Brian’s
Comments
(group member since Mar 05, 2019)
Brian’s
comments
from the Get Reviews! group.
Showing 21-35 of 35
Hey guys -Great work and innovative thinking! Due to life and work constraints, I can't give more detailed feedback right now, but it's really heartening to see how much thoughtful consideration our group members are giving to this discussion. The more options we can offer to potential reviewers, the better, especially since the suggestions you've come up with seem to address most of your initial concerns.
If only certain world leaders could display such leadership.
Thanks to both KS for that take on Review Group and Robert's response to it. Needless to say, there's much to think about.It seems that in any group that solicits reviews, the main problem lies in establishing rules, or more specifically, seeing that they're enforced. And you can either have a set-up that is designed to be inclusive, with such policing taking place late in the process (a la Review Group), or one that screens potential members more diligently, in the hopes of avoiding future hassles (a la Get Reviews).
Of the two, I would tend to favor the latter. It puts a lot less strain on the moderators, who are the overworked heroes in either system, and a few simple guidelines such as requiring a pay-it-forward review as a requirement for entry would do much to scare off the riff-raff. As for the issue of genre reviews, it seems to me that both groups allow for a certain amount of self-selection, and would furthermore argue that reading outside our comfort zone on occasion would make us all better authors.
As for the question of what works best, a daisy chain or a round robin, I feel our current system works well as it without overburdening the moderators. And please forward my admiration for the mods in Review Group. The thought of checking for reciprocal reviews in any group that large sounds extremely daunting.
From my perspective, the only problem our group currently faces is how to recruit new members, since we are, in effect, running a Ponzi that constantly needs to be fed. Considering how many indie authors are out there, the pool is potentially huge, with the trick being how to separate the wheat from the chafe, the good actors from the bad. If my life ever calms down in the near future (medically induced coma anyone?) I'd like to get a handle on how Goodreads members hear about groups like ours, and how to increase our presence.
Hey -Sorry I've been scarce. The curse of the day job.
First off, thanks to Allen. It sounds like you want to pursue your own endeavors at this point, and best of luck with those. If at some point in the future you decide you'd rather consider a collaborative effort, then you know where to find us.
As to David's post, yes, it would seem that broadening our outreach would be the easiest way to increase group membership. That said, I have no idea how many like-minded groups are out there, and we obviously want to screen out the riff-raff if possible. Once my seasonal work load calms down, I'd be willing to get a list together of potential partners. And if anyone has any suggestions as to how best to compile such a list, any guidance would of course be appreciated.
Greetings!Michael and I have been bouncing a few emails back and forth, and he suggested there might be merit in beginning a new discussion. Let's call it Blood, New and Old.
As brilliant as our current daisy-chain review system may seem, it carries an inherent flaw: unless we continuously add new members to the group, we will eventually reach a point where any review will be a reciprocal review, thereby violating Big A's rules.
So what's the problem? Just find new members. But apparently it's not that simple, and a whooping percentage of those who sign up can't seem to abide by our rules, thus creating all sorts of trouble for our poor overworked mods.
Thus my question is this: do we need to have a group discussion to address our long-term health, or do plug along like always and simply hope for the best? I can see advantages in either course, and, like the rest of you, would rather spend my time writing books than being buried alive in chit-chat.
Please share your thoughts.
Brian
Here's my review of The Sword's Choice: The Sapphire Eruptionhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For what it's worth, I just posted a review of "Get High on Confidence" by Chad Scott but can't get the link to stick.
Here be my review of Jonathon Munros:Ian Miller knows how the world works, which makes him an intriguing author. But what’s even better, he knows how the world doesn’t work, which makes him an entertaining one as well. As a result, while reading his novel Jonathon Munros, we’re constantly reminded of what screw-ups we all are. That it’s humanity’s own flaws—our ignorance, indifference and greed—that have always been, and always will be, our ultimate enemy.
Set in a late 2200’s, the book begins by establishing that its title character is an unredeemable cad, only to then pose a question: what if this deeply flawed human were to serve as the template for a self-replicating race of super-powered androids? The answer, it turns out, is that mankind would respond in kind, trading in noble heroics for corporate intrigue, political machinations, and the age-old art of covering one’s ass. No, it’s not a pretty picture, but it is an accurate one, as well suited for a world of Trump and Brexit as it is for some imagined future.
But lest you think it’s all doom and gloom, be prepared for the book’s lighter touches. Beneath Miller’s scathing reportage lurks a wicked sense of humor, a delight in admitting that our foibles and failures are part of what makes us human, and the key as well to defeating the android menace he so convincingly evokes. And though the final resolve is too rounded, too nuanced, to qualify as “happy”, it still provides hope that despite all our bungling, we’ll eventually reach the stars
Here's my review of "Of Mice and Money". Thanks for a good time, Ms. Morris.Reading the first few chapters of Winifred Morris’s “Of Mice and Money” was like diving into a fru-fru drink. One of those vaguely tropical numbers served up in a bathtub-sized glass, with scads of crushed ice, and big chunks of fruit, and the requisite paper umbrella. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sometimes you want light and refreshing, especially on a hot summer day. Or at least until the room starts spinning, and you suddenly realize; this thing packs a punch.
Maybe the tip-off was when we discover that our heroine Kiva holds a fondness for the Ramones. Or perhaps it’s the fact that this tale of international drug running is set in a sleepy, secluded sneeze of a town in rural eastern Oregon. The snippets of raw humor. Surprising moments of grace. We soon realize that both Kiva and her author refuse to be pigeonholed. That what at first seems like a lighthearted romp has in fact a much deeper agenda.
Our first clue is the arrival of Amy, Kiva’s estranged daughter, looking, it seems, to settle old scores, or maybe just open old wounds. Followed in turn by an unexpected visit from Kiva’s own parents, itinerant hippies now roaming the land in a patchouli-scented Gulf Stream. Unexpectedly caught between two generations, Kiva can’t help but see her own failings. The way that she’s let everyone down, especially herself.
In conveying these truths, Morris never grows heavy-handed or maudlin. The story still bubbles along. But nonetheless we soon realize that the real prize Kiva seeks isn’t the missing truckload of Thai sticks, or the money she stole from her ex, but just a chance to start over. To find a house that’s finally level, a man who will ring true, and to catch a glimpse, so long denied, of what family really means.
Kathleen -First off, do you prefer Kathy or Kathleen? Much of my life has revolved around K(C)athys, so you're in good company.
As to the SF book, I have a writer-friend who thinks it still needs some tweaking, and so I'm bowing to his wisdom. Hope to get it out there sometime this spring. Title is Choosing the Dark. And you're right - the juxtaposition of Garcia and Sinatra says just about everything you can about the evolution of American popular music. I just don't know if I have the wherewithal to pull it off. Then again, nothing ventured . . .
Hey Y'all -So a couple months back I finished my latest. Was supposed to be a dark coming-of-age set in 80's San Francisco. Punks and Goths. HIV. A jolly time being had by all. But then the damn thing decided it was being too gloomy and somehow turned into a tale of second chances and redemption. What's a mother to do? Beat it back into submission or figure The Book knows best? Feel free to respond with advice.
In the meantime, I'm puttering around with another music-themed novel, albeit a lighter one. The Grateful Dead meet the Rat Pack. Be there when worlds collide!
Kathleen wrote: "Feel like sharing? What is your current work-in-progress? Is it going well or are you slaving over every word? Are you deep into it or are you staring at a blank screen looking for that right openi..."
