This month, I'm seeking, as opposed to offering, help

Tweet  I'm afraid this month, I'm in the position of seeking assistance instead of offering it. I just published my first book in May and find myself trying to figure out how to promote sales. Part of the problem is I don't really want to be a person who sells books; I want to be a writer who puts my book in front of people and their eyeballs in exchange for money. "Well, there's your problem, dummy", you're saying. "That's what selling books is! Suck it up and do it." Yeah, I know. But while you're right, you're also wrong. As Icy mentioned in the last entry, there is no shortage of writers on Twitter who do nothing but hawk their books. Regrettably I follow a bunch of them although I don't know why I ever did in the first place. It's like DVRing a tv channel that shows nothing but infomercials. Believe me, I've been correcting that mistake ever since. The point is, I consider those people to "just" be book sellers and I refuse to become one of them. For one obvious reason, it's obnoxious and boring. For another, I doubt it's very effective.
Luckily, I'm in a position where I don't have to move X number of units by such-and-such date or I'm out on the street. That reduces the stress significantly (although, I'm sure it also reduces my overall motivation). Still, I'd love to sell lots of books and get more and more people to read the book, so I'm here looking for tips and tricks just like you. Here's a list what I've done so far, what I think the results have yielded and what I need to do better.

• I had a book release party - This was a lot of fun. I invited friends and close associates because it was largely a "thank you" to people who have supported me in various capacities over the years and with whom I wanted to celebrate the success of completing the task of getting something published. I sold enough books at the event to break even on the cost of the party (actually, a little bit ahead). I think everyone enjoyed themselves but I'm not sure how many, if anyone, have word-of-mouthed the book to friends of theirs who weren't there.
• I've made it available via multiple sources - Amazon, CreateSpace, an e-store at my web site. Of course, the task is driving traffic to those sources. My blog readers are certainly aware it exists.
• I've solicited Amazon.com reviews from readers - Good news: every one has rated the book FIVE STARS! Bad news: There are only two of them. I need to get aggressive about soliciting more reviews, I think.
• I've done a couple of local radio shows - I don't like to brag but I'm pretty good at holding my own during interviews so I think the ones I've done have gone pretty well. I need, and want, to do more. 

That's all, really. I know I need to do things like approach the local media and knock on the doors of my local independent booksellers, and I will do those things. I'm wide open to suggestions for stuff I haven't thought of or non-traditional tactics though.

- Clark Brooks

Opening up to criticism

by Clark Brooks

I get critics. I understand them. I appreciate that they have an important role to play. People are busy, money and time are scarce. Recommendations, pro or con, can be invaluable to readers. I also know there's a very fine line between critics and trolls, especially now when anybody with an internet connection can cast themselves as a person of influence. This little tidbit from an interview Prince did with Rolling Stone way back in 1985 has always stuck with me...

"One time early in my career, I got into a fight with a New York writer, this real skinny cat, a real sidewinder. He said, 'I'll tell you a secret, Prince. Writers write for other writers, and a lot of time it's more fun to be nasty.' I just looked at him. But when I really thought about it and put myself in his shoes, I realized that's what he had to do. I could see his point. They can do whatever they want." 

My first book isn't published yet so I haven't had a real personal stake in the review process yet. I'm not looking forward to it either. Not because I have thin skin and I dread the idea of people I don't know judging me and saying mean things about my work (that doesn't mean that I'm rough, tough and immune to that kind of thing; I have skin like toilet tissue and I'm already planning on spending a great deal of time in the fetal position in a darkened room once the critics finally get hold of the stupid thing) but because it's one of those things that's part of the deal and everybody has to go through it. I hate that kind of crap, especially the politics of it. All that stuff that isn't actual writing but necessary components of the writing "biz" seem so time consuming and counter-productive in that it has nothing to do with The Creative Process (I put that in caps in case it wasn't clear that I'm an artiste who is in love with the smell of his own farts). All the business parts of this business bore, confuse, frustrate and/or intimidate me. I know I have to sit down and grow up soon, though. A big part of that is embracing critics and reviews. That means taking time to really figure out all the nuances of Good Reads and Amazon and make connections with people whose reviews could be beneficial to me. All of that is going to be time not spent writing and creating product. "Tough luck, Suzie", you're saying (which isn't very nice and you haven't even read my book yet). "It's something every author goes through. Put on a helmet and shut up." And of course, you're right.

That doesn't mean I'm looking forward to it, though.

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Are reviews worth anything any more?

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For a while now, people have been blogging about Amazon's purchase of Goodreads. The fear is that the much-valued independence of Goodreads might be consumed by the retail behemoth, and that GR reviews might be subject to the same censorship as they are on Amazon. I read a blog post, though I can't remember where, that pointed out that Amazon have also bought LibraryThing and IMDB, both of which have retained their own identities and continued on in their own way, albeit with an injection of cash from Amazon to make them thrive. Reading statements from the heads of both Amazon and Goodreads would imply that no one wants to change the current working practices of either organisation - so as yet, no one has any reason to panic.

I think the biggest thing people are worried about is how the purchase might affect the quality of the reviews on Goodreads but what we need to consider is the nature of reviews to begin with. I must admit, I tend to ignore reviews for fiction, but I pay close attention to them for non-fiction. I think it's pretty much because I know how much reviews can be governed by personal preference, and what doesn't work for one reader might work for me. Plus, I always download samples if they're available (or I read the first chapter while standing in a bookstore) so I've got a good idea if the book is the right one for me before I buy. Non-fiction is a different case as it relies on research and knowledge, so if it's been reviewed by others in the same field who say it's full of holes, then I don't want to know.

But are reviews even trustworthy? For one thing, there's no way of knowing if the writer of the review knows the author - for good or bad. Non-fiction authors might slate others in their field to boost their own books, and fiction authors might do the same within their genre. Likewise, reviewers might be positive about books solely because they're friends with the author. I do think there are ways to tell - read the review, and see what the reviewers issues are. Are they leaving a one star review because they felt $1.99 was too much to pay for an e-book? See what other books they've reviewed - if they've only reviewed one, it sounds like they have an axe to grind.

My own review policy is fairly straightforward. I'll leave both good and bad reviews for non-fiction, because I want people to know if the content is worth spending money on (and let's be honest, if I've bought a book of knitting patterns and all of them have mistakes in them, then I'm going to want to warn buyers). For fiction, I'll only leave a bad review if it's poorly formatted and full of mistakes. For good reviews, I'll only leave one if it's worth four stars or more. On my blog, I only review books for four stars or more because I want to share books I've loved - I don't want to make space for books I don't feel I can recommend.

What about you? Do reviews influence your purchasing habits, and if so, how?

Let Me Tell You a Few Things About Book Reviews

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By Gayle Francis Moffet

An absolutely shameless plug to start us off: If you're in the Portland, Oregon area this weekend (April 28 and 29), you should swing by the Stumptown Comics Expo and visit table H7 (ooh, floorplan) and introduce yourself because that's where I'll be all Saturday and Sunday.

Right smack in the middle of the floor. I feel
the location accurately displays my shamelessness.

I'll be tabling with a couple of very talented people--Jesse Snavlin an Dan Schkade. They run a website called The Committee Building, which is a webcomic site that hosts two comics called The Adventures of Stop & Go and The Fowl. They're comics for adults (meaning violence and adult situations amongst other things), and they're both excellent stories, relying on character and world-building to back their plots and ideas. I love these comics, I recommend them to anyone I think would like them, but let me ask you this: Knowing beforehand that I'm hanging out with these people, that we've clearly got a pre-existing relationship, do you actually trust my opinion on their work?

Maybe you do. You may follow me on Goodreads and seen enough of my comic reviews to decide that my taste in comics is something you trust. Maybe you trust me because I seem like I know what I'm talking about in comics in general, so you figure I might have good taste for new stuff.

But maybe you don't trust me. Maybe you look at this post and say, "She's just trying to prop up her friends," and you decide my endorsement isn't enough to get you reading something new.

Now, consider this: That situation--me knowing the creators of something--is pretty much publishing in a nutshell. It's not quite everyone knowing everyone. It's more, "Well, I know Bill who knows Sue who knows Carol, and Carol can get it to John who will give it a review." Not every reviewer knows an author personally, but you can bet the agent or the publisher of that author knows a reviewer by name and face.

Case in point: Bitch Magazine reviewed Blue Thread, a book I greatly enjoyed and reviewed with high marks. Go to the end of that review at Bitch and note that the reviewer notes how she got her copy: She worked for Ooligan Press. So did I. I didn't mention it in my review. Why not? I didn't feel it was relevant. I greatly enjoyed that book. My review reflects that, and I don't have the standards of an editorial board to answer to. But the truth is, there's a pretty good chance that the good reviews you read are coming from people who know people who know the author.

I'm not saying you shouldn't use reviews to decide what to read, and I'm not saying you should distrust every review you read. I am saying that publishing is as much who you know or are willing to pay (those tables at Barnes & Noble don't come cheap, nor do the end caps) can be as useful as being talented. Publishing is hard work partially because it's politics.

Let me be clear: doglover73 on Amazon probably isn't getting paid by anyone to sing the praises of the latest James Patterson, but the Publisher's Weekly starred review? The high-praise Kirkus review? The stamp of approval from Shelf Awareness? Someone made a deal with someone, or someone knew someone, or someone knew that someone had a weakness for that particular genre.

I always roll my eyes when I hear someone talking about how "tasteless" it is to swap a review for a review (as is common in self-publishing) because the traditional publishing industry has been doing basically the same thing for decades plus so much more when you consider the price of tables and end caps. Personally, I don't care how anyone gets a review, whether it's a big six title or a self-pub. I'm more likely to trust someone who talks to me face-to-face or enthuses via e-mail when I ask for an opinion. But if you read the book reviews in your Sunday paper, take them with a pinch of salt and go with your instincts. If it sounds like fun, go for it. If it sounds like a bore, skip it.

That being said, Stumptown is going to be tons of fun. Because I will be there and double-caffeinated and have no shame. So, you know, you should show up for that.

There is a 43% chance I will be wearing
this hat. You can't miss that.

Gayle Francis Moffet writes those fancy comic things. Her short comic, "April 16th, 6:44 am" is currently in the lettering phase (with pencils, inks, and colors by Adam Hurley). She is finishing the first of four scripts in her "Battery Babies" universe, but none of those have titles yet. She'll get there. You can check her out on tumblr.

"Poltergeist" and Online (Book) Reviews

By Molly Field

Note: I wrote this post Sunday night, when all was mostly well and Boston was preparing for its marathon. I considered pulling this post entirely in light of the tragedy, but I didn't. I didn't edit it, I didn't change it a bit. Part of me wants to remember what Sunday was like before Monday became horrible. My heart goes out to Boston and all who are affected by it near and far. 

Maybe I'll change my mind in a year or two, but I believe 5-stars are the new 3-stars. Sort of like how 40 is the new 30 25.

When I first started this blogging-to-be-a-writer gig, I was dewy and not unlike Carole-Anne when she fell through the ceiling in "Poltergiest," the first time, all lush and covered in strawberry preserves and completely unaware for what was coming my way or how the hell I'd just gotten there.

I mean, look at her... I'll wait.

image: (c) MGM Studios

I know, right? JoBeth Williams too; all slimy and ready to be smeared into a sandwich. Ready to be devoured by the Internets and judged and critiqued and not at all ready for the intensity of the drive to compete and self-promote and cross-promote and sell and promote ... myself. Something that I wasn't even charging anyone to enjoy or debase.

Then came along the Facebook blog/fan page; a so-called Must Have. It has done nothing but confuse me. Then I got to know other bloggers and I built alliances with people I didn't really "know" and became just more confused:

image: (c) MGM Studios

How'd they get there like that? How'd I get there like that? All I did was open a Facebook account in 2008 and then started a blog for grins and giggles only to end up BEGGING for Likes of a fan page that sucked more of my life away.

How'd I get from someone who just wanted to write about my observations from my cheap seats to hone my writerly skills to a gut-wrenching search for relevance? How?

Here's how: Comments. The comments felt like a kissing cousin of reviews which are only realized through constant self-promotion. I have a modest minuscule blog with a lovely following that I am grateful to have. I have no ambitions of unseating The Bloggess or anyone else, but as humans, we are all looking for favorable consideration. And that universal, human need for "favorable consideration" can eventually resemble biased and loaded boardroom backscratching book reviews.

really??

image (c) www.fourthgradenothing.com

The yearning for unbiased comments and authentic traffic (not China-based bots selling counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags) and the tiresome skulduggery (promoting, sharing, linking, tweeting) behavior has put into harsh relief an ugly fear: maybe objective reviews don't exist.

My thoughts are my own; my craft is writing, but despite all of this, I have been pulled into a direction which makes me uneasy and brings me back to feeling like strawberry preserves -covered Carole-Anne: confused. Social media has availed me to witnessing the unfortunate phenomenon of outright requests for favorable reviews of self-published books. I've heard tell of authors ranting over objective less-than 5-star reviews. I get where that comes from, because books are like our babies, but not every baby places first in the toddler pageant, and some judges won't be bribed.

I don't at all like being pulled in that direction. It feels forced.

image (c) MGM Studios

Neither does Carole-Anne. This was just before her second trip to the afterlife, this time through a giant flaming hole in the wall. 

My take on any book review is this: it has to be truly amazing for me to give 5 stars; we're talking Faulkner or (see, it's all subjective) say, The Bell Jar, which I read in one night and loved with my teeth; or as compelling as any previous NYTBSA (New York Times Best Selling Author) and even then, eeeeeeven then, you're never guaranteed of its quality, says my publishing rep.  I love Nick Sparks, but do I give him 5 stars? I give him 4; he doesn't make me swoon. Maybe I'm a Classic-ist. Nope. I'm just a good writer-ist; I want someone who will tactfully push the envelope.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I don't know who to trust anymore without Oprah's Book Club. Even the almighty Oprah got burned with James Frey's A Million Little Pieces -- that was just a simple matter of genre, he should have never marketed that book as nonfiction autobiography. Just do what everyone else is doing: "creative nonfiction," but I digress.

I do read reviews now when I go to Amazon for a book, but I didn't used to. I've become a skeptic: I also check the dates for most of the 5-star reviews and am grossed out. Say there's 35 5-star brand-new reviews. Of those 35, 27 are written within three days of release, and some of them are reciprocal. Some are completely over the top IN ALL CAPS I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK!

Then I like to see what the lower reviews have to say. Sometimes it's totally subjective, "I didn't like the font," or "Not all southerners say y'all." Or "I don't like romance novels, and so I shouldn't have bought this one, but my best friend's cousin wrote it..." Others are really intense: "Georgia bullfrogs don't make calls like that and they definitely don't during the daytime, at least where I live; also, you can't catch a 6-lb rainbow trout in that lake, the limit is 5.5-lbs!!! This author clearly doesn't know what he's talking about," or those reviews written by people with the moniker: "I Will Waste You." Some lower reviews say what I look for: formatting's a mess, dialogue didn't synch up or transitions were weak or nonexistent.  

The proliferation of self-published eBooks bothers me: the quality control is weak. They're like Fan Pages: there are a ton of them and quantity doesn't at all correlate with quality. When it comes to ebooks, quality of the actual product (editing, formatting, etc.) matters to me so much because it's a massive distraction when it stinks. I have stopped reading books when the formatting is wonky or "it's" or "they're" or their ilk are consistently and incorrectly used and/or I get tripped up in the formatting. Don't make me edit this... I was asked once by an eFriend to read an eBook already released, and within the first 11 pages, I experienced about 30 errors and then I started to keep track. I stopped at page 21 when I hit 150 simple errors, including tense and plurality and possession disagreements, bad punctuation, broken sentences, homophones, weird formatting and direct object confusion. I gave up.

Do we have to go through 3rd grade grammar again? YES. I gave those books: 2 stars just for making me wade through their garbage; I felt like this:

image (c) MGM Studios

I couldn't believe I was having to tolerate it. But I will always give more than one star because writing a book is hard. I give mostly 3-star to 4-star reviews if I give one at all.

I wish to give or receive a 5-star review if the book truly moved readers, or if we missed the characters when it ended. I've actually said, "NO!" when a book ended (Kate Chopin's The Awakening). If I learned something about myself, if I highlighted amazing prose or use of language, then I will give it 5-stars. If the artwork captivates me, then I will give it high marks. If it is: mostly flawless and gripping, I will give it 5-stars.

Maybe that's why I'll never publish a book: because I can't play the game and I don't want to waste your time. I'm in this gig to get better at it. I think Anita Diamant hit it so far out of the park with The Red Tent, her stunning debut, that she hasn't replicated it since. "She peaked early," said a good friend of mine. I've become so paranoid about loaded reviews that I'll read reviews in newspapers and then read what people say online before buying.

Last week, I learned that Amazon bought Goodreads. Oh. Dear. Now what? Is this the end of the fair review and awesome reader community? I mean, bully for the Goodreads founders, but many people, including this writer for Salon beg to differ. I can't say I'm surprised. I feel like Goodreads just couldn't resist this:

image (c) MGM Studios

So are they still out there? Do fair, unbiased, unforced reviews exist anymore? What do you think? Do you feel like JoBeth Williams with that skeleton at times?



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The Immortal Online Book Review

by Rob Hines

Sometimes they make you feel like a genius, and sometimes they make you consider giving up your writing career and finding a secluded tribal village where you can hide. If you've ever cursed at a book reviewer through your computer monitor, I have some bad news for you. They may piss you off, but online book reviews aren't going anywhere.

Before TV, before radio, before every modern advertising medium, there was only one way to know what goods and services were best.

What's that guy saying about me?

Word-of-mouth. The great-great-great-grandfather of the Amazon Customer Review.

People asked friends, family, neighbors, and marauders from nearby villages for advice when making purchases and that was how marketing happened until modern media made it easier for merchants to spread their messages.

So here we are in good old 2013 in an overwhelming ocean of media. Even a Hoosier yokel like me can consume an obnoxious amount of marketing messages without ever talking to another person. There's no need for me to seek out another opinion when I can learn everything I need to know about a product from the comfort of my couch.

But I do it. Most of us do it. I'd even bet you've done it.

Anyone who's made a purchase on Amazon has likely ventured into the murky waters of the Customer Reviews section just for a little backup before clicking Add To Cart. It's a behavior that has been ingrained in our hunting and gathering habits for millenia. Our prehistoric ancestors conserved their time and energy by asking for advice on the best places to hunt or find the best vegetation, and now we're trying to conserve time and money by eavesdropping on the opinions of others before buying stuff. And that stuff includes books.

Most books cost money. Reading costs time. To expect someone to commit to investing in your book without doing at least a little research is a bit unrealistic. Readers will ask around, learning if anyone they know has read your stuff. If they get no response, the next logical step is TO THE INTERWEBS! A simple search of your name and "author" or "books" will bring back any website, blog or other internet destination where people are talking about you. Hopefully the chatter is generally positive, which will at least help the buyer like you, and that's a step in the right direction. The real moneymaker comes with a multitude of positive reviews of your writing. When a consumer sees that a sufficient number of other like-minded human beings approve of your work, they're suddenly much more likely to plunk their money down for your life's work.

Prove it, you say? Okay, here are the numbers:

• 52% of consumers surveyed in the 2012 Local Consumer Review Survey said positive online reviews make them more likely to patronize a local business
• 72% of consumers said they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations (and books are ALWAYS being reviewed online)
• According to recent Weber Shandwick study, shoppers put more value on consumer reviews over expert reviews by a 3 to 1 margin!

Consumers are talking to each other, and they're also listening to each other much more than you may think. Each online book review becomes part of the collective conversation that is creating your image for potential readers. Sure, there are bound to be some rough reviews at times, but it's just part of the marketing machine that's been around since the first Neanderthal panned a cave painting for not showing enough creative thought. 

At least we, as modern writers, are lucky enough to watch those conversations happen in real-time. It gives us the chance to evaluate the opinions and make adjustments where necessary. It also gives us those special moments to revel in our awesomeness when reviewers actually have something nice to say.

You know, like when a blog reader leaves positive comments below an article (cough, cough).

Let's welcome the online book review as a necessary and even (gasp!) helpful part of our growth as writers. We can appreciate the lumps we take as opportunities for evolution, and our reward for this acceptance will be the increasing amount of electronic adulation that is sure to follow.

To our future reviewers, I simply say: take your shots. We welcome them with pride and simply ask that you're just as passionate when we write something you like.

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How Old is Your Book in Book Years?

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by Carrie Bailey

"Hi, my name is Carrie and I am an independent author." I said nervously.

"Hi, Carrie," groaned the room full of supportive peers. That was when I broke into a frantic explanation of how wanting to get reviews of my books had caused my life to spiral out of control... 

"...and then I blackmailed the guy, which I know is wrong, but..." 

Every time I take my writing career to the next level, I feel like I need a support group to confess to. Maybe that's why I host this multi-author blog - to surround myself with other people who can and sometimes do look me straight in the eye and say, "Yes, you're going too far. Put the gun down."

That's just my overactive imagination talking. I AM FINE.

Or am I? Last night, I had a Skype conference with Clark Brooks a writer I've long been convinced is a comedic genius and a favorite of mine to read. He was struggling with the late stages of assembling a book he'd written and found the process incredibly discouraging. I'd been there before, but I'd gotten past that hurdle of frustration and doubt. I have three short works, which I've put together and released through Amazon and Smashwords. By the time I finished the third, I felt like an expert.

Come on a tangent with me for a second into the details of my life for one moment... I'm a single mother who, most of the time, was too young to be raising a child without the support of the deceased father, my family, or anyone really other than neurotic social workers who wouldn't take, "You need help more than I do," for an answer. My now 17 year old is an only child.

I can say that bringing a book to life is a lot like having a baby. It's overwhelming. You might call it off after one attempt, as I did with parenting, but where I can't confirm that children are easier to raise in batches, I will say producing books does get easier with experience. Though I am at the infant stage with both of my books. I released The 3 Indispensable 3 Rules for Taking Charge in February of this year and followed up last month with Bungle of Oz. It was like having twins.

Clark, my friend, is still pregnant. No wonder he is nervous. We authors have to support each other through this.

But, me? Yeah, I'm still a frantic new author. I don't know what I'm doing or how to get meaningful reviews. And I'm so proud that I'm over sharing on social media and bragging about each minor accomplishment my books have.

"Oh, isn't that so cute!" I say to the other indie authors on Facebook. "Someone has written a positive review for my book on their author blog. And look there! Three people have retweeted the link to it. And what's that? A sale. Author so proud of her little booky-wooky."

Let me get my wallet out, here's a family photo:

Sob!! They grow up so fast don't they? Wail! Boo-hoo!

You can slap me now, but "How old is your book in book years?" How many do you have? Has it gotten easier? Do you know what to expect now? Can you remember what it was like the first time?

No, by the way, the books do not actually compare to my son. But, he has taught me a lot about life and what a person can achieve with time and patience. He's brought me coffee when I slowed down. He's shared my work with his friends. He's been my number one fan.

When I look at him today, I don't see the struggles anymore. There were times when I couldn't believe I could even keep him alive and safe and out of jail and still in school and free from tattoos for another month. I cried for help every other year, desperately and with a box of kleenex while hiding in my closet, but in the end I have a handsome, healthy, good natured son.

Anything worthwhile requires dedication. I've learned that from parenting and I now apply this hard learned lesson to every great endeavor, especially writing. Doing anything new takes time and patience and I've also learned that 17 years can go by incredibly fast. And I've also learned that anything worthwhile will be hell 80% of the time until you arrive. My son has prepared me...for ANYTHING.

Now, as I cradle my infant books in my file folders, I know if I can be a good parent to my son, I've got a fair shot at being a good author to my little booky-wookies, too.

An Understructured Rant on Book Reviews, Critics, And Why You Should Write Anyway

By Jody Aberdeen

"The Artist makes culture, not the Critic." - David Bowie

In the Acknowledgements section of my debut novel Convergence, I ended up including the following passage: "I hope you enjoy it, and if you don't, well, I'll just write something else".  Admittedly, it was a bit of pre-emptive insecurity on my part, but in a way, it's really the only strategy I have to face one of the worst fears that plagues many authors, especially new ones: a negative review.

Any fan of AMC's The Walking Dead knows that the recent finale was, at best, mixed in terms of audience reception.  I got into a small Twitter debate with one of my fellow Toronto Wordslingers about one of the characters (The Governor) being true to himself versus the viewers wanting the kind of "Wham!" ending that they didn't get. And I found myself being a complete fanboy about the whole thing, which is odd, considering that the advice I usually give writers is to just write your real story, screw everyone else's thoughts about where you take it.  In most cases, I at least give lip service to the writer's discretion of taking a story where their instincts and inspiration take them, but this time, I couldn't get past my own dissatisfaction with the ending as a fan and a viewer.

But that's the thing: how much consideration to a reviewer or a fan are we obliged to give when writing our work?  It's definitely not limited to novel or screen writing, but to any artistic expression, in any medium.

(Then again, it's not like the writers behind The Walking Dead are going to care about what I have to say about it per se).

It's not exactly a new debate, but there are always new writers, so the question remains valid: at what point does a desire for artistic integrity stop you from connecting with your audience?  Do you write for the market or write what you have to say, even if it bucks a trend?

How much credence do we give to people who make it a living to criticize content versus creating it themselves?  I think by the way I phrased the last one, you can tell where I stand on the question.

Opinions are cheap, really, especially when it comes to the arts.  There's little else that bugs me quite like a so-called patron of the arts who himself does not create the content, has not ever been bit by a creative impulse in her life, but who nonetheless can say, with conviction and a measure of credibility, that this book stinks.

If it was just a matter of some random person playing armchair quarterback with an author's labour of love, then it would end at mere irritation, but because of the sheer plethora of books available in 2013 and the ever shuttering windows of time available for people to read them, critics have never had more power to make or break the career of any storyteller, and they are necessary.

That being said, the math just seems really unfair at times.  Maybe it's the newbie in me, but it just plain sucks that I could spend countless years and ungodly amounts of coffee working on a manuscript just to have one bad review in a major paper or blog site destroy my book's success before it starts.  This is especially true when the critiques are almost purely academic: Stephen King notes in On Writing that one critic panned The Green Mile because his lead character and martyr, John Coffey, has the same initials as another famous figure who died for the sins of ordinary people.  "Really, guys?" is how King puts his own reaction to that particular literary critique.

I suppose it's that very same hipsterish impulse that I'm sensitive to, the idea that a new piece of work is crap if seems too much like a comparable mainstream story, or if it's too "derivative", a critique on which I call "bullshit" quite frequently because, to paraphrase Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk, we're all basically the aggregation of the sum total of ideas and experiences we've consumed in our lives. Great storytelling often involves using those familiar patterns and archetypes that have been done thousands of times before. Originality can only take you so far, but it's a familiar repost of the self-satisfied critic.

I'll end my understructured rant by saying this: every storyteller has the opportunity to connect with the audience.  Audience connection is the only real external concern that an author should have, but the real shiny part about it is that the works with the greatest resonance with people tend to happen when the author is being real with herself and the story she wants to tell.

Greatest recent example I can think of:  Matthew Quick's debut novel, The Silver Linings Playbook.  No, I'm not about to review the book for you in the midst of my anti-reviewer rant (my hypocrisy only goes so far), but I'll say this much: Quick told a story from a position of such authenticity that you can almost smell the barbecue at the Eagles tailgate parties he portrays, and did so in a voice and style that resonated enough with enough people to generate an Oscar-winning screenplay adaptation.  And the film and the book had enough people who nonetheless didn't feel too highly about it, but look how much that mattered in the long run.

Regardless of whether you end up with a movie deal or continue to write in obscurity, the point is this: tell your story, tell it well, and tell it with reckless abandon and deliberate blindness to the eyes and voices outside your creative process.  Create something that makes you feel good, enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when it's done.

And hey, if people don't like it, do what you were going to do anyway, and write something else.

When all the critics love you

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"You liked my mermaid
story! You really liked it!"

By Clark Brooks

Hey writers, let's talk honestly about a relatively unattractive trait that many (most? possibly) of us share: our insecurity. Specifically, our desire (need? probably) to be loved. Whether it's a dominant part of our personal make-up or just a small facet, many of us do this writing thing so we can show off to others who will respond by telling us how wonderful we are.
Don't worry, this is not an article about treating that psychosis. What would be the fun in that? Our idiosyncrasies are a significant part of our charm! Look how interesting we are! Weeee! What I'm saying is that writing in order to elicit the positive feedback that is lacking in other areas of our lives is a perfectly healthy activity. Unless it isn't. I'm no doctor. What do I know? It just seems to me that anything that motivates you to create can never be dismissed as being all bad, so there's that.
But what happens when we get that love in bigger doses than we anticipated and from sources we never expected to hear from? I mean CRITICS! What happens when these anonymous, high-minded, judgmental people (who are extremely charming, highly intelligent and impeccably well-groomed, I must say) come out of nowhere and bestow praise on our work? Pretty great, right? Sure! Soak it up and enjoy it. Just be aware that good reviews can be as potentially damaging as bad ones, just in different ways. Some things to keep in mind when dealing with critics who praise you...

• Appreciate it! - Don't be suspicious or incredulous. Somebody liked your work and took time to say so. That means something! Let that give you a warm fuzzy or two. But...
• Don't overly appreciate it - The absolute rule you must follow when it comes to criticism is that you're not as bad as they might say and you're also not as good as they might say. Sure, you can be proud of a good review. Print it out, frame it and hang it on your wall. Just don't make the mistake of thinking they're telling you that you can't do better. You can always do better. Remember, there is no middle ground. You're either improving or regressing. Good reviews can motivate you and tell you that you're on the right path. They can't tell you that you've arrived. The same way you shouldn't let a bad review send you into a spiral of despair, you need to be careful that a good one doesn't give you an inflated sense of satisfaction.
• Don't let it alter your focus - Let's say you wrote a story about mermaids. Your next project is a Civil War epic. The mermaid story gets a rave review! Do you abandon the Civil War project and devote yourself to writing exclusively about mermaids? Well, you could. The positive review indicates that you've done something right. You might be on to something and who's to say that mermaids don't replace vampires as The Next Big Thing? That's not necessarily wrong... unless your passion is the Civil War and you really couldn't care less about writing about mermaids. Sure, I suppose you could spend the rest of your days churning out mermaid fiction. You might even make money doing that. I'm willing to bet that you won't be that happy. Further, I'm willing to bet that a lack of passion about your subject means the writing won't be all that great. Not as good as it could be if you were writing about the Battle of Fort Sumter, anyway.
• The critics DON'T love you - Don't take that personally. The next thing you write could cause the very same critics to rip you to shreds. That doesn't mean they hate you. They're just doing their jobs. What you wrote this time caught their attention and they enjoyed it enough to give it some acclaim, but they don't love you. It's nice, but it isn't love in any way, shape or measure. The insecure, needy part of us probably doesn't like that but needs to know it. That's just the way it is. 

Book Review: Wild Mind

by Emily Hutto

Like most of Natalie Goldberg’s writing, Wild Mind took me a long time to read through –not because her language is elevated or her sentences or complex (actually she writes rather simply), but because all I want to do when I read her words is write. She’s so passionate about what she does, and writes in a point-blank way, nearly commanding me to find pen and paper –immediately. It’s difficult to get through more than one of Goldberg’s short chapters without needing to jot something down, especially because at the end of each one she recommends a new writing exercise.

In her sequel to Writing Down the Bones, Goldberg conveys the comfort level that she’s reached in her writing. Her stories are more candid, and she makes note that she’s taken more risks in her craft than ever before. She’s been writing with her wild mind, a condition in which thoughts have no reservations. “You lose control and let wild mind take over,” she says. “It is the best way to write. To live, too.”

How does one exercise the wild mind? By free writing. Free writing without stopping, or for timed periods. Writing everything in your head as it comes out, not scratching out phrases or changing words, just writing. Moving the pen without stopping.

“Writing is accepting yourself because it’s all what you know, until something really profound escapes,” says Goldberg. Write everything in your head, as boring or uneventful or inappropriate as it might look on paper. Something profound will escape.
Goldberg writes this way. Her book is a montage of random stories and meaningless details, but every so often she makes a conclusion about writing, or human nature, or both, and then you keep reading through the random for more reality.

Wild Mind is a book for writers who have been writing for a while. They’ll connect Goldberg’s array of analogies: writing is like running, breathing, water, air and sex. And you should fit it into your day whenever you can.

Here are a few of Goldberg’s rambles adapted into one-sentence writer’s tips lessons:

Write about your sleep and dreams.

Don’t use the word because, instead make statements without justification.

Write about home.

Don’t write literally; Food doesn’t necessarily imply mashed potatoes and a vehicle isn’t always a truck.

Write about things that disturb you.

Using the words really and very convey that you are desperate to convince someone of something.

Tell your writing out loud as a story to someone after you’ve written it.

Write about summer.

Keep your hand moving. (That’s a direct quote)

Never throw anything you’ve written away.

Review of Writing Down The Bones

Emily Hutto is a Portland-dwelling, outdoor-loving, sushi-eating freelance writer with passion for places and faces. She has a chronic case of travel bug that she documents on her blog, Global Osmosis, at glosmosis.blogspot.com. She could also use some votes to blog her way around the world next year at http://www.blogyourwayaroundtheworld.com/blogs/view/1010.

To read or to write? That's the conflict of interest that Natalie Goldberg creates for readers of her book, Writing Down the Bones. Despite Goldberg's steady pace that keeps the reader intently turning page after page, her encouraging voice throughout the piece urges the reader to put down the book and pick up a pen instead.

In the book's preface, Goldberg says, "Now, please, go. Write your asses off."

Before it even begins, her intention is to prompt writers to do just that. She makes the point that much like running, writing is a practice that must be repeated in order to improve. She periodically gives suggestions as to what to write about, where to write, how long to write for and who to write with. Her innovative suggestions often seem undemanding, but she promises that writing exercises, such as listing the details of your meals that day, when practiced, will yield good material.

Goldberg can make said promises because she's experienced first-hand that these techniques work. Her use of personal stories and anecdotes not only provide real-life examples but also add color to her writing. Readers get a truer sense of this Zen-practicing, chocolate-loving Boulder-ite with every progressive chapter. Goldberg entertains her readers with stories about wearing blue lipstick and wigs at cafes and somehow makes these actions seem like perfect solutions to any writer's block. She claims to be a writer because she is a "crazy, schizophrenic," and somehow this statement makes her that much more credible. Just as she urges her readers to develop their voices in the practice, Goldberg cultivates her own.

She also encourages readers to use analogies in their writing, a technique she employs throughout Writing Down the Bones. She implies that readers should learn by example while comparing writing to relateable topics such as baking, running, hamburgers and playing dress-up, among others. Her analogies are simple, yet complex. With each chapter, Goldberg presents a new abstraction about writing and then takes her time and precise word choice to develop the metaphor. Her list of metaphors is eclectic and completely random; however, the reader can thoroughly understand each one because her transitions from chapter to chapter are seamless.

Goldberg's smooth read can be attributed to practicing what she preaches. She doesn't just tell readers to fill an entire journal each month; she has the 5-foot-high pile of notebooks to prove that she does it too. She suggests having "writing marathons" because some of her most magical stories have come out of these circles with her friends. Both her sincerity and creativity about the practice make Writing Down the Bones an essential read for both novice and experienced writers alike.

Goldberg often reminds readers that she is in their shoes because each time one sits down to write he or she has to start with the basics. Even experienced writers have to clear their slates after each piece, whether it is published or not. Goldberg presents the idea that experience does not make for good writing, good ideas and rigorous editing do. By recognizing that her writing is often garbage, she advises writers to just keep trucking. Her personal experiences help to eliminate writers' common fears of producing unfavorable work.

Writing Down the Bones is inspirational. It urges the non-writer to start journalling. It persuades the frustrated writer to keep trying. And it commends the avid writer by offering innovative suggestions. No matter who reads this book, he will surely close the final chapter and write his ass off.