Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Heidi at Rainy Day Ramblings in order to discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging (and some slightly more personal matters throw in for good measure). While Heidi is on an extended hiatus, there are five of us who are hosting it and providing the questions. The current team is composed of Berls at Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen at That's What I'm Talking About, Karen at For What It's Worth, Linda at Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell and Roberta at Offbeat YA. This week's question is...
HOW DO YOU APPROACH WRITING REVIEWS?
Reviews are a serious affair for me. I usually allow myself 3 days in order to complete one. If I manage to do it in two or - very rarely - in a single day, more power to me! but I prefer to keep a looser schedule based on the time it usually takes me to write one. Of course, when I say 3 days, I don't mean 3 WHOLE days LOL. Usually, I work on my reviews after dinner, and sometimes over the weekend (which is when I write a review in a single day on occasion). On the first day I fill in the book's vitals/Pros/Cons/Warning/Will Appeal To sections, upload the cover, copy the blurb, assign tags, fix the link if needed and schedule my post. On the second and (sometimes) third day I write the review proper. I'm not going to lie, I can agonise on the Pros/Cons/Will Appeal To sections for half an hour sometimes 😅.
For a few years now I've been splitting my reviews in parts (sometimes 2, mostly 3, occasionally more) by way of headings, which I hope makes them more readable. Sometimes I spend more time on my headings than on the review itself LOL. I always try to go for puns on titles, sayings, etc., but it's difficult to find something every time, especially something I haven't used already (yep, I have a catalog of my headings...).
I like my reviews to be a mix between professional (so to speak) and emotional. Sometimes I talk too much, but I try to avoid spoilers (or I add a spoiler button if necessary). I can't seem to be able to stick to a specific length, but I'm working on it 😉.
Well, that's it for now. Did you enjoy this post? Would you like to participate in the meme on a regular or semi-regular basis, and get emailed the prompt list? Just head over here and fill in Jen's form! (Of course, you can jump in anytime you like - you are under no obligation to actually do all the posts, or even most of them, just because you signed up, and you can remove yourself from the list at any time). And if you're interested in participating in a more casual manner, or only in commenting, here is the TMST prompt list for the rest of July and the month of August:
- July 13th: What are your favourite posts to read? (a question I submitted)
- July 20th: What authors have you recently discovered and loved?
- July 27th: Where is your favorite place to read during the summer?
- August 3rd: Do you like to read with others (buddy reads, readalongs, bookclubs, etc)?
- August 10th: Tell us about the best summer job you've had
- August 17th: Do you ever buy physical copies of your NetGalley/Edelweiss approvals? (a question I submitted)
- August 24th: Do you have any pets? Tell us about them (past or present)
- August 31st: What books are you looking forward to reading in Fall 2021? (September-November)
Remember when I told you I don't even have time to answer my own questions these days? I've listed two months' worth of questions because I'll only be back on August 3rd, due to my having too much on my plate already. But of course I'll check on your answers if you participate in the other July rounds! (Anyhow, if you're wondering about my favourite posts to read, the short answer is: they vary from blog to blog 😊...).
Now tell me something...what's your recipe for writing reviews?
I don't have any recipe for writing reviews. In fact, there's no process nor any set number of words to write. I don't follow any structures either - no pros/cons that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't think what I write for each book are reviews, more like just I thought of the book which is why I label them 'book rants'.
Maybe because mine is not a book blog, I don't feel obligated to write any long, details reviews. I do prefer to keep it short.
Have a lovely day.
Truth be told, not everyone who has a book blog writes long or structured reviews. And I like your rants! They're pretty funny at times 😉.
DeleteYou'll be shocked, SHOCKED!! to know I wing it lol
ReplyDeleteI do like your sections though and you know I'm a big, big fan of your mini's. You pack so much information and your thoughts into such a small format. And it makes me want to read the book even though it's not usually my thing. lol
Karen @For What It's Worth
OOOOOHHHHH! 😲 😂
DeleteDespite my "regular" reviews being long, detailed, structured and painfully crafted, I tend to enjoy all kinds. Especially the ones with a strong personal touch - I mean, those where the reviewer can relate to the book so much (or, well, the opposite of that) that they reveal a bit of themselves and their emotions.
"And it makes me want to read the book even though it's not usually my thing. lol"
Aww, thank you! That's high praise.
I already knew you were hardcore about your reviews. I feel like the hour mine take is so much time. I think you do more analysis than I do. My reviews are purely based on feeling and enjoyment. It shouldn't take me days to tell you how I felt, right?
ReplyDeleteYep, that makes sense. It's a different approach.
DeleteYou can really tell that you give a lot of thought to your reviews. I cannot get that detailed. I take notes as I'm reading and usually write the review right after I've finished the book.
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone - as a matter of fact, I think most people do that. Mine is a painful way to review LOL - but it's how I'm wired...Also, I can't seem to take notes as I'm reading, because it sorts of ruin my reading experience.
DeleteI like how you do yours. Mine tend tobe more fly by night haha- I wing it, like someone said above- but I have a lot of repect for those who put serious attention to their reviews. I always feel like I have a really good sense of a book after reading yours...
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you! I envy people like you who can take a more relaxed approach to their reviews.
DeleteI think it depends on the book. In many cases, I try to talk a bit about the story, the writing style, what I liked/didn't like. But there are some cases where my reviews are between a review and a discussion. Either way, my reviews tend to be around or over 1000 words lol
ReplyDeleteDiscussion reviews are a good thing! They tend to attract more comments.
DeleteYou made me curious about the number of words I use, so I had a couple of my latest reviews tested by a word-counting online tool, and it seem like they're usually 500+/700+ words long. The fact is - I suppose it's the same for you - I can't seem to write shorter ones. It's a pity, because there are people who don't have patience with long reviews. Personally, not only do I write them, but I like to read them. Unless there are spoilers LOL.
I think my formula stays the same. I like to include pages, publisher, content warnings, etc. Then the summary, then things I liked, things I disliked, and a general overview. I do enjoy writing reviews more than I used to in times past.
ReplyDeleteSide note, but I love how you organize your reviews! You put in a lot of handy information that allows me to get a good sense if I'll like the book or not.
Aww! But yours are very telling as well, without sounding info-dumpy.
DeleteIt was interesting reading about your method for reviewing. You seem pretty organised, I'm sure that not many people have a catalogue for their headers. Three days seems like a fair amount, I agree that a looser schedule is usually easier. I take around three days to prepare my posts too.
ReplyDeleteAh, but you either design or film things for your posts! It's only natural that they would take 3 days. In my defense, I'm a perfectionist 😉.
DeleteYour reviews are always so thorough and I like that you take your time with them to see them through truly. And it shows in how well they are written! I also like reviews which are a balance between emotional and professional too.
ReplyDeleteAww, thank you! I get a good sense of the book from yours, too, both ways 😀.
DeleteSo much work! I will say, it pays off - you're reviews are always very good and enjoyable to read. I have a general format and from there it's a wing it situation 😂. I just don't have the time if I'm going to produce reviews for all I read.
ReplyDeleteThank you! LOL, I get it. It's easier when you're finnicky like me and only like/buy/request certain books. I'm like you - all books have a right to a review.
DeleteWow, you bring it! I admire your strenght
ReplyDeleteWhat can I say? I'm a masochist 😂.
DeleteI'm a bit behind on my blog visits! I try to blog ahead once and a while when I first create the draft with the book cover, info, links, etc. and then fill in the review later. But I only get about a week ahead, then I catch up... then another week ahead, etc.
ReplyDeleteThe thrilling life of book bloggers - always trying to get ahead LOL.
DeleteI definitely think that your reviews are very readable and helpful due to the fact that they are divided into multiple parts + due to the pros, cons, and would appeal to sections. :) I don't write a lot of reviews, so I don't really have a tried and tested way of writing them - it really all depends on my mood + on how much I have to say about a title. I'm fine with bullet point reviews, but then occasionally, randomly I'll have a lot to say about a title and will end up writing a whole review instead of a mini review that is usually the plan. Great discussion! :)
ReplyDeleteBut there's an art to writing bullet point reviews! Also, they probably attract more attention than a long-ass post like mine LOL.
DeleteGOOD NIGHT ROBERTA
ReplyDeleteOn a serious note, I think I've tried to discover my recipe for writing reviews but I change my process so much, I don't even think I have one. Or maybe that's a recipe in and of itself?
I think what it really comes down to for me is based on the book and what format I feel like writing. Sometimes I have a lot to say, and I can go for 2K or higher on just a small portion of the book. Other times I go with a collection of mini reviews or a list instead. But I think my average word count overall tends to fall between 250-600 regardless of the format, unless it's a mini review.
Of course, there's also the matter of I've been blogging for ages so there's definitely been a huge change to how I've approached reviews over the years! I'd like to say that I've grown more professional but perhaps it's more a better balance with the emotional side.
"But I think my average word count overall tends to fall between 250-600 regardless of the format, unless it's a mini review."
DeleteI can't seem to write short reviews that aren't mini. 250?!? I envy you LOL.
"I'd like to say that I've grown more professional but perhaps it's more a better balance with the emotional side."
I do think that's professional enough, coming from bloggers like us. The emotional impact of a book should always be taken into consideration!
GOOD NIGHT SOPHIA 😁