Reviewer’s Block?
Everyone’s heard about writer’s block and the many ways that writers fight it and try to get past it. It’s something that every single writer experiences at one time or another and each time it’s a matter of either pushing past it or waiting it out. Sometimes the words just don’t want to come and forcing them makes it even more difficult.
Lately I’ve started to wonder…is there a similar experience for reviewers? Let’s call it “reviewer’s block” for lack of a better term. Reviewing is most definitely a form of writing so it makes sense that at times it would be…well difficult. I’ve experienced this myself quite a few times and am curious to see if others agree with me. I’ve noticed that my reading patterns definitely have a cyclical nature to them, but so does my ability/motivation to review. There have been times where writing a review comes easilyand I could whip out several in the span of just a few days. Hell I’ve had a couple months in the past where I wrote a review every single day! Then there are the other times when it seems close to impossible to form thoughts about a book to put together a review. Where each word is like pulling teeth.
I’ve read several books recently that I haven’t reviewed and I’ve been pondering why. It’s possibly because the books just didn’t elicit very much of a reaction from me. They weren’t bad by any means, but they were okay reads, something to pass the ungodly number of hours I spend on the train commuting. A few years ago it would have been nothing to read the book, decide I’m never going to read it again, pass it on and never give it a second thought. But since I entered the world of reviewing, I’ve gotten to the point where I feel actual guilt for each book I read that I don’t review! But then I think of how there just aren’t enough hours in the day and wonder why I feel like I must torture myself to write a review when I feel like there really isn’t much to say beyond, “It was an okay read but nothing spectacular.”
At the same time, I’ve definitely learned something about myself that I had a suspicion about but now I know it’s fact. I don’t really enjoy having a long list of books I must review. The more books I have to review, the slower I seem to go!! It might be because it seems like an unsurmountable task to get through, even though I can logically admit that slowly but surely I’d make it through. My brain instead gets sidetracked on other books or other projects and the poor books I’m meant to review don’t get finished. And the books I do read don’t get reviewed either! Rock, meet hard place, y’all have a lot in common.
As the weather improves and we enter the awesomeness of summer, at least in my hemisphere, I don’t think my pace with reviewing will necessarily increase, but right now I’m hoping to get over the top of the hill and go back to a steady pace of reviewing. I will defeat my reviewer’s block! Right?
Are there others out there that have had the same kind of experiences? Do you find that you go through phases where you just can’t put together a review to save your life? What did you do to get back into the reviewing groove? Do you think it’s possible to simply burn out on reviewing?
Posted in Ramblings
Hi, Emily! These are all really good questions. I’ve got to be one of the slowest reviewers (and readers) on the face of the planet. I’ve experienced the same thing you have about the bigger the backlog of to-be-reviewed books, the more overwhelming it feels, and the slower I go.
I tend to procrastinate the books that are so good that I don’t think my review can do them justice. The middle-of-the-road ones that you mentioned (where we readers don’t have much of a reaction) can be hard to review, too. Very short things like novelettes can be hard to review as are things with major plot spoilers early on.
I think it’s possible to burn out on reviewing. I love the m/m genre, but there is a lot of sameness after a while. I need to read different genres (like mainstream mystery or nonfiction) between the m/m books sometimes, and that helps to keep a fresh perspective.
I haven’t really come up with a good trick for getting back in the reviewing groove. Mainly I’ll just force myself to do it, and after I finish a few, the momentum picks up again.
Emily you’re not alone. The reviewing mojo comes and goes for me too. For me it doesn’t really have to do with the quality of the book, but with where my head is at the time. Sometimes I feel like just reading and the reviewing part of the formula doesn’t flow. Other times I can churn out the reviews without a problem. The great part of it is when they both click.
I try not to put pressure on myself to review the books if the review writing doesn’t flow immediately, but prefer to go ahead and review them when I’m in the right space to do it. I go on and review other books in the meantime and then go back to those. I’ve found that if I force myself to write them or rush the review, as Val says above, I don’t do them justice one way or another.
I find that even if I’m thinking “I’ll never get 1000 words on this book. I don’t know what to say about it” as soon as I start I end up getting probably twice that! It’s just the getting going that’s the block. I find this for writing too. Once I start I’m fine, but starting for the day, that can be hard.
Oddly it’s the books I like and think are really good that I often have the hardest time reviewing. I find it harder to say why I liked something and why it’s good than to find the faults in something I didn’t like. Maybe I’m more of a critiquer/editor at heart than a reviewer. Or just a bitch possibly!
I don’t do formal reviews so it doesn’t happen but I do get readers block from time to time. I just can’t focus on something. Or I get side tracked by doing something else. I know I would suck if I HAD to do a review of something because I promised I would or it was a “job”. My inner child kicks in and it becomes a case of “You can’t tell me what to do.” so I rebel and don’t do it. Even if I tell myself to do it. LOL
Maybe if you feel overwhelmed by the “okay” books you could do a series of less indepth review. Shorties. Get them out of the way and the feel better about moving on. Not every book needs 1000 words and an indepth analysis of every facet. They don’t have that many facets perhaps.
Does reviewer’s block exist? I’d say yes it does and I definitely have experienced it, usually after a period of writing one review after another. I get to a point where I hit a wall and can’t possible formulate a coherent thought about the next book (whether good or bad) let alone put it down on paper. I’ve learned that forcing myself to write a review in this state is completely counter-productive – it doesn’t work, frustrates the hell out of me and ultimately as others have mentioned the quality of the review suffers, which isn’t fair to the author or any readers.
What I’ve learned to do in this situation is simply walk away and focus on something else, whether for a day or two or sometimes even a week. Then I go back to writing and almost always find my rhythm again. I’ve also learned not to overload – even though my TBR list is as ridiculously long as everyone elses. I still have some niggles with guilt though – like you, my knee jerk is to review every GBLTQ book I read. Although, I am getting better about this as well. I’ve decided that some books are just for my own enjoyment, or not, so I’ll read them with no plans to review.
My biggest challenge though is finding the time to review. While I can and often do speed read, writing a review is a much longer process for me. Real life and work often get in the way.
Great topic for discussion. Thanks for doing this.