Nancy Pearl, a woman with her own action figure, confirms my long-held suspicion that librarians are a superior form of life by giving Icebergs an excellent review on KUOW /Seattle's The Beat program on Monday. If you listen in, fast-forward to 36:30 on the timer to get to the goods.
Also, my new favorite blog, on the life of a new author... by English novelist Naomi Alderman, discusses the way reviews have a peculiar effect on writers, which of course I am just now discovering myself:
We discussed, in particular, how a single bad line in an otherwise wonderful review resonates a hundred times louder than any line of praise - which I've certainly found myself. I wonder if this is because writers are more insecure than other people? Or would anyone feel this, if their performance reviews from their jobs were published in the press? It does have a positive effect, though, at least for me. Once I've got over the initial shock of someone producing any criticism of my book, I've found it's made me work harder and to greater effect. There's something freeing about criticism - it allows you to try new things instead of sticking to the same old ones in search of the same dog-bone of praise. So, while the horror might be unspeakable, I haven't found it utterly pointless.
In the few reviews I've had so far, I recall with imperfect clarity the lines of praise but repeat to myself with dead-eyed precision the line or two of criticism the reviewer sneaks in. And then there is the one terrible review, which unfortunately was my first. To quote Tod Goldberg, the review was actually "a mitzvah, because they could have come over to my house and kicked me in the nuts."
Well, okay, but you get the idea.
As more reviews come in, and as I learn to absorb critcism without resorting to self-immolation, I hope I can take Naomi's words to heart and learn to use bad reviews to force me to work harder, work smarter, stretch my abilities. For me, this is less about the search for praise, because there will always be people to whom my work is less than compelling, than it is about the need for innovation. Already I can see the ways in which the new book feels like a challenge to me, and I need that. If I simply rewrote the first book with similar characters and situations, I'm sure I would bore myself silly and have to stop before I even got off the ground.
So thank you, anonymous cranky reviewer, for that brave kick in the gut. It was exactly what I needed.
Oh, I love Nancy Pearl and I have the action figure!
Libarians are a superior form of life? Wow... I'll tell my classmates!
Seriously, though, it's very interesting to read about your experiences. I guess I never gave much thought to the writer on the other side of the reviews.
We actually talked a little about book reviewing in my reference services class and the professor encouraged us to get involved in reviewing, if it was an area we were interested in.
I'm not sure what my point is here... just excited about Nancy Pearl. :) I have a picture of my action figure on my blog if you're interested. (http://cindylu322.blogspot.com/2005/02/super-cool-birthday-present.html)
Posted by: Cindy | May 04, 2006 at 03:10 PM
That URL got messed up - just take the parenthesis off the end.
Posted by: Cindy | May 04, 2006 at 03:14 PM
Thank you for this! (I found it via my "referrers" page.)
I must say, though, that you're more noble than me - there's definitely a positive side to getting bad reviews, but I don't feel gratitude toward the reviewers. In fact, I have little fantasies in which I encounter them at a post-shul service kiddush and oh, whoops, manage accidentally to stab them in the back of the hand with a cocktail stick while going for the last piece of fried gefilte.
It's just like "love the sinner hate the sin". Er. Except the other way round. "Appreciate the review, loathe the reviewer."
In any case, I'm no saint ;-).
Posted by: naomialderman | May 04, 2006 at 05:12 PM
Thanks for stopping by, Naomi. How nice that you found me so soon.
Actually that last line wasn't at all meant to be serious, but the dripping sarcasm you'd hear in my voice isn't audible online. I'm new to blogging and will have to work on that. Really, I spent the week sick in bed after that review and fantasizing about stuffing a banana up the reviewer's tailpipe or stealing his firstborn. But your piece gave me hope that I can have another bad review someday and still recover, to my own benefit and the writing's. So thanks for that.
Also, congratulations on your Orange Prize nomination. Wonderful news.
Posted by: Rebecca Johns | May 04, 2006 at 05:58 PM
This will be incredibly helpful to me when I finally finish my book and (hopefully) get it published. I will need it to help deal with the criticism also! And a banana up the tailpipe isn't such a bad idea :)
Posted by: Brenda | May 05, 2006 at 08:35 AM
Fuck the bad review--I finally (after haranguing you so mercilessly for a copy and then letting it sit and gather dust while I selfishly indulged in legal entanglements) finished Icebergs and may I just say? I am SO HUGELY FLATTERED that you read my former blog and found any merit in it at all. That you found me worthy of emailing. That you would have wanted to meet me, had I not had to blow through IC so unexpectedly fast. That you PERSONALLY sent me a copy (although you forgot to SIGN it, dumbass, and even WITH all of those excess hormones coursing through your system there is NO excuse--I pointed this out to G. as a classic example of why it should have been ME, because if roles were reversed? I'd be signing everything in sight). You suck at fame. But you're going to have to work on that, because I have a feeling you're going to be the friend whose name I drop to everyone who will listen as your star continues to rise, until it becomes exceedingly tiresome. And then, despite the restraining orders, I'll keep on running my mouth to the tabloids, to my mother, to anyone and everyone, until we're both old and gray and you've made the inevitable writerly foray into drink and been portrayed by Meredith Baxter Burney (who will, through science, still look merely middle-aged and be supplementing her Social Security income with Lifetime gigs even that far into the future) in the movie version of your life.
Aren't you glad you know me?
Posted by: Pygmalion's Wife | May 13, 2006 at 03:25 PM
And for fuck's sweet sake put me on your blogroll--I need the exposure and Pyg only reads G.'s site. Otherwise I'll be forced to start commenting on a regular basis :-)
Posted by: Pygmalion's Wife | May 13, 2006 at 03:27 PM