Shouts From Down Under

Began breathing again, only when you realised you'd held it

When you think of your story, your writing, your novel, do you ever have an overwhelming sense of urgency? Do you feel that if you don't write it now, immediately, and a publisher prints it straight away and rushes it into bookshops yesterday - if this doesn't happen then something bad will occur - you just know it.

It might be because you feel someone else will write it first, steal your idea, steal your book, some world event will happen to make your plot redundant (like did happen with The Bourne Series except it was saved by an added amnesia scene) or some other turn of fate that takes away your dream.

Maybe its none of those things. Could it just be that you don't want to forget that fantastic idea you had for a story, that you know people will enjoy, that you know will be a blockbuster, you know will be a best-selling, unputdownable page turner.

Sometimes it might just be that you feel overwhelmed by all the research to be done, or that swimming in mud nightmare feeling of getting nowhere, even going backwards. This feeling of urgency, of having to rush at breakneck speed to write our novel, can be exhilarating, heady, euphoric, motivating, helpful. Or maybe I'm inexperienced enough at writing to think this can be the case.

Other times, I've found this feeling can be very negative. This feeling can take away the enjoyment. This feeling can paralyse. Your strongest efforts at sitting and writing can be brought to a standstill. For months.

In the

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, in the Newbies Reviewing course, this weeks lesson explores digging deeper into the art of reviewing. This involves dissecting, breaking down the work and giving real value in the feedback for the creator of the piece.

Well, this gave me food for thought, and I like food. It tends to motivate me out of that debilitating sense of urgency when nothing else will.

Coffee, for example, with some biscuits - Tim Tams for yummy example - (Cookies for your USA-ians) is a great relaxer, when all else just screams in your head to get moving, doesn't matter what direction or for what reason, just MOVE, NOW!
Yes, food. Distracting for me. Where were I?

Breaking down food, chewing, eating, yes. That's it. Breaking down that bulky text you've read, and finding the gold, finding the dross and finding / giving the reasons for why it's gold, why it's dross. Doing this in the right way will make all the difference, will help the writer a lot, and will most likely make you a friend, not just a writer of something you reviewed.

And, folks, in this world, friends are what we need, more than ever. Its not what we do so much, or what we have, but that we are doing it / having it, together.
Even for loners / grumblebums like me.

I guess a review isn't just about loving hugs all around and a gooey feel good atmosphere. Criticism isn't pleasant at the best of times. We all feel it, even the crustiest writer.

But, digging deeper isn't a massage is it. With all the kindness and tippy toeing, digging deeper means saying it. Saying that something didn't sit well with us. I had such a review recently, and while the review, I felt, was extreme (0.5 / 5 for a work everyone else had given 5/5) if the person had worded it better, had tried to demonstrate at least a little understanding, had made me feel that they had actually READ the piece before reviewing, then it might not feel so unfair.

The thing is, the criticism did have a ring of truth, even if they did (in my opinion) miss the point of the whole story.

And there, we come to a huge indicator of how to dig deeper in our reviewing method. When you read a story, or poem, whatever, don't look to criticise. Look at the overall THING or message or ambience or mood or feeling or influence the author is trying to put across. THINK about the piece for more than five minutes or the minimum 250 characters or whatever it is required to get paid gift points for the review.

To me, reviewing for the gift points, or to rack up review numbers for some competition or what not, is a bit self serving, and to be honest, while I understand first hand the motivation behind it, I feel its a bit lame and only damaging writers head space. Ok maybe not all reviews and maybe I'm just grumpy.

But I think a bit more time spent giving a decent review, in other words, digging deeper, helps not only them, but you. IMMENSELY.
When you learn (teach ) them a lesson of how they should probably have written the piece, yes, when THEY LEARN A LESSON, YOU LEARN IT TOO.

So make the lesson you grant them, if you really have the skills and understanding of writing to give it, make it something valuable. Dig deeper.

This brings me back to that sense of urgency that comes. Hurry up! Get those reviews crunching out so we can gain gift points, so we can get the most reviews etc.

I'm not knocking people doing a lot of reviews! Not at all. But I am saying to give deeper value than just making up the minimum characters.

There is a way to combat the negative side of that sense of urgency. Dig deeper. Sit for a few minutes and mull over what your motivating factors are, what their motivating factors are, what the piece is all about, what your novel is all about, even before you start the review, or before you start writing your novel.

Minutes spent in the shade of forethought will pay off when you move into the glaring sunburn of tangible review comments or criticism.

(Therefore, seeming to reverse what I said earlier...) Dig deeper, with gentle massaging fingers, rather than knives of thoughtlessness.

Sometimes people write pieces not by the rules, but to put across something else. They love their craft. They love attempting to communicate something outside the rulebook. I've done that many times with my writing. I aim to push the envelope, to develop something extreme, to cause a definite reaction in the reader. If I bend the rules then so be it. Not to say I don't want to be humble and have this infraction pointed out, but regardless, is the effect present in my work. Does it make you, as a reader, react that way? If it does, then my job is done.
For example, the piece I wrote about a reviewer, I wrote as a satirical exaggeration where I tried to create an over the top character who was impossibly stereotypical, so much so they become atypical. A lot of people who reviewed this piece didn't GET it.

I've been guilty of this myself when reviewing. I was in a rush. I missed the MAIN POINT the writer was putting across, in my urgency to get the review done. I missed the lesson because I didn't DIG DEEPER. Digging deeper requires patience and some mental combat against that sense of urgency.

And that author / writer, if you overlook a pedantic rule book, (not knocking the necessity of good quality writing/ grammar/ punctuation / spelling etc, but just pointing out overriding improved helpfulness) if you look past the things they've potentially failed at, then you may see that the whole mood that puzzles you, and on the edge of your consciousness is trying to tell you something MOMENTOUS, about their piece.

The thing is, they have had a go. And their "go" is aimed at you, the reader. Just because you are a reviewer doesn't mean you are any different than a garden variety reader. It's just that you will give feedback. You won't break the ice by skating over the surface.

Did you remember to breathe only after you finished reading their story? Was it really that gripping? Do you feel strange, uncomfortable, irritated, manipulated, provoked, or prodded? Then this may not be a FAULT! It may be a sign of something great, a sign of a very talented writer. They got the message across, and because you took the time, you GOT IT.

Dig Deeper. Kindly.

Sparky