Last weekend, I spent most of my free time on the screened-back porch reading, sipping on mint green tea, and listening to the birds sing their harmonious song. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the weekend. I was right where I needed to be and the time spent also gave me new reflections on matters of story-telling and writing I’ve been thinking on of late.

For me, I’m finding there needs to be a balance of reading and writing. Maybe it is so for other people. I know I want to be more deliberate with my writing and take more time on fine tuning my thoughts on paper or typing. Like writing book reviews, for example. Writing reviews is an art form and I want to spend more time in developing a more structured, concise and enticing summary of my thoughts on stories. Not all stories I read inspire me to do so or at times, I find myself just wanting to get the job done for whatever reason I’m feeling. Maybe it is because I’m a mood reader? That is not where I want to be in my journey of writing book reviews. Being honest with my struggles on the endeavor and admitting I need to do better at writing reviews is the first step.

I tend to absorb reading books at a fast pace- at times, and I make reviewing goals that quite frankly, aren’t sustaining and that is largely part of the problem. Slowing down would be best, though it can be hard when a story grabs you and swallows you whole. Maybe it is not that part that needs slowing down. Spending more time with writing the review and not rushing is the direction to follow. I’m usually reflecting on a story as I’m reading anyway. Hmm…

It’s funny, I know the ends and outs of writing book reviews and I take notes. Sometimes, I take pages and pages of notes. Alas, oftentimes, I’m not addressing or reflecting all the key questions to ask myself while sitting down to write the review. My goodness, that was hard to openly admit. It is time to step out of the boundaries I’ve been stuck in too often and do something amazing. One has to keep growing as a writer after-all.

Another thought is that authors deserve the reviewers best when it comes to critiquing the their work. Not only that, reviews are for the readers you are writing to and readers should know if they want to read the book or not based on your analysis of the story.

Do you oftentimes have the same struggles when it come to writing book reviews? Do you want to do a better job? Do you want to grow in your craft of writing book reviews or writing in general?

Stephanie