"Criticism is easy to do, but rarely worth listening to, mostly because it's so easy to do."
~ Seth Godin

If you're bent on writing a scathing review here's a piece of advice: have someone else read it before you post it, or you might end up looking like an idiot.

Case in point . . . I received a review on Goodreads the other day from a disgruntled reader who wasn't happy with my latest release, Brentwood's Ward. The big grump was all about the clothes on the cover model because the reader thought it looked like she was wearing a kid's coat. Uh . . . no. That "kid's coat" is called a spencer and was all the rage in Regency England, making the model's clothing period appropriate. Chalk up a point for the amateur hack who wrote that review.

Critical reviews are a necessary part of the literary game and are useful for authors to grow in their writing skill. But (and I've always got a big but) writing a critical review takes a bit of finesse. Here are some pointers so the next time you feel you need to point out shortcomings in a book, you won't look like a fool.

5 Things to Do When Writing a Disparaging Review

1. Attack the writing, not the writer.
If you feel the writing is schlocky, using way too much telling versus showing, employing an overkill of adverbs, or whatever, then go ahead and say so. But don't go beating up the author by calling them ugly names or slurring their mother. It's the writing you didn't like, not the writer.

2. Be honest and fair.
Okay, so you hated the hero and went into a rage because the dog got killed off. But if you really think about it, you did kind of like the plot twist at the end. Don't just be a hater. Be fair and say what you liked as well.

3. Be humble.
Writing and reading are subjective. What you think is a stinker of a tale is another reader's favorite. Newsflash: you are not God. State your opinion in a winsome manner.

4. Be specific.
Sweeping statements aren't useful to the author or to other readers. What exactly did you not like about the book? Spell it out.

5. Edit.
If your review is full of grammar or spelling errors, no one will take it seriously.

There you have it. Follow those rules next time you must blast a book so you don't end up looking like an amateur hack.