By Kristy McCaffrey
Writing is an inherently private endeavor, despite any
support group an author might have. As such, it can be exceedingly difficult to
gain perspective on one’s own work. And while the input of other writer’s
opinions should be sought, along with editorial advice, the feedback can
sometimes prove to be confusing. As such, we must learn to be our own best
guides in our writing life. Reviewing books and judging writing contests can
offer a unique avenue to improving your own writing.
For two years I worked on the book review team for Women’s
Adventure magazine. Book solicitations were forwarded to us and we were each
allowed to choose (or not choose) any of the selections. And while most of the
books submitted (via authors, publishers, and publicists) were adventurous
memoirs, we also received fiction books and even a few romances. This selection
process showed me several things: each reviewer (there were four of us) had her
own personal likes and dislikes, the presentation of a review query was so very
important (explain your book and why we would want to read it but keep it short,
and include relevant links to a website, book page, etc.—don’t make a reviewer
hunt for them), and finally there’s an element of serendipity to getting your
book read and reviewed.
Some books I requested I dove into and loved immediately.
Some books, while well-written, didn’t contain subject matter terribly
interesting to me, but by reading a little every day I could reach the end.
Then there were other books, ones that I’d requested but once they arrived I
couldn’t seem to muster up any enthusiasm to read. There were also a few that,
once begun, were badly written. I always gave a book at least three chapters
before giving up. But if I couldn’t in good conscience recommend a story, I
would pass on the review. Issues with these books ranged from rambling,
incoherent chapters with bad transitions to shallow storylines (adventure
memoirs require a certain amount of digging deep emotionally) to too much telling
and not letting the story simply unfold. Sometimes an author would interject
with a 20/20 vision of hindsight from page one and never stop, which can be a
huge impediment in narration (and, to be honest, is annoying to read).
Book reviewing helped me understand how my own writing might
be lacking in both presentation and depth. It also expanded my reading
repertoire and this can have a profound impact on your own writing curiosities.
Judging a writing contest is a wonderful way to give back to
the community in which you make a living (or hope to). Many authors are asked
to judge unpublished writers and I’ve always done my best to offer constructive
feedback and not just return a scoresheet with a number on it. But what really
opened my eyes about the subjectivity of writing was judging a published writer’s contest. In each
instance, I was given polished and excellent works. It was a huge challenge to
score such a contest, because there was very little to critique. It really came
down to my own attachment to the story and the characters. I really felt bad
for the stories that didn’t win because in most instances, they all deserved to win. So, if your books
aren’t claiming awards, it may have nothing to do with the quality or your
abilities as a writer but everything to do with how your tale connected with
the reader/judge.
By reviewing and judging other writers, critical skills can
be sharpened, serving as a catalyst to improve writing skills even if one is a
seasoned author. It can help you identify what styles and tropes resonate, and
which ones don’t. Even better, you’ll understand where your work falls along
the writing spectrum.
2 comments:
Great post. Let's hope of the trolls out there read it. *lol*
Thanks Ginger! One can hope. :-)
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