Sometimes, have a "good" idea is just a gateway to having a better one. Three weeks ago, I decided to include to half-point to my reviews, which I thought would reflect my thoughts on a book or a movie with more accuracy. I was wrong. It's still as convoluted and unsatisfying as ever.
After brainstorming with several longtime readers, I found something out. Nobody really cared about the score. That's flattering because it means the content is always being read after all (whenever it's clicked on!) So if score doesn't really matter, how do I give my support to books/movies I dig the most?
You might have noticed yesterday the BADASS stamp of approval under my review of STOKER. Thanks to my friend/reader/successful thriller writer Jennifer Hillier who gave me the idea by alluding to Kirkus' starred reviews system. It's simple, not binding (like Chuck's badass jeans) and it kills the dreaded, inaccurate Three Stars ranking.
So what do you need to do to be CERTIFIED BADASS? There is this trigger that differentiates the good from the great. If you can involve me emotionally or intellectually in your book to the point I start reading compulsively, you're badass to me. It has to be doubtless, because doubts aren't badass. So no more Star Rankings, either you're badass or you're not.