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This may seem pretty odd coming from a reviewer, but I genuinely believe that reading reviews for anything you're generally interested in before starting is a terrible idea. Doing so can really ruin a show or book you would've otherwise loved. People like to think that their opinion is their opinion and no one else's thoughts can interfere, but that's not true. As humans, what we do and think is both directly and indirectly affected by others.
If you go on Amazon and read five reviews that all say that the plot is weak and the characterization is bad, you'll start that book with those reviews constantly circulating in your head. You'll start looking for instances of bad characterization and weak plot. And what if you actually like the characters and the plot in spite of all the bad things people had to say about the book?
When that happens to me, I feel like maybe I'm missing something, like maybe my judgement is lacking and I just can't tell the difference between what's good and what's bad...but then I realize that reviews are highly subjective. Even the most intelligent, experienced reviewer is only a judge of what's 'good and bad' based on their opinions.
I'm fully aware of how subjective reviews are, but they still ruin books and shows for me if I read them beforehand. Once the other opinions are already in my mind, it's too late. No matter how aware I am, my thoughts are never fully my own.
Reviews are best read after you've finished, not before. How do you feel about reviews? Do you read them before or after? Do they negatively or positively impact your decisions?
If you go on Amazon and read five reviews that all say that the plot is weak and the characterization is bad, you'll start that book with those reviews constantly circulating in your head. You'll start looking for instances of bad characterization and weak plot. And what if you actually like the characters and the plot in spite of all the bad things people had to say about the book?
When that happens to me, I feel like maybe I'm missing something, like maybe my judgement is lacking and I just can't tell the difference between what's good and what's bad...but then I realize that reviews are highly subjective. Even the most intelligent, experienced reviewer is only a judge of what's 'good and bad' based on their opinions.
I'm fully aware of how subjective reviews are, but they still ruin books and shows for me if I read them beforehand. Once the other opinions are already in my mind, it's too late. No matter how aware I am, my thoughts are never fully my own.
Reviews are best read after you've finished, not before. How do you feel about reviews? Do you read them before or after? Do they negatively or positively impact your decisions?
I agree all the way!
"When that happens to me, I feel like maybe I'm missing something, like maybe my judgement is lacking and I just can't tell the difference between what's good and what's bad."
That's exactly how I feel. I start to doubt my own opinions, which is totally stupid. I don't read reviews now unless I've finished the book and already formed my own opinion.
When I start self-publishing and traditionally publishing books, I wonder if I'm going to be compelled to read the reviews. I have a bad feeling that, especially when I start, I will be, and that it'll get bad for me pretty quickly. Whenever I realize that something I've worked on or that I'm being judged, I panic a little and pull away. It's a problem I'll definitely need to get together.