I'm not exactly new to this blogging thing anymore (though sometimes it feels like it), and I've begun to notice that I consistently have the same issues when I'm writing my reviews - and a lot of them are to do with my memory. You'd think that would encourage me to write my reviews a lot quicker than I do... Anyway, I'm thinking that maybe if I acknowledge these problems, I am one step on the way to fixing them...?
1. I struggle to remember character names
As you can imagine, this causes all kinds of problems. Sometimes, I get character names wrong and don't even realise it! I'm sure people may think this is a sign of not caring much about a character, but I swear that's not the case. Sometimes I forget the names of characters I love and it's awful and I feel so guilty.
2. I say the same things
You've probably noticed this one. I always say one of three things when I'm talking about my feelings on a book:
a) I really enjoyed this
b) I liked this
c) I didn't love this
With minor variations here and there.
3. I always doubt if I'm interpreting things correctly
This can stop me from sharing my thoughts on different aspects of a book. And to be honest, it shouldn't even be that much of a problem because I'm sure there are different ways for every book to be interpreted. Either way, it bothers me.
4. I'm often uncertain as to the order of events
I can never recall what happened first in a book. Okay, there are obvious parts that I will be able to place, but if I'm trying to remember whether the couple got together before or after the life changing event... it's just not going to happen. Also, the lines between books blur sometimes. For example, I can never remember if certain scenes happened in Divergent or Insurgent. When it comes to reviewing the book, this can be a problem.
5. I'm quick to forget exactly what happened in the end
Cliffhanger ending - who cares? Not me, because 2 hours later I've forgotten about it. This applies to TV shows too. The other week, I was supposed to be spoiling the finale of Revenge for some friends (because they'd stopped watching the series a while back), but it turned out I couldn't remember any details except how I felt about it (in case you're wondering, I loved it).
So that's 5 of my main problems when it comes to writing my reviews. Have you experienced any of them?
SAME. Also, that Finding Nemo gif is perfect ;) I suffer from bookish amnesia as well, and especially if the protagonist has a common name, I'll probably forget it (Unless I absolutely LOVED the book).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you think so!
DeleteI will have to use the "bookish amnesia" phrase more often - it definitely applies to me!
Common names make it worse, I agree.
Number 2 is such a big problem for me too!
ReplyDeleteAnd 3 as well... I think it's because it always bothered me when my teachers went too far in the interpretation of a book, some things are just the way they are because that's how the author saw them, and that's it. And when I review a novel, I'm scared of doing the same thing, so instead I just hold back and don't say it, even though maybe other people see it the same way. I don't know.
Great post! :)
I'm glad I'm not the only one.
DeleteYes I know exactly what you mean! I'm sure there's always got to be at least one other person out there who would interpret things the same way...
Thanks Constance!
I feel like I could have written this post myself hahaha however, if the cliffhanger got me like O___O I can remember it for a long time LOL another problem I have all the time is that I think I repeat myself a lot, using the same words and sentence-structures and it makes me feel self-conscious
ReplyDeleteHaha well I'm happy to hear I'm not alone. I don't think I have met anyone who doesn't hate cliffhangers lol. That's good that you can remember that stuff though.
DeleteI know what you mean about thinking you repeat yourself - I feel that way all the time too. I'm sure not many people notice it though.