The Place For My Writers Notes

Original Posting May 4, 2016

On one of the websites I follow (Baen's Bar), someone was bemoaning the fact that they easily dashed off a short review of a book recently when someone asked about it, but if they sit down to write a review, they find themselves stumped as to what to say. Now, aside from the possibility that this person has what I tend to consider performance anxiety holding them back, I got to considering that I haven't seen much guidance on how to write a review. Not that I've looked very hard, but...

Then I started thinking about what I would suggest as guidelines for writing a review of a fiction book. I think the first thing might be simply to let us know what kind of a book it is, what genre, or perhaps what books it resembles. After all, some of us prefer science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, or some other brand. And even there... A fantasy reader might prefer urban fantasy, epic fantasy, or some other splinter of the field. Letting us know fairly quickly what style of book this is helps.

Related to that, you may want to talk about who would like to read this book. Young adult, person looking for light entertainment, someone who wants a heavy puzzle? Some hints as to the kind of person who will enjoy this book.

Then there's the meat of most reviews, a general sketch of the characters, setting, plot... The bones of the book. Do avoid giving away any really important surprises or twists, okay? I mean, if you start describing the plot, and then the surprises -- stop after getting us interested in the plot, and let us be surprised!

Hum. If the book is part of a series, it's probably worth pointing out whether this volume is an entry point for new readers, a standalone book that doesn't need knowledge of the others, or one of those that really requires you to steep yourself in these others to understand it.

Who would be interested in this book, and why would it interest them? I suppose those are the two key questions as I see it that provide structure to a review.

What do you think? Do you write reviews of books you have read? What do you do with them? What structure, questions, or whatever do you use when you write one?

tink

Original posting 23 March 2010

Writers Digest, June 2006, page 12 has a short article by Jack Clemens with the title, "Re-labeling Classic Lit." It raises the question what if the classics had been lumped into catchy pseudo-genres? They suggest a few:

Pip Lit: any tale of troubled ragamuffins, orphans and otherwise downtrodden yet spirited children. Includes Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Hard Times.

Leisure Lit: tales concerning the leisure classes, high society lifestyles, and the tensions arising therein. Includes The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, and the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Stink Lit: books that reveal, in graphic detail, the underbelly of a particular locale, time period, or culture. Poverty, dyspepsia, and general squalor are common elements. Books include A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell.

Liz Lit: any form of literature created in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, especially poetry and works written for the stage. Includes the works of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe.

Twit Lit: any novel in which the main character (or characters) are foolish, ill-advised, or excessively silly. Includes A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain.

Quip Lit: works that feature fine language, sharp wit and wicked humor, presented in lines that are easily quotable. Includes The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, and Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward.

Critter Lit: any story that centers on a lovable, possibly ill-fated animal. Also known as "Lassie lit" or "sob lit," based on this genre's tendency to make readers, especially children, weep inconsolably. Includes Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight, Old Yeller by Fred Gipson, Charlotte's Web by EB White, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, and Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.

Chin Lit: fiction written by and for exceptionally masculine personalities. Occasionally referred to as "swagger lit," this style of writing concerns stubborn, square-jawed men who struggle with, or destroy, themselves and their surroundings. Includes the works of Ernest Hemingway and Mickey Spillane.

Okay, that's the suggestions from Jack Clemens. We might argue a little about some of the characterizations -- I'm not so sure that these categories work all that well, but let's leave that aside. Instead, consider first of all how some of your favorite books might fit into these categories. Secondly, make up some categories of your own. What are the categories that enclose your favorites, or perhaps the categories that hold those books that you don't like?

For bonus points, go ahead and take either Jack's categories or your own and write a short story, a scene, or even a whole book in that genre! Hey, if Charles Dickens could do it, you can too, right?