10 (More) Tip to Beat Reviewer’s Block

Posted on by whatcathyreadnext

ReviewersBlockI had some great feedback on my original post, so here are 10 more ideas for when the reviewing muse proves elusive:

Tip 11 – Always have something at hand to jot down thoughts when inspiration strikes (notepad and pen by the bed/in the kitchen, post-it notes, notepad app on your phone for when you’re out) whatever works for you.

Tip 12 – Don’t try to rely on your memory (see above). Trust me, that great idea will have disappeared by the time you sit down to write your review.

Tip 13 – How about the carrot approach? Promise yourself a treat once you’ve written the review – cream cake, biscuit, glass of wine, chocolate or whatever’s your thing!

Tip 14 – Still no joy? Then it’s time for the stick. Not only can’t you buy, you can’t even pick up a book until you’ve completed that darn review. There, that should sort it.

Tip 15 – Time to man (or woman) up. Look, it’s only a few hundred words you need to write, the author produced tens of thousands. What are you complaining about?

Tip 16 – Think about the poor author who so depends on your review. Don’t you feel guilty now?

Tip 17 – Re-read some of your own reviews of other books. Try to get back into the frame of mind that produced those works of genius.

Tip 18 – Oh, just write “It’s a good read”. (This one is my husband’s suggestion.)

Tip 19 – Try the psychological approach. Repeat after me: “I only need to write 300 words, I can do that”; “I’m really good at writing reviews”; “I am the King/Queen of Reviews, I rock”….

Tip 20 – Find a really good review of the book by someone else and copy and paste it.  Look, I’m joking, people!

11 thoughts on “10 (More) Tip to Beat Reviewer’s Block”

  4. […] On Monday, I published a Q&A with Diney Costeloe, author of The Married Girls and Wednesday saw a guest post ‘Secrets of Romney Marsh’ from A.J. MacKenzie, author of The Body in the Ice. On Thursday, I welcomed to my blog Jeannie Zokan for a guest post about the real-life locations used in her novel, The Existence of Pity. Saturday saw another Q&A, this time with Lesley Thomson, author of The Dog Walker, the fifth book in her The Detective’s Daughter series. Finally, today, a more light-hearted post: 10 (More) Tips to Beat Reviewer’s Block. […]

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  5. Some good tips here! I always take notes when I read because who can rely on memory to write a review? They definitely help, but I’m often blocked by other things – now I have some solutions!

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  7. Tip 11 is my favourite. I apply it, rigorously. 🙂
    Though there’s always a danger of procrastination rearing its head. “I’ll write the idea down later” can ruin it all. So even applying Tip 11 isn’t easy, beware!

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