What Red Read: How long between the reading and the reviewing?

Monday, July 25, 2011

How long between the reading and the reviewing?

She forgot post-its don't require staples...

Normally when I write a review I have just finished reading the book. I may have recently started the next one, but the first book is still fresh in my mind. Not this time. My computer vacation meant that I had reading time without immediate writing time and thus I'm doing these reviews* after some time has passed. I know a lot of people let some time pass between the reading and the writing to let the book percolate and really gather their thoughts. This sounds very mature and intelligent and a sure way to get well thought-out, well-rounded post. I never do this and I don't think I have the chops to. I am almost comically absent-minded** and out-of-sight-out-of-mind is entirely true for me.

So what do you do? Do you have to get your thoughts down immediately? Do you let some time pass? Maybe you write down your initial thoughts, put it aside and then after some time has passed write a review? What do you do if you end up way behind on your writing?

*This post began with me writing a review of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and ended up being this. Because procrastinating on writing by writing something else is a special level of avoiding the responsibilities I have put on myself.

**Unless the topic is obscure pop culture references. I am all about those because my head is jammed with them instead of actual facts. Means I rock at bar trivia and can't for the life of me remember what I just walked into the kitchen for.

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Trish · 711 weeks ago

I almost always post within hours of finishing a book and then, if needed, come back and post again with a follow-up a few days later.

1 reply · active 711 weeks ago

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Laura · 711 weeks ago

I sort of try to do it just after reading, but I almost always get distracted and end up having like 3 reviews to write at once and just not doing any of them... like right now, for example! But I don't do any of that thoughts maturing stuff, that just sounds too much like a clever person's idea to me...

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Jennifer · 711 weeks ago

My plan is generally to write the review the day after I finish and, if possible, before I start the next book. This works approximately 5% of the time. The rest of the time I procrastinate, start new books, forget, and then check Wikipedia to make sure I have the facts straight. Sometimes it's worse than others. For example, I still haven't written a review of Almost Moon, which I finished in December, or Neverwhere, which I listened to on audiobook sometime before that. Those are not going to happen. Right now I think I'm just sitting on one audiobook and the movie version of Never Let Me Go, which I watched a month ago. Oops!

3 replies · active 711 weeks ago

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Sarah · 711 weeks ago

I'm all over the place when it comes to reviews. For instance I have three books that I need to review right now that I've been done with for weeks, I'm just lacking the motivation to get it done. My reviews tend to be more objective when I wait, though, so I guess it isn't that bad of a thing.

I love that you put off a review to write this post. It makes me truly very happy. I do that all the time.

1 reply · active 711 weeks ago

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Ben · 711 weeks ago

My ideal time is three days. Gives me time to mull things over. I rarely can nail it though. it goes from one to seven days.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Biblibio · 711 weeks ago

I've never defined a specific range for myself and so I've found that it constantly shifts. There are some books that beg me to immediately spit out my impressions while others say, "Shh, take your time..."

My head tells me that it's always better to wait a while, but there is a limit. Sometimes it takes months to realize that a book has successfully wriggled its way into your head and rather than being the "meh" book you thought it was originally, it's actually a pretty excellent book. Other times it takes twelve seconds to realize, "Holy wow, this is awesome!" Sadly (or, wonderfully), there is no consistency. Mostly I try to wait at least a week to see how I feel but sometimes it takes a little longer. And sometimes there's even need for an amendment... how could I have known?

4 replies · active 711 weeks ago

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Brenna · 711 weeks ago

I try to write a review within 24 hours of finishing the book while it's fresh in my head. If I do start the review in the first few hours after I finish the book I always wait until at least the next day to finish it so I can let my ideas sink in. The exception to this when I finish books on vacation.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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David · 711 weeks ago

I normally start reviewing a book shortly after I begin reading it, just to get some of the basic things down, like what the story's plot starts out as...essentially a short paragraph which could is similar to what the blurb on a dustjacket is like.

Then, if I can tell how the book is going there on, I'll write down some observations and maybe a note or two about things I'd want to talk about.

When I finish reading the book, I usually write part of the review right away (if I'm near a computer and have time) or just let it sit for a few days or even weeks. I find that my strongest emotions towards a book are either right around the time I finish reading it, so I like to wait awhile before totally finishing the review. That may I don't give a 5 rating to a book that, upon reflect, was just kinda ok and not super amazing (or vice versa.)

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Read_Handed 78p · 711 weeks ago

I don't formally "review" books, but I like to write posts about books either while I'm reading them or just after I've finished them. That way, the plot and characters are fresh in my mind. When I read a book, my entire being is in that book, so if I wait to long to write about it, I no longer feel connected to it because I'm absorbed in a new book. Of course, I don't usually aim to give an honest, unbiased opinion of books, but rather to discuss some of the issues that come up in the book, or things that come to mind for me when I read it.

4 replies · active 711 weeks ago

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sadmachine 38p · 711 weeks ago

I usually write my reviews within a couple days of finishing the book, but sometimes I'm not able to or I'm too lazy. I had planned to put up reviews of Olivia Manning's The Balkan Trilogy and Obreht's The Tiger's Wife, but I finished both just before I went home and never got them up. I may still do one for Tiger's Wife since the book's on my kindle...but since it's been over a month since I read it, I'm not sure I'll be able to come up with anything. Like you, I'm pretty absent-minded; sometimes I forget the names of characters while I'm reading.

3 replies · active 711 weeks ago

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Diane · 711 weeks ago

I'm way way behind on my reviews, but I keep a journal as I read which helps with the reviews.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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tony · 711 weeks ago

I can't remember. ;)

1 reply · active 711 weeks ago

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@TangledUpJess · 711 weeks ago

I always have to write a review right after I've finished a book, and I have to do it before I start the next book or I get distracted. The only time I wait a little is if I haven't exactly figured out my feelings about a book...and then I'll usually take a shower or something and flesh them out.

1 reply · active less than 1 minute ago

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Monday, July 25, 2011

How long between the reading and the reviewing?

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