Welcome to Bookish Blatherings, my new feature in which I will be rambling about bookish or bloggish things and hopefully you will join in on the discussion.
Writing Negative Reviews
I also try to keep a level head and keep my emotions close to the chest. Yeah, that hasn't been happening lately. For some reason, my negative reviews are my most passionate reviews (as well as my rare, special 6 star reviews), but not always in a good way. It's like I feel offended that a certain book dared to be bad. When I am writing a negative review, I get mad. I cuss, and complain, and whine, and am just all over the place and I don't even know why. I would love to be super cool and analytical while writing a bad review, but that's just not how it all comes out. I end up being all over the place and kind of mean. Even vicious on occasion. I hate it...but I kind of like it too.
Oh yeah, this just happened.
After I have verbally yelled and puked all over my negative review, I mostly feel bad. Like regrets after a one-night stand. I feel bad about myself. I don't understand why I had to be so reckless and lose my filter. I don't know if I should try to be nicer, more politically correct. All I know is I write what I feel, and I am pissed when I don't like a book. Because I love reading, and in my head, all books should be amazing.
So now I kind of dread having to write low star reviews because I don't know if I am coming across as passionate or just plain mean. I don't know if I should be censoring myself more or letting it all hang out, crazy, mean bitch and all.
I don't know if there is a 'right' way to write a negative review or not. Should we be able to say whatever the hell we want or should we hold back? This has been bugging me for the past couple months and I would like to know everyone's opinion.
Is there a 'right' way to writing negative reviews?
What are the no-nos in writing low star reviews, if any?
Do you have a special way of writing bad reviews?
Don't feel obligated to answer this, but if you are willing, can you let me know if you tend to like or dislike how I write my negative reviews, and if there is anything in my approach I can change or make better? I will not take offense.
I've recently written a review (not yet published) in which I said a book was ridiculous. And another review (published) where I stated that the book drove me mad ! Each time, of course, I explained why. I'm not reluctant to writing bad reviews, I think an author knows that he/she can't please everybody ? What worries me the most is that I might virtually meet an author, find him/her nice, but not like his/her book and have to write a review anyway. That would make me feel bad :)
ReplyDeleteI have been friends with many author were I did not like their books. Sometimes I write the reviews and sometimes I give the authors options on whether they want me to write a negative review. It's a hard balance.
DeleteI just tend to say whatever I feel like saying. I've never bashed an author before (like you, I blame the book), but maybe sometimes I can come across as mean. But no matter how much I rage or caps lock the shit out of my review, I always try to provide EVIDENCE. Yes I do rant and yell and vent, but I always try to back it up with reasons. I try to follow everything up with "showing".
ReplyDeleteI think that can go a long way towards getting people to understand why you felt/reacted the way you did.
I think I do the same thing. I go to great lengths to describe exactly what I didn't like and why it was bad in my opinion.
DeleteI think it's very hard to write a negative review. I have my first DNF I love reading your reviews and think you do a great job whether good or bad. They are thorough, you give your reasons and I have never seen you attack an author. I have seen some vicious reviews and they are not yours.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
Thanks so much. This makes me feel better. :)
DeleteI have had to write a couple negative reviews and just find the best way is to try to balance it. There will be more negative than positive, but if I've read something else from the author that I liked I'd bring in about how I've enjoyed other works. Biggest no-no is bashing. There is no reason to do such a thing. I think the worst I've said was that I wanted to throw the book at the author BUT I gave a well explained reason for doing such and did it respectfully.
ReplyDeleteI think that's great advice. I never bash the author but sometime I bash the book. I can't help it!!
DeleteI admit I have snarked in bad reviews before. Not often, and I know this is a person's blood sweet and tears in a project, but at the same time once it is public it is our there for us. Usually though my negative reviews start with what worked, then go into why it didn't work FOR ME. Most my negative reviews are actually pretty positive in tone.
ReplyDeleteI do always mention the good of a book, no matter how bad it was. That's why I like separating my review by the good and the bad. So I agree with you.
DeleteAs long as you state the why it felt a part or how the character made you want to pull your eyeballs out. I write my negative reviews the same way as my positive. I get the emotions on paper, then leave it a few days. I go back and add supporting ideas and edit where the second reading of it shows I was too harsh.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good idea. I might try that.
DeleteI know this feeling. Sometimes I can get really mad if a book is bad, let alone ridiculous and it makes me write very very snarky and disrespectful reviews even though I always revise them and delete the worst parts. I do feel guilty afterwards (especially when the author is kind during our correspondence) and even ashamed when I send the links to the author, but I also feel sort of justified if the book is indeed that bad.
ReplyDeleteI can remember one time however, when I was quite prude how diplomatically I penned a negative review about a DNF book. (Seriously, I was flagrant about how hideous it was and that's something I've never called a book before.) It was two-three weeks after I put it down therefore my feels had already ebbed by then. Maybe, it's the solution, but the problem is that it's not always possible to wait that much time until writing the review.
Yeah, writing a bad review fresh from reading a bad book can be a little scary, especially seeing what comes out of my fingers. lol.
DeleteThis is the kind of thing all book bloggers have different opinions on, I think. For one thing, we each tend to react differently to things we don't like, things we hate, things that bring us into the PO-ness zone.
ReplyDeleteI for one think a so-called negative review (I don't call them negative if they're low rating, I call them negative for real when they feel like attacks toward the author pretty much for the sake of being mean, which I don't think yours are, BTW) should come off as emotional and passionate as the reading experience was. The more emotional you are, the more I want to read the book, in fact, despite its low rating, if it's not some trope I really hate. Because if you got the FEELS then there was some good being done in there, so it deserves a shot imo.
How I think low rating reviews should be written, and how I write them, isn't the same thing, for instance :)) I think they should be written with as much consideration as all others, but just like with all others, they should be honest, show the feels you got while reading, and you shouldn't be censoring your thoughts or opinions on it just because it wasn't a stellar reading experience. You shouldn't take the book's failure to make you happy personal either, in theory, but we're reading and blogging about it because we are passionate about the whole shebang, so ofc we're subjective, emotional, and we take it personally I guess.
The right thing to do is what feel right to you. After all, we read your blog because we want your opinion, your feels, your feedback, not some dry considerations about the literary value of commercial fiction or some such stuff, right? We're here cause we love your thoughts on stuff :D
Very great assessment. I agree, we read blogs because we want people's opinions so writing what we feel is best.
DeleteYour reviews are always thorough and never mean. Yes, you cuss when you review a book you disliked but you also cuss sometimes when you like a book or a character (especially - I don't know - the leading guy). I don't think you should feel bad when you write negative reviews because you always mention the good stuff first.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Happy to hear I have a balance. And it's true, I cuss no matter if it's a good or bad book. I wasn't allowed to cuss growing up, so I think I overcompensate now. lol.
DeleteI guess this depends on what your blog is all about. If you're going for a more professional type of space, then you absolutely need to hold back those emotions! But if you're just a hobby blogger, let those feelings loose!
ReplyDeleteMy negative reviews vary. Most aren't emotional for me. I just disliked the book and where's why. But I did recently write one where I flew off the handle. I didn't attack the author at all, I kept it all about the book, but it is the first review ever where I cuss...like a drunken sailor at that. That book made me that upset in its awfulness. I did consider going back and editing it after I got my feelings out, since I do prefer my reviews to be more clean and coherent, but I felt like I'd be lying. The book made me mad, I should show that! It was quite therapeutic. :P
Angie @ Pinkindle
LOL, it is therapeutic! That's how I feel when I write a mean review. I feel like my blog is an informal place so I don't mind spewing my feelings around.
DeleteThey are hard to write, and I often have a difficult time not being emotional if I'm upset about the book for any specific reason. We should be able to say what we want, it is our opinion, right? Some of the most fun to read negative reviews are the funny/snarky/pissed off ones. I do like the reviews that spell out exactly what the reader didn't like. Chances are, I'll take issue with the same and I can know to avoid the book.
ReplyDeleteI do try to be funny but sometimes I am so mad it just comes off as pissed off.
DeleteI struggle with the honest versus mean line when writing negative reviews. I know I can be mean sometimes but Ive never attacked the author. I do feel like shit writing them but it also kind of feels like therapy. Sometimes, I'm so pissed that I wasted my time on a shitty book :)
ReplyDeleteBTW, your blog keeps redirecting me to some advertisement site when I visit through my feed...
Ugh, you are the second person to tell me that. I don't understand what's happening. What feed are you clicking?
DeleteI always try to be as positive as possible. If there's really nothing positive to say, so be it. I hate writing negative reviews, especially if it's for a book everyone loves. But we can't like everything. But I never want to be mean or cruel. After all, other people might just love the book. I always encourage people to try it out anyway because my opinion is not always theirs too.
ReplyDeleteI totally do that too. I mention that it could be just me and that I think many people will love so and so book.
DeleteWhen I go to your site I'm looking for honesty, and that's it. The fact that the review is negative or positive reinforces my high opinion of you. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
Thanks :D
DeleteAh that's a big question. I have good and bad reviews, it happens. But I don't think there is a way to write them. You know you give your feelings, you don't insult the author or speak bad of him/her, it's just a feeling and well I try to explain it as best as I can. So someone can understand the good things I found and the problems as well. It's always interesting to read the two sides, the good and bad reviews because it's not possible to love everything.
ReplyDeleteTrue. I think it's crazy how some of us can love a book and others can hate it. But it's reality.
DeleteI'm bad at not reviewing anything that I'd give less than 3 stars. I know. I should be doing negative ones too. But one author badgered me about a 2 star review and it made me shy away from doing them. I was polite and said what I liked and what didn't work for me. The author took offense and wouldn't let it be.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll start doing them again and let my freak flag fly!
I really hate when authors comment or contact us about our low star reviews. It's not right. They need to take the criticism or just let it go.
DeleteI don't do them anymore. I had one review that was about the book feeling like a repeat and moving so slow for me, then the author came to the post and then emailed me. That author wasn't very nice and thought they were threatening with not sending me any more books. I didn't respond, but wanted to say "Good, because I don't want any more of your books." lol.
ReplyDeleteIt's a tough thing to do. And I just don't feel like fighting with people. Good to you for doing them and having good results. :)
Awww, that makes me sad. I am sorry you had that experience.
DeleteI actually have a lot of respect for you for finishing the books in the first place enough to post a review. I'm actually working on a post about DNF's and how I feel about them. I don't feel like you don't disrespect authors at all. You can just tell you're passionate about that particular book. Also, you point out ways that others may like them even if you didn't which I think is great. Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.
ReplyDelete*I feel like you don't
DeleteThanks, girl. I can't wait to see your DNF post.
DeleteFirst of all, don't feel bad about yourself after a one night stand. Unless you caught something. lol.
ReplyDeleteUsually, I don't even like writing negative reviews because I just don't give a crap. Unless it is something that makes me rage, then I take a couple days to calm down. I try to, anyway.
LOL! Those damn one night stands.
DeleteI do wait a couple days before I write negative reviews. It's hard to restrain myself though.
I think everyone looks at it a bit differently. Like you, my negative reviews, are often some of my best, and that's b/c when a book is really bad (or some part of the book is really bad), we get MAD. We wasted our valuable time on that CRAP? I'll admit that there are situations where I'll refrain from losing it--indies with editing issues, for example. I'll let the low rating speak for itself. BUT. If the issue is content . . . I don't even care. And I don't feel bad either. I see my job as a reviewer of books as being honest about said books. Also like you, I don't think I've ever directly attacked an author, but their work . . . YEP. But I try to keep these attacks logical and coherent. I'm not much for expletive-filled rampages that don't back-up the claims of awfulness. That's really my only rule--don't just tell me it's bad, tell me WHY. Great question ;)
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Rabid Reads
I agree, as book bloggers, it's our jobs to explain why we like or didn't like something. I am pretty detailed with my rant reviews.
DeleteHm, I do write negative reviews. The thing that you need to do with them though, is not just say I hated this character and this and this. Don't blame the author either, which is something you already do ;) But just give reasons why you don't like it, as you would give reasons that you do like it. I think you should feel free about what you say in negative reviews, just as you'd be free in positive ones. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion after all ;)
ReplyDeletehttp://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/06/seraphina-book-review.html
I make sure to be very detailed on what I don't like. :)
DeleteI don't review books for a blog, strictly on amazon, but very rarely do I go full out and rant about a book I don't like. I've tried and it feels awful to me. So I just stopped doing it. I'll say things like "this fell flat for me" or "there wasn't enough (or too much) x, y or z. " Rarely do I complain about editing and sentence structure unless it's absolutely intolerable. We're all human and I figure if you can't hire and editor but published a book anyway, and it doesn't directly affect the story, then it's passable (for me). It's really simple and to the point and it basically just explains that I didn't like it, even if other people did. And, your sort of can blame the author, because it is their work. I won't read certain authors because of how their characters and story lines are (Laurell K. Hamilton is like that for me), so truly the author is somewhat to blame, but simply not liking a book isn't a reason to be a jerk. You can certainly be critical without being an asshole. :)
ReplyDeleteIt is the author's fault, we all know, but I think I get so upset that I have to be carful not to mention the author because then I feel like I am attacking them.
DeleteI don't really do reviews anymore--I feel like it would burn some bridges. But I will be more than HAPPY to review a movie or TV series negatively, online or elsewhere! I think the important thing is to separate your own personal preferences from what is really just bad writing. I was watching Army Wives on Netflix and it became INSUFFERABLE. I went out to read if other people found it as boring (after the first couple of seasons) as I did and found one person had written negatively about it. In the comments, all these loyal viewers had trashed her. So...while it may be my opinion it's a snorefest, it had a high viewership so obviously it knew its audience...and I wasn't it!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to be attacked for not liking a book others do. It's seems unfair but we can't help how people react.
DeleteI have a hard time writing negative reviews because a lot of times the things I don't like aren't particular to that one book or one author. They're things that are fairly common in that genre, but I still don't like them. So, for me, it's like beating the same horse over and over again. Lately, I've tried to be more accepting of those things I consider my pet peeves, and I've tried to not rant about them so much. Eventually, people are going to get tired of hearing it.
ReplyDeleteIf it is the book itself that is flawed, I think I do a decent job of approaching it professionally. Even if there are a lot of things I don' t like, I try to balance my criticism with things I did like about the book.
I know what you mean, when the same things bother you then your reviews seem repetitive. But hey, we can't help our pet peeves.
DeleteI struggle with this myself. Two different times now I've had to be taken off of a blog tour stop because I was supposed to review but couldn't finish the book. Ugh, I hate it when that happens, ESPECIALLY when it was a book I was dying to read and had been hoping against hope I'd get picked for the tour.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading all reviews whether they're positive or negative, and sometimes I love the negative reviews even more than the positive. I don't think there's a right or wrong way to write them - I say just go with your gut, your unique voice and way of writing your reviews.
Maybe you could write out your rant as if you were going to post it but save it as a draft. Then you could go back to it the next day and rework it into whatever you want it to be. That way you get your feelings out about the book without worrying about how you come across, but you also get the review you want to write because you can keep anything or make changes as you want.
BTW, my favorite line you wrote: "I hate it...but I kind of like it too." It reminded me of how I feel when something is so bad it's good.
I hate having to write the tour host because I didn't like a book, but it definitely happens often.
DeleteThat's a good idea, I might try that. Thanks.