Review Writing Guidelines

 Here's how to write a Review for CJSF A&E
Visit the A&E Reviews page.

  1. Due Date: Your review is due one week after you attend the event. Only those who submit carefully crafted work on time will be considered for future A&E opportunities.
  2. Formatting: Unique writing, formulaic layout.
    Title: 14-pt font, times new roman, bold, left margin, black font, different from the name of the book. Introductory paragraph: 12-pt font, times new roman, italics, left margin, black. Introduce yourself, mention the publisher, author, number of pages, and date of publication. Body of text: 12-pt font, times new roman, regular, left margin alignment, black. 2 spaces after every period, 1 space between each paragraph, no indentations. Book title underlined. End quote follows the period: .
    Final paragraph: reiterate the title of book and author and include a website.
  3. Technics: Hark back to high-school English class.
    Pour your review through an editorial sieve: check spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalisation, use of its/it's, plural/singular, run-on sentences, sentence fragments, etc. When describing action/plot in a performance/film write in the present tense; for example,
    The protagonist is an acrobat with a fear of macaroni.
    Edit thoroughly. Then edit again.
  4. Length: Get in and get out like the review is a house on fire.
    To write your review you need a pen and pad or a keyboard and screen, an alert mind, and most of all, a clock. If you're verbose: mercilessly shave the review down to 1-2 minutes. Remember, that's only about 200 words.
  5. Musical Suggestion: A score as soundtrack to your melodic narration.
    with text instead of just the page layout. Designers use this to show clients how their copy would look if it was inserted here without the client getting caught up with what it really says.