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Why I’m Taking My Early Reviews With a Grain of Salt…
As a debut fiction author, I wouldn’t expect all of my reviews to be five stars. I’m aware that I’m new at this, and I’m a realist. Therefore, I’m one-hundred-percent sure my writing has room for improvement. I’m also one-hundred-percent sure that no author is capable of writing a perfect book — at least not perfect for every reader.
People who read have vastly different ideas of what they like in a book, although not necessarily what they seek out. I’ve already learned that much, from the handful of reviews that state, up-front, “this is not a genre I typically read or seek out.” Which leaves one to wonder why they feel qualified to write a review the length of a Master’s thesis.
But what I find really interesting is the diversity of readers’ comprehension. For example, in two back-to-back reviews, readers have included these two widely divergent statements. 1) The last few chapters absolutely crawled, and 2) The ending chapters felt very rushed. A single book can’t really do both, can it?
As a writer, I don’t typically struggle with endings, but beginnings are always a challenge. When I start a book, I have an overall framework I’m working with, but I always have a much clearer idea of the nature of my characters. (Until they click in for me, there’s really no point in even opening my laptop.) My…
