at the same time isnt a low quality image, or just a pic with words on it.
For the blurb  make sure you give the reader some insight into the story, while leaving them wanting more and asking questions
For the plot: since this is a wattpad book, readers want fast moving stories, its different to a published novel. Dont spend hours describing a blade of grass like in the hobbit, readers get bored of that. Just keep everything moving
Charactets: make sure to delve into their personalities. Sometimes it helps to make a character profipe for them, which has things from their stsr sign, to favourite colour. Basically just everything about them. Make sure that the charavter develops throughtout the story.
Setting: people cant read your minds, so make sure to clearly describe where they are and how it looks, but remember nobody wants to spend a gazillion years reading about what a blade of grass looks like

I hope this helps you with your self editing a bit! Please dont hesitate to ask if you have any questions! I would also reccomend a friend or having someone to go over it with you using these strategies as it helps find mistakes that you will skim over!