A rough guide to writing a 400 word review

My good friend on here, Teresa Renton, suggested that I write a guide on how to write a review. I respect Teresa enormously. She is a wonderfully gifted writer whose work has variation of tone but always great depth and lyrical quality which should be explored at your leisure - but soon.

To the task.

Her suggestion is not as clear cut as it might appear as I'm not really sure how I write a review. As with most of my writing, I just do it. To demonstrate, I will explain my situation as I am writing this. I am sat in front of the TV on the sofa in the lounge, laptop on my lap (appropriately enough). The Human League are on a re-run of a pop show called Top of the Pops and are playing Don't you want me? in the background. I am humming along whilst also exchanging comments with my husband who is reclining next to me.

This is not a strange situation for me. I grab writing time when I can, not just for this sort of piece but for everything that I produce. I do wonder sometimes what it would be like to have a hut of my own like Dahl or Bernard Shaw...

I am inevitably getting off topic and so, to review writing. As I've mentioned, I don't have a formula for this. However, there are certain things that I include in order to give a potential reader an idea of what to expect if they choose to read the book being reviewed. When I first started doing reviews, I tried to be as objective as possible, relating my view in a detached manner, like a literary scientist examining the evidence and reporting back. Now, however, I am much more loose in my approach. I think experience, relative success and age's ability to not let you care as much have a lot to do with this.

Generally, then, I will look to what I got out of it and how it relates to me as a reader. For instance, a recent review I wrote for Steve Frederick's book Breakfast for Superheroes, starts with me talking about conversations that I have with my sons about superpowers and how a superpower is something that every schoolboy dreams of having to make them stand out in some way. It's a little preamble before getting into the story - an introduction.

However, I don't always do this. Sometimes, I launch straight into what I think about the book, expressing how much I enjoyed it, setting out my stall from the very beginning as it were, as I did in my review of Jace Parker's Thrive in Chaos.

Different approaches, as you can see, and maybe this is because of how I feel about the book. Before I even embark on a write-up of it, I sit and reflect on the book itself and the feelings that I have associated with it on completion. I think very carefully about what star rating I am going to give it all the way through my reading of it, sometimes veering between stars as I constantly assess its tone, its language, its flow, its message, the delivery of its message and most importantly, the way that it makes me feel inside. Do I feel connected to what the writer is trying to convey? Sometimes, this is a resounding "YES!" from the start but at other times, this is not made totally clear to me until I am further into it. Some books start well and then drift; some start slowly and gain pace; some start, stutter and continue in this way until the end and I reach the end of it with relief after a very jerky journey indeed. Sometimes, I can't get a grasp of the characters - the dialogue does not read true to me - and you'll notice if you read my reviews a lot, that the authenticity of what I'm reading, the believability in what is going on is really important to me. I have to be in the story.

Now, you may think "How does this apply to fantasy or science-fiction or indeed any other genre which is not based in your experience?" They are all products of imagination after all and not real, per se. However, it is in the storytelling that the believability lies - in what is included, in what the writer shows, highlights, the words a writer chooses.

This is turning into a workshop.

So, to summarise, I may start with a general comment about how the book relates to me or what it shows. I may start with an enthusiastic comment. I may start with a respectful comment about the writer's style or something that struck me as distinct about the book's content - these are all launch pads into a further discussion of what the book contains and this is where I usually go next.

It is always a good idea to provide, in your own words, a brief summary of the book. There are good reasons for doing this:

• You are providing context for further comments that you make. They serve as coat hooks on which to hang your ideas.
• The writer and potential reader will know that you've engaged with the text

That last one is especially important. Regardless of the rating that you give the book at the end, to show that you have read it thoroughly is very important. This is someone's creation. It could be a labour of love; it could be a life's ambition fulfilled; it could be the result of years of work and knockbacks and trials and who knows what to get it into the form in which you are reading it. Either way, any review you give of it needs to be respectful.

But don't confuse this with having to like it because you don't want to upset the writer. I've touched on this in other articles I've written on here:

And:

Writers can be, not all but some, very precious about their books. I have had backlash because of reviews I have written with writers asking me to take them down or criticising what I have said or even asking me only to publish them on my blog and not on Amazon.

I have also had signed copies sent to me and tips given. But in all of these circumstances, I have merely attempted to condense into 400 words what I thought of their book and, and this is most important, I have done it in a way that I feel has made my point but with an air of thoughtfulness and consideration. I've not veered away from what I've not liked but I may have used my words in such a way as to be tactful about it. Sometimes, there is so much that I deem wrong with a book that it is difficult to enthuse and to find 400 words to write. But I try because a review should mean something and trying to articulate that in order for someone to build on that is constructive and again, that word again, respectful. So, I will try and convey what I liked. If it's a book of poems, I make a note of particular verses that I enjoyed and jot down why - certain lines, I could relate to it, great rhythm, humour, etc. With fiction, I'll think about what I enjoyed and even if I don't really like a book, I try to be positive. Again, it's not about tearing people down. It's only my opinion and there are lots of other readers out there who may well love it.

Once I've discussed likes and dislikes, I will conclude with a statement which shows what I think of the book as a whole. If it's not appealed to me, I think about who may enjoy it more. If I think it's been thrown together and not really crafted, I may state that it "left me wanting" or "I couldn't really engage with it". If it's excellent, I will usually state this.

I often find that books do conjure different moods and that my reviews generally reflect where they've taken me. For instance, I recently reviewed Afternoons of Suspended Love by Stefania Lucchetti, which is a poetry collection I can wholeheartedly recommend. However, in my twenties, maybe less so. I found it related so much to who I am now that I felt it more personally than at a different time in my life. This ties again to the relationship that a reviewer has with a book. You should not read a review merely on face value.

I was approached to read The House of Promise by Indrajit Garai. I have read many by this particular writer and thoroughly enjoyed them. This book had received a recent review of 1 star and the writer's advocate sent me an email asking me to let her know before publishing if the review from me was going to be less than favourable. I ignored this comment and didn't address it at the time as having read this writer's books before, I was skeptical as to whether it was a 1 star read.

However, returning to the review left by the person who gave the book 1 star, I did understand why the writer felt aggrieved. The review, if you could call it that, was trite. It was too brief and it didn't attempt to quantify why they didn't know what was going on. A very general comment was made about how it was confusing and how they didn't really know what was going on. I knew exactly what the reviewer meant on reading the book myself: there were a lot of characters and I didn't feel like enough groundwork had been done to establish them in the reader's mind and therefore, it was confusing. But there was also a lot that was good about the book which had been lost in a review of that nature - some vivid description and evocation of place as well as the voice given to an actual bull, which I enjoyed a lot. This returns to what I mean about being respectful.

So, there we have it. A not very succinct guide to writing a review. I suppose if I had to give you a summary in bullet points, it would be this:

• A little preamble before launching into more detail - linking it to yourself as a reader; if you loved it, open with that; if it was unusual or striking or groundbreaking, offer that.
• Give a summary of what happens in the book, mentioning characters or plot but be careful not to give away the story. You need to give just enough to pique interest but not enough to spoil it.
• Go into more depth about what you enjoyed or disliked. Try to be balanced in your criticism and phrase your points carefully. Your review should express your opinion of the book but cruelty or abruptness has no place here. Reviewers shouldn't tear people down.
• Finish with a short sentence or two about whether you'd recommend it or, if not for you, about who you think would enjoy it. If you would read more by them, tell your audience that. It is a great endorsement. If you haven't already, summarise why it stood out for you as a read or explain why it was just an "alright" read. Did it need more action? Were the characters not clear to you? Did it need more dialogue? Was it repetitive?

Ultimately, writing a review is a personal thing. Hopefully, I have helped to provide you with a starting point.