Writing

Anatomy of a Bad Review

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / Leave a comment

Having just published a collection of short stories, Maybe Next Time, I’ve dreaded that first negative review. However, having belonged to a writers/critique group, I’ve had a bit of experience.

What I learned is that reviews can be both helpful and insignificant. Just like the author of this post, Don Massenzio, found when he did a bit of investigation. As writers, we all must pay attention to the feedback our readers give, but their word on the subject is never the last word. Thanks Don for a great post!.

Don Massenzio's avatarAuthor Don Massenzio

online-reviewers Thumb up and down buttons

I’ve been blessed. I’ve written a number of books. I’ve been very fortunate. Readers that I don’t know have given my work reviews that have, in the vast majority, earned four or five stars.

That’s why, when I receive a bad review, I like to study it and figure out if there is something I can learn to improve my work.

Let Me Be Frank - CoverWhen I signed onto the Amazon author’s site, I saw this review for my second book, Let Me Be Frank:

bad review

I’ve redacted the name in this review. I didn’t want to make this post about the person who submitted the review, I wanted to make it a teaching moment.

First, I looked at the review. It’s titled ‘Boring’ and starts out with the words ‘too slow’. This is valid criticism for a book and sometimes, in a detective novel, the pacing can be…

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Another Look at Commas

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 6 Comments

Commas are the bane of my writing existence. It’s amazing how one tiny, squiggly, thingamajig (okay, punctuation mark) can create such havoc. If you don’t believe me consider the following:

Comma Post Comma Post 5 comma Post-2 comma Post-4 Comma Post -6 images

See what I mean? Been there, done that; fortunately, for those of us who struggle with the almighty comma, we have the  Grammar Revolution. This week, Elizabeth O’Brien offers us a refresher and One Easy Comma Rule.

If you want additional help with grammar and punctuation, check out Elizabeth and all her helpful lessons at Grammar Revolution.

What about you? What is your most frequent punctuation sin? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Join the conversation. Talk to me or tell me your story. I’m all ears.

Opening Lines- The Good, Bad, and Ugly

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 2 Comments

Aw, the elusive, perfect opening line. It’s the most important line of your book. If you can’t grab the reader’s attention from the beginning, all the gnashing of teeth, hair pulling, and hard work you put in writing will have been time wasted; much like watching the news.

Sometimes, your muse whispers the perfect opening line in your ear, and other times it’s as elusive as the winning lottery ticket. Don’t sweat it. All writers struggle with getting it right at some time in their career. Others end up in therapy – kidding.

Wherever you find yourself on the writing continuum, it’s good to know you’re not alone. So, Sit back and enjoy, The Hipster & the Clairvoyant: 6 Bad Openings for Your Book from Dinty W. Moore (Psychology Today).

Do you have a bad opening line, you’d like to share? We’ve love to read it; share it below. In the meantime, I think I’ll head to the kitchen, I’ve suddenly got a hankering for beef stew.

Pretend I’m your therapist, talk to me. Tell me your story. I’m all ears.

Spicy Language

/ Sheila McIntrye Good, Author / 4 Comments

The Daily Post Prompt:  Spicy

“Morning mom.” Karen stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and stared. Her mom, lost in the pages of a book, hadn’t heard a thing and her coffee sat untouched in front of her. Karen stepped back into the shadow of the hallway. Her mother didn’t move except to turn the page and with each turn, her face flushed a deeper red. It looked to Karen as if she wanted to crawl inside the book.

She couldn’t remember a time, at least in recent years, she’d seen her mother looking so … happy? Content? Moved? No! Excited, that was it. What the hell was her mother reading? She squinted and leaned closer in an attempt to read the cover. Mr. Tubs slipped up behind her and rub against her leg. Karen yelped and stumbled into the room.

Her mother sprung from her seat as if bitten. She grabbed the chair to keep it from toppling and slapped a dish towel over the book. “Heavens, Karen you scared the life out of me.”

“Sorry,” Karen said, “you can thank Mr. Tubs for that, he caught me by surprise.”

Her mother carried her untouched cup to the sink. “Sit down, I’ll get you some coffee.”  She opened the cupboard, “Cream and sugar?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Karen lifted the corner of the towel. “Whatcha reading?” Her mother spun around and grabbed the covered book from Karen’s grasp. Her face flushed crimson. “Nothing you’d like.” She stuffed the book in a drawer. “Gladys gave it to me, and I can’t imagine why. It isn’t very good.”

“Really?” Karen bit her lip to keep from laughing. “Why’s that?”

She handed Karen a steaming cup of coffee. “The language is a bit spicy for my taste.”

“Couldn’t tell it from the look on your face when you were reading. Fifty Shades of Grey, mom?” Karen snickered.  “Spicy indeed.”

 

 

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Join the conversation. Talk to me or tell me your story. I’m all ears.