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JAB
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After asking advice on a different topic board about why my chapters keep getting removed from other's assignment list, I was told that fantasy or horror has a lesser following due to its specificness in genre. Has anyone else who writes stories of this nature had any problems with getting reviews carried out? Please help
JAB
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RobertB
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I never used to, but since the end of last year it's become a problem. I don't get it, why the change? I was thinking it was something to do with my book, but evidently not. It's a pity if people are rejecting work because of the genre. There shouldn't be any need, since whatever genre it is, it's going to be judged on pretty much the same things.
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Athene
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Sorry, Robert, but I think you're wrong. Just to take a small example, how can I judge whether a vampire character is well drawn or not? I think all vampires are unutterably silly. So since I can't distinguish between a brilliantly written vampire character and a poorly written vampire character, how can I tell the writer anything uselful about his/her characterisations? And how can I give an appropriate score for Character? Incidentally, this is not to say that I believe all vampire literature is rubbish. It's just to say that I personally find it terribly silly, and for that reason I wouldn't dream of judging it formally in a review. It simply wouldn't be fair. In any case, life's too short to read stuff you probably won't like when there's so much to read that you probably will like. I am doing writers of Fantasy, Horror, Vampires and Chicklit and favour by not reviewing them, even if it may mean they have to wait a little bit longer for a review.
This post was last edited by Athene, 06 Mar 2010, 22:58
Scias te fortasse Romanum esse si animal convivialissimum arbitreris esse caprum (Henricus Barbatus) my website
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Marita Hansen
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Quote: JAB, Saturday, 6 Mar 2010 19:15After asking advice on a different topic board about why my chapters keep getting removed from other's assignment list, I was told that fantasy or horror has a lesser following due to its specificness in genre. Has anyone else who writes stories of this nature had any problems with getting reviews carried out? Please help I had a six day period of no reviews, then I had two in a row. You were my second (Thank you-it is appreciated). It may take a bit longer than short stories, but it still happens. Good luck. Marita.
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JAB
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thanks for responding, guys. however, as I believe it unfair to dismiss a book simply for its genre, i have, myself, reviewed mostly books of genre's I wouldn't normally read. There is plenty more to review them on, like how well they are written, the dialogue, the plot. Not all fantasy novels are your run-of-the-mill stuff. Mine most certainly aren't. My first novel is a bit of a romance based from the point of view of a fairly dizzy character, and the story just happens to have a bit of a supernatural twist to it. I purposefully write them this way to make them more appealing to readers who wouldn't usually select this genre.
JAB
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icagal
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Quote: JAB, Sunday, 7 Mar 2010 10:11thanks for responding, guys. however, as I believe it unfair to dismiss a book simply for its genre, i have, myself, reviewed mostly books of genre's I wouldn't normally read. There is plenty more to review them on, like how well they are written, the dialogue, the plot. Not all fantasy novels are your run-of-the-mill stuff. Mine most certainly aren't. My first novel is a bit of a romance based from the point of view of a fairly dizzy character, and the story just happens to have a bit of a supernatural twist to it. I purposefully write them this way to make them more appealing to readers who wouldn't usually select this genre. Hi, I'm new to the website and I love the supernatural/fantasy genre. I will certainly give your books a go as they sound just like the sort of thing I love.
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RobertB
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Werewolves aren't my thing either, neither is romance. I won't reject either if I'm assigned them. A well drawn character is a well drawn character; if the werewolf spends all their time wereing (or whatever the term is; I've never met one to ask), and you feel you don't know anything about them, mark them down. Same if your romantic lover spends all their time getting their drawers down and you never see inside their head. If you reject a story because it's not your thing, do you do so as soon as you see it, or do you just leave it sitting till it disappears?
This post was last edited by RobertB, 07 Mar 2010, 13:36
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Athene
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Quote: JAB, Sunday, 7 Mar 2010 10:11thanks for responding, guys. however, as I believe it unfair to dismiss a book simply for its genre, i have, myself, reviewed mostly books of genre's I wouldn't normally read. There is plenty more to review them on, like how well they are written, the dialogue, the plot. Not all fantasy novels are your run-of-the-mill stuff. Mine most certainly aren't. My first novel is a bit of a romance based from the point of view of a fairly dizzy character, and the story just happens to have a bit of a supernatural twist to it. I purposefully write them this way to make them more appealing to readers who wouldn't usually select this genre. You're missing the point, JAB. I'm not dismissing your book: I'm actually trying to be fair to you by deciding that I'm unlikely to have anything very helpful to say about it, since I am not, by any stretch of the imagination, part of your target audience. The plot? The most recent fantasy synopsis I saw on YWO had me almost crying with laughter. But who knows? Maybe to a fantasy fan, it would sound exciting and new. The point is I don't know. So who am I to give it a score? Dialogue? Is Sword and Sorcery forsoothery good or bad? I think it's dreadful, but presumably Sword & Sorcery fans think it's great. So how do I tell if one particular writer is doing it well or badly? The language? Well, yes, I can confidently assess the accuracy of the grammar, spelling and punctuation of a fantasy novel; but that's all I could do (and incidentally I'd mark you down for that horrible Grocer's Apostrophe ...). But I couldn't tell you whether or not the language is appropriate. Do you really want me to waste your reading credit telling you how good or bad your basic language skills are, and just guessing about every other aspect of your work? You'll do far better being reviewed by someone who understands, and enjoys, the sort of thing you're trying to write, and so can tell you whether or not you're succeeding. Most writers surely want to know whether their work will appeal to their target audience, and how to improve that appeal. If the reviewer doesn't know what the target audience wants, how can s/he answer that question? When you have a rather specialised genre like this, you need to be patient, and wait for reviewers who know and understand it. They are the people best placed to help you to write better in that genre.
Scias te fortasse Romanum esse si animal convivialissimum arbitreris esse caprum (Henricus Barbatus) my website
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JAB
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Please beware; I have received a rather vindictive review for one of my books today - one that was totally unnecessary and paints a bad picture of my work if anyone should read it prior to review. The member who wrote it only joined today and has no work on here of their own. Just thought I'd put out the warning in case it happens to someone else.
JAB
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Temperance
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Hey Jab. As it is a Free Will review you can remove it whenever you want. I agree it's a little sarcastic in tone but not having read the piece I can't comment on whether the points Paya makes are worth considering. If Paya is correct in saying the answers to the questions are not in the text then that is something you would do well to remedy asap or readers will continue to fail the test and you won't get reviews. Tempy
This post was last edited by Temperance, 07 Mar 2010, 16:15
Everyone has a price - mine is chocolate Chocolate is important.
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fantasy readers/werewolf lovers: do you exist?
06 Mar 2010, 19:15
