Fierce Flawed

Style
Kudos to you for designing your own layout! (and designing other layouts too) I�m kind of partial to your current one because the color scheme is close to my own. But I will be impartial for the review. *heh heh* It�s a simple enough design, one scroll bar, and the only pictures are for a couple of links. You made everything pretty easy to get to, with a nice little pop-up window helping navigate through bios and rings and links and pictures� hey, I liked it! However, I didn�t �love� it. Somehow, I felt as if the design were lacking something. It seemed almost too plain; nothing really caught my eye. If I were just browsing through diaries at random, I might have skipped it. But it seems good enough for you, and considering the 51 users who have you listed as a favorite diary, it seems good enough for them too. But I get the feeling that those readers have been with you for a while, so the layout doesn�t really matter to them. Point being, if you are looking to re-vamp the page, think about making it a little more �something,� and you can decide what that �something� is. (flashy, moody, revealing, colorful, etc.) I think that it would attract a lot of new blood to your page. :)

Substance
When I checked to see how many diary entries you had, and the number was 200+, I thought to myself, �I hope a majority of those are just really fantastic!� After reading through them I found that they were much like your layout: they lacked a certain �something.� Don�t get me wrong, they weren�t bad. I just found them to be mediocre. I�m happy that you�re comfortable with your lesbianism, and I like your photography, and I am empathetic with the weight issues. It�s just that not many of your entries spoke to me in any special way. (whether it was violently, sexually, humorously, etc.) A majority of the subjects repeat, and because of this your diary became very monotonous. Now, a person can write about photography every day for a year, and if they do it with flair and creativity each of those writings can be wonderful. And I think that�s what the problem is here. It seems that you just haven�t tapped into your own personal �flair.�

You do have the potential! I have seen it both here and here. These were those rare instances where you broke out of your daily routine and leaped into a deeper realm. Another entry that really spoke to me was this. I thought it was freakin� wonderful, and I wish more entries were like it. So there is unlocked potential going on here, and I think you have a responsibility to bring more of it to your readers.

Something else caught my eye that I have to comment on. You wrote this disclaimer for your diary page with blurbs about copyright and expression, etc. In one part you explain that many of your entries are frivolous and repetitive, and that we are not forced to read them. But I was forced, because you asked me to do a review and I wasn�t going to skimp on it. Just remember that an online diary that is not locked runs a fine line between public and private. And so there is a little bit of responsibility to be creative for your readers. If you didn�t care about readers than none of it really matters, but then why ask for a review? I'm convinced that you care, so it's time to show it. :)

Suggestions
Like I�ve stated before, your template and entries are lacking a certain �something.� You have pretty good spelling and grammar, so the only thing I can really suggest is that you find ways to be more stylish with your writing (and template). You have the ability; it just seems that you opt for the lazy way out. One thing that really turned me off was that many of your entries had a ton of substance but no real essence. (meaning lots of words but not really intriguing) Instead of huge entries with repetitive meanderings, try for shorter but more creative pieces. I know it might take a little while to find your groove, but I think you and your readers will appreciate your diary more when you go from mediocre to superior!

C
A run of the mill diary with the potential for greatness.

Justin