Yes, it's a lot to get through, but read it all. You can do it. I believe in you.
First of all, rules for what to post! Don't post your entire multi-chapter story here, please. It will explode the forum. Post an excerpt that is 2,000 words or less. If the story is longer than 500 words or is in a long format (i.e., a poem that requires many new lines) please collapse it so it doesn't explode the page. You can find the code for collapsing pages as well as the code for many other fun things if you click the link titled "wiki text quick reference" that is just below the text box you type in when you're making a post.
The format for posting stories is thus:
Start a new thread. Title it your story title and add (Excerpt) after it if it is just an excerpt.
In the summary box, include the title, author, type, and genre for your story. Type is whether it is poetry, short fiction, or multi-chapter. Yes, there can be more than one genre; no, poems don't necessarily need a genre.
You can add a note before your story, but you don't have to. In the note you can put things like a summary of the poem/story/excerpt, links to the full version, or other things you think are relevant. It's up to you! Please don't put anything like "sorry this story is so awful" or "this story isn't edited at all." We get it. That's why you're posting it here, so don't worry about it. You can also request anonymous criticism only if you'd like. (Anonymous criticism can be posted by logging out of your wikidot account first.) Please separate the note from the story by putting something like "NOTE:" ahead of it.
Copy-paste your poem/story/excerpt into the text box. Remember to collapse it if it's too long! Now you're finally ready to get constructive criticism! On that note…
Constructive criticism is a beautiful thing. However, you must be able to make the distinction between criticism that is constructive and criticism that is not. Constructive criticism includes pointing out areas of the story that didn't flow well, pointing out what parts you didn't understand, and discussing what meaning you got from the story and how well it was conveyed. Constructive criticism is NOT telling the author they suck at writing in any way, shape or form. Let me be clear on this: there are no bad writers in this club, only writers who haven't practiced enough. And I'm assuming none of us are Pulitzer Prize-winning bestsellers, so we all need more practice. No one's opinion matters more than anyone else's here no matter how much experience you have.
So, to summarize: If you see something you think could be improved in a story, post your suggestion in polite, non-demeaning language and explain your reasoning why. Do not tell anyone they have to change something. These are suggestions only. Don't post criticism without explaining your reason. You can, however, post positive criticism without explaining the reasons- however I'm sure the author would appreciate it if you do explain!
If I see someone posting something I don't consider constructive, I'll first warn them. If they continue to post malicious comments they risk getting kicked out of the club.
On nitpicking. Nitpicking is picking on really minor flaws within a story, including spelling or grammar issues as well as word choice and really specific syntax errors. I have decided to allow nitpicky-type criticism. If it gets out of hand, however, I will stop allowing it. Nitpicking is ok, but most of these stories are first or second drafts so they'll probably be rewritten anyway. Remember that the main focus is not on the little things that need to be fixed but on the big things that need to be fixed before the story moves on to the next draft.