The One Star Review

 

Moon set on the western edge of the continent.

 

 

Reviews. Am I wrong in thinking there's so much weird psychology wrapped up in them? I mean, sure. 95% of reviews aren't meant for the author at all. They're meant for other readers, a fact I appreciate. All hail ANYONE who spends the time and energy to read a book and the write a review. That's the greatest gift a reader can give an author, I think - it's time and life energy spent on your book. Doesn't even matter whether the review is good or bad. It's still a chunk of another human being's life being dedicated to your work. So please, if you review books (mine or anyone else's) thank you. I owe you chocolate.

 

The other 5% of reviews, though, that's where things get strange and where the agendas become far more transparent than I suspect the reviewer wants. You know how it is. Writer slogs for years trying to learn her craft and get published. Because then all her problems will be solved! Finally, the call comes. The first precious book goes out the door into the wide world. Someone reads it. Then someone else. Reviews start coming in. And they're okay! Until - hey! ONE STAR?? WTH? Your heart lands in your shoes as you read. 

 

Interesting story: It happened to Enemy Within. A reviewer on Amazon left a one star review saying he didn't understand why anyone liked the book, there was nothing new in it. (Even more interesting - I just went to find the review to quote it and it's gone. Huh.) Why did that review in particular stick with me? Was it because it was the first critical review of the book? Not hardly. If I want to play my critical review trump card, I note that no one less than Angela James wrote a very constructive, if critical review of the book. No this one star review stayed with me because the reviewer's agenda was plain in his dismissive tone. He's a frustrated writer. He had an idea that was similar-ish, but his was SO MUCH BETTER - the only problem was that he hasn't written it. He may never write it. It's much easier to take pot shots at the work someone else did than to do your own and face that the reality will never live up to the idea.

 

It seems like if a critical review is constructive and calls out issues that bothered the reader, then it's an honest opinion. The snarky one or two line reviews that don't actually give you any specifics - those set off my psychology senses (100% unqualified as they are) I think it's Julia Cameron who, in her ARTIST'S WAY books points out that the most vitriolic critics are creatives who aren't creating. I do my best to keep that in mind when some nitwit drops a snide, unhelpful line of bitterness into the flow of actual reviews.

 

Would I get 'author behaving badly' demerits if I pinged that reviewer with a note saying 'write yer damned book already?'   :D

 

 

 

PS: Don't forget to offer up suggestions for a name change! See Jeffe's post on the matter. You do NOT want me naming this blog. Just saying.

Nail, Meet Hammer

Once again, I spaced the days of the week and tried to forget my post. Ergo, I'm sitting in a doctor's waiting room, attempting to post from my cell phone. Let me say it now. My itty bitty Windows phone is NOT anywhere near my favorite writing resources. No matter how insanely cool it is that I can even whine about using a phone to post a blog. Yes. From this statement, you may surmise the I'm a dinosaur.

This has been a week that's been deadly both to my wallet and to my to be read pile. I had exactly one of the books mentioned earlier in the week - If You Want to Write. This surprises me because I have quite a stack of books about writing. I'm a bit of a 'how does everyone else do it' junky. See, there's a saying. When all you have is a hammer, everything is a nail. Writing books give me a chance to try out new to me tools. I swing 'em around and try them out for fit. Some don't work for me and I put them down. Others fit so well, I sob in joy as I clutch them to my admittedly little bosom.

One such resource came from a two day workshop given by Mary Buckham. It's Break Into Fiction. I got a big binder from the workshop. (I'd totally link you to the Break Into Fiction website, but that option doesn't seem to be available to me on the phone...) Anyway. The binder has pages falling out, tea stains, and pages wrinkled up from an unfortunate event involving hosing out the cockpit while the porthole to my cabin wasn't sealed. Oops. What's in the binder that I can't live without? Templates filled with questions. It's that simple and that deceptively complex. The first question is "When your story starts, where is your character? Why?" You can say "Jane is at work because it's Monday", but the point is really to say "Jane is working at a job she hates because she's desperate for the money to pay a lawyer to find the baby she gave up for adoption a year ago." Breaking Into Fiction is about getting to the 'whys' behind the characters. Useless to plot driven writers. Pure gold to this actor's heart.

After that, the book I return to for inspiration and an occasional stern talking to is Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. Yeah, sometimes I need to be reminded that whining that I can't write unless conditions x, y and z are met is just me indulging in acting like a diva. Not all of the tools in the book work for me - Morning Pages where you free write three pages? Not a chance. Evening Pages, yes. But in the mornings? There's not a thought in my head to put on paper. Some of the other information has been invaluable. From Julia, I learned how to limit my exposure to people she calls 'crazy-makers.' The book was a great way into realizing I could write for more than my own entertainment. It led me a step at a time into working out my own creative requirements. I don't refer to it much these days. In fact, it's packed away in a box in storage. But my Break Into Fiction work book? Never start a novel without it.