Reviewing reviews...

Writers block - I've read some excellent articles on this recently which I think address the more serious variety of writer's block and offer insight, advice, solutions and hope if you are locked in mortal combat with the creative side of your mind -  this one is good.

This post by Bernard Beckett on why NZ YA literature is or isn't used in our classrooms is an interesting read. Teachers are too stretched and understandably go for the easy option of (generally overseas) YA titles that have movie tie ins, have been dissected and reviewed ad nauseam on easy to find online sites and are proven winners. This makes it too easy to ignore some excellent local content which already suffers from an embarrassing level of neglect. This site Hooked on Books aims to redress some of the balance (awesome work people!!!) but we have a LONG way to go before we are even truly accepted let alone embraced. While I agree it is best to be positive about small gains I think we should expect more. Look what happened to NZ music when we were obliged to hear more of it.

And if you want an easy lesson on how to start a fight you need look no further than this article by Iain Sharp lamenting the apparently too cosy nature of book reviewing in this fair country. He's only commenting on adult literature here, because reviewing children's literature is an obscure movement that seems to operate on the same level as dark matter. However, for my purposes let's pretend children's literature is part of the reviewing discussion.

I guess I agree on some points. Sometimes reviews are just a blurb, or the synopsis, without commentary on the key elements by which we assess books. On the one hand this gives us no real clues as to the merits of the book but it IS a mention which (due to our lack of cultural embracing) is pure gold. I am thrilled when my books are mentioned (even just by title) by someone other than myself or a member of my family or circle of friends, in some public fashion. We should be a little sad that such small things excite us so much. Round ups, therefore, are a simultaneously good and bad thing.

And the majority of reviews are a bit of a love fest, but then an absence of any mention at all in the places where book reviews hang out can be rebuke enough. As my mother always says, "if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all." And clearly I wasn't the only one in NZ raised this way. We would rather spend our time talking about things we do like, than things we don't. And this is especially true in a country as small as this one. Our tribe is too small. Too close. We avoid confrontation. We don't wish to offend. This doesn't mean our reviews are bad, just highly curated. And, nice isn't always nice. Sincerity, or lack thereof is detectable. Having some overseas reviewers involved might be a good thing but New Zealanders know their own literature best. Goodreads, of course, is immune to all of this and very educational on the subject of reviewing, partly because its structure encourages reviews of everything you have read, and partly because it's an international boundary-less site where people seem to eschew any kind of filter on their comments. If they feel angry about any aspect of your book, whether real or imagined, they feel a duty to let you know. Some of the most insightful reviews I have read have been on Goodreads.  And some of the nastiest.

And everyone has an agenda. Writer Elizabeth George (in an article published in our own Herald Canvas magazine some years ago) said reviewers were looking to their own careers when they write reviews, and the content should be judged on this basis. She made her comments about big name overseas reviewers so are her comments relevant here? Should they be? or is it better if they aren't? I think reviews anywhere can reveal as much about the reviewer as they do about the book.

I've had my fair share of reviews. Some have just repeated the synopsis and made no real comment on the qualities of the story. Some have been insightful criticisms both positive and negative. Some have just been mean-spirited. Some referenced things which weren't in the books. Some seemed to be written by people who hadn't even read my book but felt compelled to comment anywho. And the advised practice (which I agree with) is that authors never respond to reviews, so errors (or misreadings) in reviews go unchecked. If authors can't respond, how much licence is it okay for reviewers to have (and please don't review that sentence, it's a bit rubbish although the content is still meaningful and relevant). We have no right of reply and must take our medicine. Reviewers should keep that in mind.

So are we gutless reviewers? For my own books I hope for honesty and erudite insights. For the books I wish to read I want a feel for the book, the style and quality of the prose, the complexity of the themes and plot. How satisfying is the ending (but no spoilers). When I review books on Goodreads I believe that what I don't say has as much weight as what I do say. You can easily tell when I think something is a must read. And if you have agreed with my past assessments my reviews will be more useful to you. I know who to trust as a reviewer. A reviewing history carries a lot of weight with me.

It's crucial to remember too that reviewers in the media don't necessarily have control over how much they can write, the format in which their reviews appear (round ups), or sometimes even the books they are able to review. They do what they can within the constraints of the current environment.

In the end, the same book can receive scathing reviews and adoring ones. I look at the kinds of comments made and depending on the language used, the issues noted, and the tone of the piece I get a fair idea of whether a book is for me or not. A nasty review isn't necessarily the kiss of death. Sometimes it is the opposite. Give us some credit for being able to read between the lines (cos that's what good readers do) - a review isn't the last and only word.

Songs of experience...

Following the announcement that Ted Dawe's YA novel Into the River had won top prize at the NZ Post Children's Book Awards a few weeks back, commentators emerged denouncing the book for it's graphic content, saying our teens shouldn't be reading about sex and drugs in a book littered with swear words. We must protect the innocent they cried. NZ Post judge Bernard Beckett and writer Emma Neale both gave smart, rational arguments in favour of the book and its award winning credentials.

But as the mother of three, two of whom are still teens (Happy 20th Elora) and as an author of books for children and teens I too have a few thoughts on the topic. I would also like to point out I once was a child and a teen myself. I applaud books for teens that are well written and keep them reading. I applaud books for teens that tackle difficult issues of identity and growing up. I defend the rights of those who choose not to read a book but I do not believe they have the right to make that choice for all other readers in the intended demographic. A book is easily left closed on the shelf.

I love my children more than I can say. I want them to do well, to be happy, to be safe. My heart bleeds for them when things don't go well for them; when they are disappointed or brokenhearted, suffering, hurt or frustrated. But folks all I can do for them is arm them with the tools they will need to negotiate what life throws at them. One of my children recently had a major disappointment. I wanted to take her pain away. To give her the thing she wanted so much. But that would be wrong. If my children go through life only seeing a rose-coloured world, where they always get what they strive for, are never told no, and never know disappointment or loss, how will they survive as adults? A world where sex is always like a romantic movie, and a hangover is just a hilarious premise for a successful onscreen trilogy, where someone will smooth over the consequences of whatever mistakes are made - gives an incomplete understanding of how to navigate the real world. Having some strategies for dealing with the downsides of mistakes, for managing loss, anger, frustration and sadness are essential. No one gets through life without experiencing these. As an author my strategies for dealing with disappointments and rejection are regularly exercised. I would be a monumental mess if I didn't know how to deal with it. I learnt some strategies from my own life but some I learned from the books I read. This is why books that reveal the messiness of life are essential for our teens. The books that talk about some of the harsher aspects of growing up; that show others dealing with difficulties and getting through to the other side, are so important.

Teens are adults in training. I think it's useful if they understand how the adult world works before they get there.

To my wonderful chums in the chasm...

I think the NZ Post Children's Book Awards are in good hands this year if this post by convenor Bernard Beckett is anything to go by. I had to laugh at the use of the masochist/sadist story - very apropos for book awards. And he's right I think. We might disagree on our favourites but most would agree on what reaches a good/the best standard. I have some books in contention but I am not overly hopeful. Its hard not to fall into that middle territory between not quite good enough for awards but not populist enough for commercial success. That middle territory always looks like a yawning chasm to me.

In my last post I bleated about some books that rode a tsunami of commercial success and yet were full of writerly annoyances. Things that I am repeatedly advised by blogging agents, editors and others should be fixed before an author even breathes in the direction of an agent, or publisher. One of the things that shocked me most as I stumbled for the umpteenth time over a missed editing opportunity was the fact that these books were agented and published by experienced industry professionals. Why didn't these professionals address any of the sloppiness or awkward technique? And what should I take from this?

In the end I take from it that publishing is an industry full of contradictions and exceptions. And being an author messes with your mind. Fifi Colston said it very well here. All the sparkly bits that the public perceive as being part of the creative life, all the things we dream of and hope for: the hordes of devoted fans, the soirees, the awards, the riches, the residencies, the festival invitations and the associated travel, are ephemeral, if they happen at all. We are all just usually huddling in the chasm together: despite the amazing talent and the hard work, the sweat, the tears and frustrations that you will find there. We keep trying to climb a little higher on the beautiful stories and illustrations that we are creating. But whatever else happens it is the fantastic company in the chasm that keeps me going and saves my sanity. Thanks chums