I won’t be the first author to be talking about critics and reviewers and I doubt that I will be the last.
The reason why I think my contribution to the oft-discussed subject might have some value is that I have been a professional reviewer.
Yes, it’s true. I spent more than a decade reviewing books, art, albums, TV shows, films and plays and there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
Journalist and critic alike is in privileged position in our society and even those who are members of the MEAA don’t often appreciate the gravity of their role.
With the emergence of the Internet and the era of every-man-his-own-publisher, every one has the power of the consumer dollar and the ability to leave a review.
But many go from gushing nonsense to mean spirited snarks – neither are worthy being described as a review.
Let’s start by examining what a critic/reviewer is and is not.
1. A critic is not paid to be critical.
You read that right.
A former newspaper colleague of mine once reviewed an album, one from a famous artist (it might have been U2, Depeche Mode, Cold Play – I can’t remember), like this:
1-Star
This album made my infant son cry.
That is a crap review. It might earn you a few self-congratulatory back slaps from your colleagues down at the pub but it tells the reader nothing.
Reviews are not there to show off your cleverness.
2. Your opinion matters less than you think
A critic’s job is to stand in the place of the person who is likely to watch, listen or read the creative work and give them an impartial and informed overview so they can make a decision as to whether enough they are going part with their hard-earned money.
If you’re reviewing a Young Adult novel and you think the storyline is juvenile – so what?
Are you 13? 15? 17? Are you the intended audience for the work?
If not, then your personal opinion is meaningless.
Does the story flow? Does the plot make sense? Are the words spelled correctly? Was it emotionally engaging? Will the intended audience like it? That is the objective criteria on which to judge a book.
3. A critic doesn’t just say ‘what’ they like but explains ‘why’.
Whether you love a work or loathe it, a good reviewer explains their rationale and can justify it through objective and comparative measures.
Here’s an example.
My hubby reviewed an album from a well-known Australian band in the 1980s and did not give it a favourable review. The lead singer phoned to remonstrate. Hubby agreed to give the album another listen and, if he changed his mind on what he saw were the weaknesses in the album, he would provide another review in the paper the following week.
The singer was happy with this and offered to phone back the next week for what he thought would be a vindication of his work.
Three days later the new edition of Rolling Stone came out and the reviewer had exactly the same qualms. The singer did not phone back…
How to be a good reviewer
1. You don’t have to like a genre to give it a good review.
True professional reviewers have a saying: ‘good within the context of its genre’.
A frothy little rom-com may not be a significant work, a legacy for the ages, but it can be well written, entertaining and a 5-star blockbuster for its target audience.
Equally, a ‘worthy’, socially significant work may have pretensions of grandeur but be a dull and turgid mess – worthy of only 1-star.
2. If a work exercises strong emotions in you, examine why before you review.
Before you review, allow a period of time of self-reflection before putting fingers to keyboard.
- Is the work really awful or did it raise themes that made you feel uncomfortable?
- Was it really poorly written or was the plot deliberately complex?
- Did you not like the work because it ‘just wasn’t your thing’?
3. Find one good thing to say about it
No one sets out to create bad art. Everyone involved does their very, very best to produce the best work possible. So be kind.
No painting, song, book, TV show or film is so unrelentingly bad as to elicit mean-spirited, casually flung cruel words. After all it is easy to criticise, not so easy to create.
One of the best times I had at the movies was reviewing a really bad film, Sharon Stone’s The Quick And The Dead.
It was so bad, my husband and I turned to look at one another, debating whether we should leave the half empty cinema when an audience member laughed during a pivotal scene. The tension was broken and the good natured heckling and laughs continued all the way through the film.
I remember the film fondly and would probably cook some popcorn and watch the film again – unlike say, the very, very worthy Jane Campion film The Piano.
In conclusion
Artists, yes that includes we authors, love your reviews.
We want to know if you can ferret out the little treasures we hide along the way. Nothing gives us as much joy as reading a review from a reader who discovers those gems.
Even if you have some quibbles, share them with us. We want to improve and your feedback allows us to do that.
If you don’t like our work, you can tell us too. The only thing we ask is that you justify why you don’t like it and provide something constructive for us to work with.
We love our readers and we delight in reviews but please put as much care and attention to your words as we do with ours.