The Roar Review Process

Hello and Happy New Year to our Hear Us Roar! supporters. Over the holidays, the Roar Team was knee-deep in stories. We are almost finished reviewing the first 84 we received and thought we’d share our approach.

Our goal is to publish as many stories as possible in as close to their original form as possible. Our review process is definitely not about detailed critique and editing. The majority of our submitters are not professional writers and we want authentic expression more than polished prose.

We have set up a spreadsheet that asks the following questions of each story:

• What’s the story about? (We capture a headline, such as “Woman leaves successful corporate career behind to follow her dream: a wardrobe consulting practice.”)
• What are the keywords? (for example, “career fulfillment, passion, dreams, making a difference, legacy, image management, self-esteem”)
• Is it readable/logical; does it flow? (Yes or No)
• Is there a clear connection to power?  (Yes or No)
• Is there a “You Go Girl” factor? (Yes or No)

Each and every story is being reviewed by at least two members of the Roar Team — and sometimes more when there is a question about a story’s viability.

So that’s what we’ve been up to. We appreciate your patience as we work our way through this process. It is one of learning, growth, and tremendous inspiration!