tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post6471787316385281886..comments2024-03-28T12:00:47.858-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Rhys has a weekend gripe!Jungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-134047779857205632021-05-02T00:39:30.325-04:002021-05-02T00:39:30.325-04:00Rhys, this is why I stopped writing book reviews f...Rhys, this is why I stopped writing book reviews for the SF Chronicle. Finding the words to say "this is not a book I recommend" without actually saying it became too stressful. And blurbs? Only if I truly love the book.<br />I'm editing a mystery novel now, and working with a dream writer. No egos involved, just a mutual desire to deliver the best story and writing possible. <br /><br />As an aside...years ago, I edited a woman's essay. It was 3,000 words over the maximum (dictated by the publisher). When I explained that I needed to cut it by half, she came back with, "But every word is a poem!" <br /><br />Take a deep breath...your novel will be brilliant.Victoria Zackheimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08419588428131638146noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-41343707706668052852021-05-01T22:34:38.653-04:002021-05-01T22:34:38.653-04:00I do.I do.Gigi Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00495357787099352860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2697709753600580272021-05-01T20:27:28.759-04:002021-05-01T20:27:28.759-04:00Gigi,
Often when I cannot follow a book, I would ...Gigi,<br /><br />Often when I cannot follow a book, I would jokingly say "Perhaps I need to earn my PhD before I can read that book". LOL<br /><br />DianaBibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-69629337966610905682021-05-01T20:25:41.040-04:002021-05-01T20:25:41.040-04:00Gigi,
Do you include "Content Warning"?...Gigi,<br /><br />Do you include "Content Warning"? I often do that in my reviews even if I liked a book.<br /><br />DianaBibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-45815708087406272632021-05-01T17:11:06.430-04:002021-05-01T17:11:06.430-04:00Wow, that was truly the exact thing I needed to re...Wow, that was truly the exact thing I needed to read today. (No sarcasm intended). I’m a burgeoning writer and it was so good to hear I’m not alone in some of the thoughts I have. Thank you for being so candid and honest!Villagegirllifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12789064886231642910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-86585202163806022362021-05-01T16:15:36.214-04:002021-05-01T16:15:36.214-04:00Edith, do you include a glossary page to explain t...Edith, do you include a glossary page to explain the regionalisms?<br /><br />Diana<br /><br />p.s. I did not know that about "charming" or was it a joke? I would have thought charming meant lovely story?<br />Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-52300112714741547822021-05-01T16:11:37.872-04:002021-05-01T16:11:37.872-04:00That would be a great story in a novel...That would be a great story in a novel...Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44359383806496925422021-05-01T14:30:33.733-04:002021-05-01T14:30:33.733-04:00Do you suppose serial killers spend their spare ti...Do you suppose serial killers spend their spare time writing needlessly nasty Amazon reviews? Gigi Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00495357787099352860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-2187939165486991952021-05-01T14:28:41.793-04:002021-05-01T14:28:41.793-04:00I don't usually write bad reviews, Jay, but I ...I don't usually write bad reviews, Jay, but I will if I think a book is actively toxic and will traumatize sensitive readers. The last time I did that (years ago) it was a book that promised to be a comedic cozy, but included a scene where a dog was treated inhumanely. I have a lot of dog-loving friends who really don't want to read that book, and they should be forewarned. Otherwise, if I hate it, I don't review it.Gigi Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00495357787099352860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-57669557995710217282021-05-01T14:25:41.868-04:002021-05-01T14:25:41.868-04:00Thank you, Jay! xx And I agree, it's wise to g...Thank you, Jay! xx And I agree, it's wise to go on to the real writing..xxooHank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630366214207785339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-36200416287535936212021-05-01T14:24:02.376-04:002021-05-01T14:24:02.376-04:00My sister and I edit and/or critique each others w...My sister and I edit and/or critique each others writing, but we have very different voices. She trained in academia, and I grew up in advertising and journalism. The result? She over-explains while I zip on through on a catchy phrase and a smile. I think she's getting tired of me suggesting that, if she wants to cut the work by one-third, she could just do away with the first part, where she takes us through a historical recap via Socratic method, and just start with her thesis sentence. It's a blog post! Criminey!Gigi Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00495357787099352860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-22331501954771410362021-05-01T14:23:04.338-04:002021-05-01T14:23:04.338-04:00I ADORE those descriptions. I was about to write a...I ADORE those descriptions. I was about to write a blurb that used the word "complex" and I realized that meant: I have no idea what this all means. <br /><br />And yeah, you can tell the mean-spirited ones. I wonder that people have all that time--and use it to be nasty.Hank Phillippi Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07630366214207785339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64771232988477581172021-05-01T14:12:53.164-04:002021-05-01T14:12:53.164-04:00I once read a one-star Amazon review of a film tha...I once read a one-star Amazon review of a film that I love. The reviewer was furious that one character was played by an actor with dark hair, when the character in the book had red hair. Clearly, to this person, it made the whole film rubbish. Such piffle.Gigi Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00495357787099352860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-6654265742670091102021-05-01T14:10:09.719-04:002021-05-01T14:10:09.719-04:00I love the book blurb glossary, Rhys! Too funny, ...I love the book blurb glossary, Rhys! Too funny, and so true.<br /><br />I wish there was a way to tell your copy editor that, if snow continues to fall, it will move up the scale from a "light dusting" to a "layer" without any logical inconsistency at all. Also, there is a town up near the Red River, in a very sparsely-populated part of Texas, called Telephone because that's where the telephone had been installed. People who grow up with their own personal cell phones surgically attached to their hands have no clear concept of one phone serving a whole household, let alone a whole community.<br /><br />As for reviews, I always remind myself of my friend, Andrew Litton, who says, "If you believe the good ones, you have to believe the bad ones. Don't read any of them."Gigi Norwoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00495357787099352860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12264533368112762402021-05-01T14:04:35.066-04:002021-05-01T14:04:35.066-04:00You're my guru, Debs. If you tell me I'll ...You're my guru, Debs. If you tell me I'll love a book, I do. These days, I find most of my authors through the JRW blog.Judyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16128026892155650398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-3115954418503579332021-05-01T13:57:51.202-04:002021-05-01T13:57:51.202-04:00I do read blurbs, though with a jaundiced eye. Sti...I do read blurbs, though with a jaundiced eye. Still, I recently picked up a perfectly wonderful book that was on sale on BookBub strictly because of a blurb that said, "Reading this novel is like ducking out of a cold rain into a fire-warmed pub filled with laughter." I found that image enchanting and after reading the book, I attest it was totally on target. (The book was A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy.) So there's at least one example of making a purchase choice from a blurb!Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08292993485984273172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-50373577378552389552021-05-01T13:50:40.549-04:002021-05-01T13:50:40.549-04:00Jay, thanks for my second good laugh of the day--&...Jay, thanks for my second good laugh of the day--"As helpful as a dress on a goat!!" Wonderful.Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7020843432803910622021-05-01T13:49:02.327-04:002021-05-01T13:49:02.327-04:00Exactly!! It's terrible!Exactly!! It's terrible!Deborah Crombiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16988750789088153601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-56453981148468984582021-05-01T13:46:33.784-04:002021-05-01T13:46:33.784-04:00Agreed.Agreed.Bibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-89011582245655645822021-05-01T13:46:16.418-04:002021-05-01T13:46:16.418-04:00Safe travels!
DianaSafe travels!<br /><br />DianaBibliophilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764234701385787238noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38046486162963532012021-05-01T12:48:18.206-04:002021-05-01T12:48:18.206-04:00As one who does reviews, I don't actually writ...As one who does reviews, I don't actually write reviews on Amazon anymore. I can't. I haven't bought $50 bucks worth of stuff from them over the last 12 months (actually it is a lot longer than that because I stopped buying from that website when their customer services was as helpful as a dress on a goat). <br /><br />But that's okay, I get paid to write some of my reviews so having them in a magazine and online is just fine by me. And I have an awesome editor (Teri Duerr) who helps make sure that my reviews resemble the English language.<br /><br />My Goodreads reviews also reflect my opinion on a book whether it was great, middling or on the rare occasion sucks eggs. I give my opinion, without being an ass about it, and move on with my day.<br /><br />Along the way, I never allow myself to think that somehow my opinion is the be all, end all either. I've read award-winning books that were as dull as dirt to me. But then I've loved books that would make others question my sanity.<br /><br />As for whether a blurb has gotten me to pick up a book before, it's a bit of a yes and no answer for me. A couple times Hank has had a blurb on a book that I bought. It certainly made me consider buying the book but it was still reading the synopsis on the back cover that cinched the deal for me.Jay Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11409350742317719903noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29706342820569931952021-05-01T12:37:35.815-04:002021-05-01T12:37:35.815-04:00I can’t understand Amazon. Debs. I have 1400 revie...I can’t understand Amazon. Debs. I have 1400 reviews, nearly all five star and they start with two critical onesJungle Red Writershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61884780063882188122021-05-01T12:35:32.546-04:002021-05-01T12:35:32.546-04:00In a beach in Tahiti sounds worth any amount of in...In a beach in Tahiti sounds worth any amount of inconvenience right now!Jungle Red Writershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-47404812511750894312021-05-01T12:34:08.628-04:002021-05-01T12:34:08.628-04:00Brilliant!Brilliant!Jungle Red Writershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-61370387130238182592021-05-01T12:27:41.732-04:002021-05-01T12:27:41.732-04:00Thank you, Rhys, for blurb definitions. At last wh...Thank you, Rhys, for blurb definitions. At last what “they” really mean! As for reviews: almost never do I read a review, until after I read the book, and never read reviews that have stars as the first line! With blurbs, unless it is a front cover one, simply because “it isin the way” of getting to the story. Enjoy your time back in CA!Elisabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09047379987310210498noreply@blogger.com