Write a review?

So, you’ve finished reading my memoir, Breathe, you’re still breathing, you take a deep breath, write a heartfelt message to your friend, author Kelly Kittel, and she concludes her response with some version of this: “Thank you for reading and for taking the journey. And now from the Shameless Commerce Division, can you please post a review on Amazon or B&N (wherever you shop) and/or Goodreads?” Let’s travel back in time to one night in the 1990’s when I tried to shake my husband, Andy, awake after he’d fallen asleep on the couch so as to encourage him to move his slumber party to the bedroom. His eyes popped open, he looked right at me, and said, “Haven’t I done enough for you?” Likewise, your first thought upon receiving my request might be along those same lines. Or, as Bella (photo) says so often, "Are you done yet? Can we go now?" Or as my friend Super Wendy would say, “Seriously?”

For some of you, writing a review is no big deal and to you I simply say, Thank You! Carry on. As you were. But for those of you who haven’t written a book report since, um, seventh grade, and for whom the mere thought of writing a review will send you spiraling back to your middle school angst, this post is probably more for you. Step away from the Twinkies. Read on. What exactly is a review in the adult world and why should you write one? One reason you might want to write more reviews of the books you read is because it will make you a better reader. Goodreads is a great site for finding new books to read, connecting with other readers and authors, and for practicing your reviewing skills. Plus, Goodreads will make you a really cool, colorful collage of all the books you’ve read at the end of the year. Maybe you’re already in a book group and have become accustomed to reading with an ear towards the discussion you know will follow. If you know you’re going to be talking, or writing a review, about what you’re reading, you’ll be more inclined to pay attention as you skim along. You might mark salient quotations, you might think about what you’re learning, or how the book makes you feel, or what you love, or don’t love, about it.

Now, come a little closer. A book is a relationship between the writer and the reader. As writers, we are counseled in so many, many things, but one bit of advice is to write as if you’re telling your story to one person. I was not able to focus on one person, per se, but while writing and revising Breathe, I kept my reader in mind always. So, for instance, when my friend Marjy wrote a FB reply to her friend who’d asked if Breathe would make her cry, Marjy replied, “tears will be shed, but she does a good job not keeping you at that level,” that was an accurate assessment of me, the writer, being conscious of my reader, who didn’t even exist yet. I don't own stock in Kleenex so it doesn't behoove me to intentionally leave my readers crying in their cups. As Bill Johnson so wisely teaches, a story is a promise. It’s a promise from the author to the reader that their needs will be fulfilled, that they will get to the end of the book and say something like my friend Beth just wrote in her great Amazon review of Breathe once she'd conquered her own review-writing jitters:  “After tears, smiles, and disbelief, I ended the book with a confirming and resounding "Yes!"

But I digress a wee bit. I’ve been reviewing books on Goodreads for a year or so now and that has made me both a better reader and a better reviewer. “Practice, practice, practice,” as my kids’ babysitter, Honey, used to tell them when they were mastering life skills like walking and coloring. Honey also told them, Micah included, “There’s no such thing as Prince Charming.” But that’s another story. So, by review, I don’t mean give your expert critical literary analysis. It’s okay to be critical, but now that I’ve spent seven years writing and publishing a book, I’m much more gentle and understanding of just how much heart and soul every author has invested in their “baby” and I’m less inclined to be harsh, snarky, or negative. Unless they’re dead and I know I won’t hurt their feelings. I don’t feel all that qualified as a literary critic. I tend to get lost in a really good book and have a difficult time recapping the journey I’ve been on, myself. And I have to write a review immediately, before I forget where I've been.

I do love to hear that you think my book was well-written, naturally, and if you’re a writer yourself or a great literary analyst, by all means, let’s talk story arc, character development, theme, conflict, and the myriad of literary techniques employed by writers. But if not, know that I’m happy to simply hear how my book made you feel, what you learned, how it illuminated your own experience of life, what sentence you particularly loved, how it felt to hold it in your hands, or just why on earth somebody else should pick it up and begin to read. If all else fails, read all the other reviews people have written and draw your inspiration from the ones that seem like something you might have said, or flat-out plagiarize, there's neither grade nor honor code at stake here. There's no word count either, two words like, say, "Nailed it!" will do!

Writing is an isolated, pajama-wearing pursuit and it is music to my ears to hear how my words march forth and impact others. I am telling you a story. I want to hear what you think about that story and how it makes you feel. I want to connect with you, my reader, to reach out and touch you like a vintage telephone advertisement. Otherwise, I’d simply scribble dramatic diary entries to myself, lock them up with a tiny key and hide them in my sock drawer. If what you want to say to me is personal, send me an email. Or an old-fashioned stamped letter. Or let’s go for a walk on the beach and talk. I’d love that, too. But the reason I’m asking you to write a review is because I need at least 50 for the Amazon algorithm to notice that I exist and recommend my book. And Goodreads authors rely on reviews to choose one book over another to read. I’m a debut author and Breathe is my first book. I’m developing my writing career and my readership. People need to know I don’t, um, suck at writing. They say the most common reason readers choose a book is word of mouth. If you like it, talk about Breathe and convince ten of your friends to read it. Please. But for the legions whom neither or us know personally, your online review on the world wide web will speak volumes. And I love to read them!

P.S. If you can’t figure out the mechanics of  how to post a review, please send me an SOS or smoke signal, I’m happy to help!