When I asked Ms. Ball how a good assessment might be considered an art form, she replied: “I think that writing a good assessment is like any kind of writing—there is always an element of art in it—the sense of what works and what doesn't; the “ear” that a reviewer develops by close, active reading. It’s also a skill, which can be learnt to a certain extent, but the creative element—the building of a new piece of writing; determining the overall approach; the theme of the review, and writing something that does justice to the work itself—is art.”
To that end, we are empowered to discover for ourselves what comes with life practice, and Ball shares what can be taught in short, pithy chapters, often backed with several resources. (These are invaluable as new reviewers are inundated with information online and by social consensus, but rarely armed with knowledge of how useful such information is.)
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