tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post3511837585294984968..comments2024-01-15T19:42:35.437-08:00Comments on The Secret Archives of the Alliterati: Writing Useful ReviewsMatthew Delmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11452378192874048547noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post-77728531374990736762010-05-26T12:55:52.175-07:002010-05-26T12:55:52.175-07:00Another thought on the sandwich style critique.......Another thought on the sandwich style critique....<br /><br />If the writer utterly failed to do what he was trying to do, and you can't think of anything positive to say, then one thing that I think all writers appreciate is if you acknowledge what they were trying to accomplish. Let them know if you "got it."<br /><br />"Telling a story through out-of-sequence dreams is a really tough thing to do. You may not have accomplished it, but boy, you set the bar high for yourself...." Or "I think I would have really liked Micki if you had let me get closer to her...."<br /><br />In other words, giving attention to the things the writer loves can stand in for a positive comment. It makes the negatives feel less like criticism and more like help.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post-19164964326402887432010-05-26T10:32:44.354-07:002010-05-26T10:32:44.354-07:00This was excellent examples for reference Matt. I...This was excellent examples for reference Matt. I'm attempting to write two reviews now - one on the Sherlock Holmes movie, and the other on the Sookie Stackhouse series.<br /><br />And no, it doesn't seem "easy" to me. Finding specific things about what I liked or didn't isn't hard - I have a whole list of those - its organizing it so it flows coherently. I don't know why, my mind just doesn't work that way.<br /><br />This is, as I said, a good example to go by, and there are a couple other bloggers out there who write excellent book and movie reviews. I like the sandwich analogy; I keep that in mind for regular critiquing, but hadn't thought of it quite that way for a review.<br /><br />I swear, I learn something new everytime I read one of your Posts Matt. Thanks for the useful tips.<br /><br />..........dhole<br /><br />word verif: tries. Yep, that sums it up for me.dolorahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715849844092553699noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post-24549601981532339092010-05-26T09:30:03.644-07:002010-05-26T09:30:03.644-07:00Daring --
Yes! That's exactly what specificit...Daring --<br /><br />Yes! That's exactly what specificity in reviews helps us with. We find out the taste of the reviewer and how the book aligned with their views, which help us to figure out whether the book will resonate with our own. <br /><br />Davin --<br /><br />I completely agree. I always, always try to find something good to say about a movie/book I didn't like. Even if it's just the fact that the prose was very well done or the cinematography was excellent. With video games, sometimes good gameplay is about all I can say.<br /><br />L.T. --<br /><br />Sandwich style is the way to go any time you give your opinion on something, methinks. At least in the creative realm.<br /><br />Bane --<br /><br />There are times where the negative can far outweigh the positive, but even in those cases I find that the concept is what's excellent but the execution is off. Take the Xbox game Damnation for example -- post-Civil War steampunk adventure that had the chance to be phenomenal due to an awesome concept, but fell flat on its face through execution.Matthew Delmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452378192874048547noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post-81315015471963824302010-05-26T09:16:04.691-07:002010-05-26T09:16:04.691-07:00Specificity... always a good thing (w/o the spoile...Specificity... always a good thing (w/o the spoilers :)... <br /><br />And I like what Davin said, but sometimes a book/movie/etc. can be so offputting that the good elements get washed away. Were I critiquing for someone, I'd dig deeper, but for surface reactions to polarizing media, I'll likely discard the good or bad with sardonic brevity (e.g., I'm sure there was something good about this, just not sure what it was).Joshua McCunehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17367262185912463258noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post-32805392854978640952010-05-26T09:00:38.554-07:002010-05-26T09:00:38.554-07:00Great post! I've always tried to sandwich my c...Great post! I've always tried to sandwich my critiques, too, just because I hate it when I only get negative feedback. And I agree with Davin-- there's got to be SOMETHING good about it. <br /><br />I've never really thought of reviews this way, though, so thanks!L. T. Hosthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12448176940211118898noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post-91449668414629751592010-05-26T08:44:56.283-07:002010-05-26T08:44:56.283-07:00I had a workshop leader guide me under the philoso...I had a workshop leader guide me under the philosophy that if a review can't find at least three good things about a story, then he or she doesn't have any right being critical of it either. The idea was that everyone's work, if they've put any care into it at all, has some good points to it. If a review can't see that, then they are too biased to offer helpful criticism as well. I agree that the review with the specifics is more helpful. The first one started off okay, but was too general in the back half.Davin Malasarnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09385823575081492949noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7111268153034999272.post-43280455870161922682010-05-26T08:38:43.021-07:002010-05-26T08:38:43.021-07:00I think the thing to remember is that book buyers ...I think the thing to remember is that book buyers are not looking for a critique. They aren't even looking for whether the reviewer liked or hated the book.<br /><br />They're trying to get a feel for the book. They not only want to know what kind of book it is, but also what the tastes of the reviewer are and whether those differ from their own.<br /><br />The first review you mentioned gave an opinion, but no sense of the book or taste. The second review gave a good taste of the book, and of the kinds of things the reviewer liked and didn't.<br /><br />(And yes, when it comes down to it in critique, the writer wants to know the same things as the book buyer - not whether you liked or disliked it, but what you responded to.)The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.com