I’m approaching my ninth month as a book reviewer, even though it doesn’t feel like it and I’ve been reflecting a lot on my blog and book reviewing in general.  It wasn’t until I saw this article on The Perpetual Page-Turner that I realized a lot of other reviewers experience the same things.  Well, here are my confessions:

1.  There are times when I don’t want to get out of bed, let alone write a review.

I love writing reviews and when I really love a book, writing a review is easy.  However, when there are mixed elements in a book it’s hard to write a review.  You have to balance out the good and the bad and say why certain aspects were bad.  Writing-wise, it’s much more difficult than to gush, but it needs to be done.  I owe it to my readers and the author to write a fair review, but that doesn’t make it any easier to write when I have writer’s block.  There are some days when I don’t even want to get out of bed to go to work and make money, let alone write a review for fun.

I go through the occasional period of writing trouble and feel under-appreciated; I’m not ashamed to admit that.  But then I get that one comment that makes my day and gives me new motivation to write through the good and bad times.  It’s comments that expand upon the article, promote discussion and show that someone appreciates what I’m doing that give me the motivation to keep writing every day.  To some it may seem pathetic, but it’s that occasional thoughtful comment that makes my day, especially when I’ve had a long day at work. Continue reading →