Mind vomit: my state of mind just after I've read a book. My brain is filled with thoughts about why I did or didn't like the book, and I need to release them. I either chatter about the story and overload someone else's brain with information un-useful to them, or I write a review. I've been doing a lot of the latter recently.
Reviewing solidifies my opinions about the story. I often read others' reviews after I've finished a book, to compare thoughts, but it's damaging to my own opinion if I haven't recorded it beforehand. What I originally thought shifts to align closer with the reviewer's. I don't like being so easily swayed, and setting my opinions down on paper anchors me to them.
On Goodreads.com, reviewing regularly also gives me a greater chance of winning free books. The site holds drawings for advanced reader copies, or ARCs, in hopes of getting favorable reviews before publication. (It helps book sales.) They have a limited supply of the book they're giving away, so they want it to fall into the hands of someone who will review. Therefore, the more reviews I write, the better chance I have at getting books before they hit shelves. (Which is totally crazy and awesome and cool, and I would probably fangirl about it, maybe.)
The greatest thing writing reviews does is that it helps my own writing. An author once said that a writer escapes with a book every moment he has the chance. A writer who doesn't read is like a composer who doesn't listen to music. Or a painter who doesn't visit art galleries. What do painters and composers also do? They analyze the music; they examine the paintings. They determine what could have been done better. When I review, I identify what I like and don't like about the story. Then I know what to avoid and what to strive for as I write.
Mind vomit: something that could be useless and annoying to others. But if channeled the right way, it can help me create a story worth while to anyone.
This reviewing writer,
Janelle
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