How do you fix what you didn't know was broken? Sure, other people can point out it's broken, but until you see it for yourself, you still don't believe it.
Case in point...
I took some interesting criticism during my Secret Agent Contest entry last week. For now, we'll dismiss the obviously out there and address the two key points that seemed to be a running theme.
Point 1) From the first 250 words, it sounds like YA.
I don't see it. Sure, it starts on Jo's 18th birthday and she's a little immature (naturally), but this is the key focal point upon which rests the book - and the whole series if the other books ever see the light of day. For me, the reader needs to see where she was to understand where's she's gotten and why she reacts the way she does to the events that unfold.
Point 2) I started in the wrong place.
This one, I can kinda see. I'm notorious for starting in the wrong place anyway, so it's not surprising that I get this criticism again. How do you know what the right place is? I'm damned if I know because I've actually started this book in several different places and this one feels the most right.
Of course, it could be that I just need to shuffle a few things around in those 250 words to make it have more impact. Which I will look into. But ugh, I hate the thought of touching this manuscript again. If I had a nickle for every word I've rewritten on this thing, I could afford to self-publish. LOL
Of course, of course, it also could be that it's fine and those critters just needed to keep reading to see how awesome the beginning was.
But I doubt that's the case.
What about you? How good are you at recognizing when something is broken? When someone else points it out, are you all like 'well, duh, why didn't I see that' or are you more like 'what are you talking about... there's nothing wrong there.'?
And in case you missed it, Silver James wrote an awesome post over at The Unpublished Writers' Guide to Survival yesterday. Go forth and read - after you comment here, of course.
Showing posts with label critique. Show all posts
Showing posts with label critique. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Lessons From a Wasted Hour
Saturday I wasted an hour reading.
Oh, it isn't unusual for me to spend hours reading. I love reading. I'd do it all the time if things like eating, sleeping, working and eye strain didn't get in my way. And in my mind, reading isn't a waste of time. Except when, at the end of that time, what you just read was a waste.
I hate not finishing books. What I read Saturday, I didn't finish. 16% in, I gave up. The book was so poorly written, the characters so cardboard and without redemption, that I couldn't see throwing another minute of my life down that sewer.
Now I do realize the book was free, so it's not like I spent good money. The problem is, I spent my time. And when I woke up the next day I was thoroughly irritated. I'll never get that hour back.
SF author Larry Niven said it best: "The reader has certain rights. He bought your story. Think of this as an implicit contract. He's entitled to be entertained, instructed, amused; maybe all three. If he quits in the middle, or puts the book down feeling his time has been wasted, you're in violation."
Maybe I deserved it because the book was free and you get what you pay for, right? But I've downloaded numerous free books that were awesome. Right now, my book budget is non-existent and I'm reading a lot of free stuff. So far, I've only hit two duds. And the first of those I did read all the way through. This one? I'd rather have gnawed off my own paw.
Still... :trying to find a positive here:... I did learn something from this. I learned things I definitely need to remember in my own writing:
Writing should have a flow and a cohesiveness. "The novel is not “a crazy quilt of bits”; it is a logical sequence of psychological events..." - Vladimir Nabokov. If only the writer had read that quote and taken its wisdom to heart.
Characters should have depth. "The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail." - Mark Twain. Little quirks do not make depth. Personal tragedy does not make for depth - not on its own. A secret love does not make for depth. All of these things have to be written such that the depth is woven in or I'm not doing to give a flying rat's patootie about the characters. Or as Ernest Hemingway put it: "When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature."
And for godsakes, do your research. RESEARCH. The tall skinny guy on the ADDAMS Family (spelled always with two Ds) is LURCH not THING. Her very accurate description of the character was totally undercut by her use of the wrong name. And saying a guy looks like Thing - who was nothing more than a disembodied hand - is super confusing. Don't use a pop reference if you're not familiar with it.
Don't get me wrong. I'm pretty forgiving of little errors. Typos, proofing mistakes, format errors - I can get past those if the story is good. If the story's not good? It's like being rolled across broken glass, dipped in honey and laid on an ant hill. If you don't get up and walk away, all those little bites can be disastrous.
And now, for good measure, here's a few more quotes to help us writers remember what it is we do - and hold this to our hearts while we hold ourselves to a higher standard:
"The hope and aim of a word-handler is that he may communicate a thought or an impression to his reader without the reader’s realizing that he has been dragged through a series of hazardous or grotesque syntactical situations." - E.B. White
"Life being very short, and the quiet hours of it few, we ought to waste none of them in reading valueless books." - John Ruskin
"There is no idea so brilliant or original that a sufficiently-untalented writer can't screw it up." Raymond Feist
So let's all get out there and make sure our brilliant and original ideas don't come across as screwed up. None of our readers should have to feel they've wasted any amount of time on any of our books.
Oh, it isn't unusual for me to spend hours reading. I love reading. I'd do it all the time if things like eating, sleeping, working and eye strain didn't get in my way. And in my mind, reading isn't a waste of time. Except when, at the end of that time, what you just read was a waste.
I hate not finishing books. What I read Saturday, I didn't finish. 16% in, I gave up. The book was so poorly written, the characters so cardboard and without redemption, that I couldn't see throwing another minute of my life down that sewer.
Now I do realize the book was free, so it's not like I spent good money. The problem is, I spent my time. And when I woke up the next day I was thoroughly irritated. I'll never get that hour back.
SF author Larry Niven said it best: "The reader has certain rights. He bought your story. Think of this as an implicit contract. He's entitled to be entertained, instructed, amused; maybe all three. If he quits in the middle, or puts the book down feeling his time has been wasted, you're in violation."
Maybe I deserved it because the book was free and you get what you pay for, right? But I've downloaded numerous free books that were awesome. Right now, my book budget is non-existent and I'm reading a lot of free stuff. So far, I've only hit two duds. And the first of those I did read all the way through. This one? I'd rather have gnawed off my own paw.
Still... :trying to find a positive here:... I did learn something from this. I learned things I definitely need to remember in my own writing:
Writing should have a flow and a cohesiveness. "The novel is not “a crazy quilt of bits”; it is a logical sequence of psychological events..." - Vladimir Nabokov. If only the writer had read that quote and taken its wisdom to heart.
Characters should have depth. "The test of any good fiction is that you should care something for the characters; the good to succeed, the bad to fail." - Mark Twain. Little quirks do not make depth. Personal tragedy does not make for depth - not on its own. A secret love does not make for depth. All of these things have to be written such that the depth is woven in or I'm not doing to give a flying rat's patootie about the characters. Or as Ernest Hemingway put it: "When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature."
And for godsakes, do your research. RESEARCH. The tall skinny guy on the ADDAMS Family (spelled always with two Ds) is LURCH not THING. Her very accurate description of the character was totally undercut by her use of the wrong name. And saying a guy looks like Thing - who was nothing more than a disembodied hand - is super confusing. Don't use a pop reference if you're not familiar with it.
Don't get me wrong. I'm pretty forgiving of little errors. Typos, proofing mistakes, format errors - I can get past those if the story is good. If the story's not good? It's like being rolled across broken glass, dipped in honey and laid on an ant hill. If you don't get up and walk away, all those little bites can be disastrous.
And now, for good measure, here's a few more quotes to help us writers remember what it is we do - and hold this to our hearts while we hold ourselves to a higher standard:
"The hope and aim of a word-handler is that he may communicate a thought or an impression to his reader without the reader’s realizing that he has been dragged through a series of hazardous or grotesque syntactical situations." - E.B. White
"Life being very short, and the quiet hours of it few, we ought to waste none of them in reading valueless books." - John Ruskin
"There is no idea so brilliant or original that a sufficiently-untalented writer can't screw it up." Raymond Feist
So let's all get out there and make sure our brilliant and original ideas don't come across as screwed up. None of our readers should have to feel they've wasted any amount of time on any of our books.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Breaking Out the Resolve
I've never been a champion housekeeper. At any given time, you'll find a layer of dust on damn near everything and clumps of kitty hair sprinkled across my almost-white carpet. (It'd be lighter if I cleaned more - trust me.) Still, I'm a lot better at this than I used to be.
Back when I lived in Michigan, it was so much worse (as evidenced by the above pic). Then, you'd find a pile of dishes in the sink, laundry - both clean and dirty - in mountains around the place, and clutter everywhere. Of course then I was a single mom working all day as an outside sales rep and at night as a computer consultant/web designer. During the times I wasn't working or momming, I didn't have the energy to clean. And on the weekends, the mounds of filth were just overwhelming.
You see, when you have such a big project, it's hard to know where to start and you get tired just thinking about all the tasks you have to do before you can call it done.
Or I do, anyway.
Which is why sitting here this morning with the full intent of tackling Djinnocide, I'm stalled. The manuscript is so damn messy that I don't know where to start. I know... Begin at the beginning and go all the way through to the end. But there are so many things from the middle that need to be addressed closer to the beginning. My CP is still sending me comments from the middle chapters that need to be weaved in earlier...
And I'm tired just thinking about it.
Yesterday I hand-washed the carpet here. I started out just doing a spot cleaning, but every spot I cleaned just made me realize how dirty the rest of the carpet was. Nothing like a spot of nearly white to show how gray the rest of it is. So, rather than go through the expense of renting a machine, I got out the Resolve and took on the living room. Two cans of Resolve and a boatload of sore muscles later, half the room looks almost presentable.
It's the same with this manuscript. Last year, I started out spot cleaning and ended up rewriting the whole damn thing. This year? I thought I had a relatively clean manuscript, but now every spot my CP points out makes me realize just how dingy this sucker is.
It can be beautiful. There is a wonderful clean book under all that mess. I just need to push up my sleeves, break out the Resolve, and start scrubbing. I need to not think about the spots in the hall, or the path of gray in the high traffic areas. I need to start at one corner and work my way across - hoping nobody tracks anything through the clean parts when I'm done.
And that no unsightly tufts of cat hair find their way into the story in the middle of the night.
You see, when you have such a big project, it's hard to know where to start and you get tired just thinking about all the tasks you have to do before you can call it done.
Or I do, anyway.
Which is why sitting here this morning with the full intent of tackling Djinnocide, I'm stalled. The manuscript is so damn messy that I don't know where to start. I know... Begin at the beginning and go all the way through to the end. But there are so many things from the middle that need to be addressed closer to the beginning. My CP is still sending me comments from the middle chapters that need to be weaved in earlier...
And I'm tired just thinking about it.
Yesterday I hand-washed the carpet here. I started out just doing a spot cleaning, but every spot I cleaned just made me realize how dirty the rest of the carpet was. Nothing like a spot of nearly white to show how gray the rest of it is. So, rather than go through the expense of renting a machine, I got out the Resolve and took on the living room. Two cans of Resolve and a boatload of sore muscles later, half the room looks almost presentable.
It's the same with this manuscript. Last year, I started out spot cleaning and ended up rewriting the whole damn thing. This year? I thought I had a relatively clean manuscript, but now every spot my CP points out makes me realize just how dingy this sucker is.
It can be beautiful. There is a wonderful clean book under all that mess. I just need to push up my sleeves, break out the Resolve, and start scrubbing. I need to not think about the spots in the hall, or the path of gray in the high traffic areas. I need to start at one corner and work my way across - hoping nobody tracks anything through the clean parts when I'm done.
And that no unsightly tufts of cat hair find their way into the story in the middle of the night.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Best Laid Plans
Okay, so maybe I jumped the gun thinking now that Ki's off to school, I could have all this free time to write and clean and generally get stuff done.
Ya, right.
I'm still in the thick of things with the kid. (I know you're reading this. Don't apologize. It's my job as 'the mama'.) We've talked via phone or chat several times a day, burning through cell minutes like they were peanut M&Ms. I don't mind, really. I'd rather take a few hours of my life to make sure she's getting what she needs to succeed than not. (After all, that's why I went with homeschooling. Yep, I'm the mama.)
Anyway, I did manage to get pages back to my crit partner (yeah, we've gone past beta reading into critting) and look through the notes she sent me. BTW, I'm loving what's she's pointing out. This book will be so much better because of her.
I also managed to get some words re-typed into UEQ. So it's not all bad. It sure as hell better than I've done since June. So, I'm calling it a win. (Okay, maybe an honorable mention. LOL)
What thing hasn't turned out as well as you'd hoped, but that ought to be a win anyway?
And, btw, nothing's a fail if you keep trying. I may not be doing the schedule I posted earlier, but I'm not giving up. As I told my CP this morning - Never give up. Never surrender.*
*Shameless stolen from Galaxy Quest.
Ya, right.
Anyway, I did manage to get pages back to my crit partner (yeah, we've gone past beta reading into critting) and look through the notes she sent me. BTW, I'm loving what's she's pointing out. This book will be so much better because of her.
I also managed to get some words re-typed into UEQ. So it's not all bad. It sure as hell better than I've done since June. So, I'm calling it a win. (Okay, maybe an honorable mention. LOL)
What thing hasn't turned out as well as you'd hoped, but that ought to be a win anyway?
And, btw, nothing's a fail if you keep trying. I may not be doing the schedule I posted earlier, but I'm not giving up. As I told my CP this morning - Never give up. Never surrender.*
*Shameless stolen from Galaxy Quest.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The Benefits of Non-Writing Beta Readers
Yesterday, Lydia Kang asked the question: "Have you had your work read by non-writing members of your target audience?"
I do. I try to get a few writers to read and also a couple non-writers to read for me. But I never thought about the whys of it until I answered Lydia's question in the comments.
I mean, sure, you should have writers read for you. They're in the trenches and if you're lucky, they know what works for the publishing world, so they can help you polish your work to get it into that world.
But I don't think you should rely solely on the opinions of writers. We're all so deeply entrenched in the trenches, I think sometimes we're looking at manuscripts differently than you average non-writing reader.
I don't know about you, but when I read a book without purposely critiquing it*, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the writerly aspects of it. I want to be entertained. I want to be so lost in the story I don't notice typos, adverbs, devil words - like 'it' and 'that', or passive voice.
I think having a beta who isn't concerned with the mechanics of a story can provide you with a pure reader experience. After all, most of the readers in the world aren't writers**. They're just average joes trying to escape the real world a little in some nice fiction.
Now, I'm not discounting the importance of all those things I don't pay attention to as a reader. I think if you write the best book you can write, those things stop jumping out at even the most non-writerly reader. And that's where the importance comes in. Writers are automatically tuned to see those errors. Readers aren't. So when they stop seeing them and just enjoy the story, you've done your job.
At least, that's what I hope is happening when a non-writer tells me how much they enjoyed my manuscript. And if nothing else, it just feels good to hear someone outside the community say they loved what I wrote. (Especially since I can't seem to get anyone inside the inner circle to give me the time of day.)
I know it was kind of a rambling post, but what do you think? Do you have non-writers beta read for you? What do you think the benefits are? And if you don't have non-writing readers, why not?
*Okay, so I can't read any book without critting it a little. The better the book, though, the less I find myself critiquing because I get lost in the story. I want that for my readers.
** Yeah, I can't prove that most readers aren't writers. For all I know, the majority of readers these days are writing something somewhere - even if it hasn't been published yet. I mean, look at me. For that matter, look at you.
I do. I try to get a few writers to read and also a couple non-writers to read for me. But I never thought about the whys of it until I answered Lydia's question in the comments.
I mean, sure, you should have writers read for you. They're in the trenches and if you're lucky, they know what works for the publishing world, so they can help you polish your work to get it into that world.
But I don't think you should rely solely on the opinions of writers. We're all so deeply entrenched in the trenches, I think sometimes we're looking at manuscripts differently than you average non-writing reader.
I don't know about you, but when I read a book without purposely critiquing it*, I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the writerly aspects of it. I want to be entertained. I want to be so lost in the story I don't notice typos, adverbs, devil words - like 'it' and 'that', or passive voice.
I think having a beta who isn't concerned with the mechanics of a story can provide you with a pure reader experience. After all, most of the readers in the world aren't writers**. They're just average joes trying to escape the real world a little in some nice fiction.
Now, I'm not discounting the importance of all those things I don't pay attention to as a reader. I think if you write the best book you can write, those things stop jumping out at even the most non-writerly reader. And that's where the importance comes in. Writers are automatically tuned to see those errors. Readers aren't. So when they stop seeing them and just enjoy the story, you've done your job.
At least, that's what I hope is happening when a non-writer tells me how much they enjoyed my manuscript. And if nothing else, it just feels good to hear someone outside the community say they loved what I wrote. (Especially since I can't seem to get anyone inside the inner circle to give me the time of day.)
I know it was kind of a rambling post, but what do you think? Do you have non-writers beta read for you? What do you think the benefits are? And if you don't have non-writing readers, why not?
*Okay, so I can't read any book without critting it a little. The better the book, though, the less I find myself critiquing because I get lost in the story. I want that for my readers.
** Yeah, I can't prove that most readers aren't writers. For all I know, the majority of readers these days are writing something somewhere - even if it hasn't been published yet. I mean, look at me. For that matter, look at you.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Finding the Right Group
In real life and online, locating a group of people (or even just one person) with a similar mindset seems damn-near impossible. I mean, it took me 17 years of dating to find my husband. It's a perfect fit there, and I don't mean to imply I'm looking for the same perfection in a friend or a beta reader or a crit group. In a friend, I'm just looking for someone I can have a rational conversation with. In a beta reader, I'm just looking for someone who is rational and likes to read what I write. In a crit group, I'm looking for a set of individuals with similar goals and work ethics, who write what I read and read what I write. It shouldn't be that hard.
When I first started, okay, it was probably that hard. Looking back, I see now that I wasn't in a place where I could take criticism, and the book is probably something people would be critical of. I tried, though. I joined an online community and posted my first page. The other people promptly ripped it to shreds without so much as a compliment sandwich. (You know, where they tell you something bad between two slices of something nice.) And walked away - okay, I ran - feeling like I fell off a motorcycle wearing nothing but a bikini. Road rash, anyone?
After a couple years and a thicker skin, I joined another writing community. They were pretty damn good. Hell, they must've been because I stayed almost a year. When I left, it wasn't because the writing part of the community sucked, or because they were mean to me. I left because at some point I realized that intertwined with the non-writing parts were things I didn't want to have my name associated with. I deleted all my posts and walked away for real this time.
Flash forward another year or so, and I tried again. This time, the community was good - both the writerly and non-writerly parts. I didn't stay long, though, because the majority of the members there wrote romance, and I felt like an outsider. You know, since I don't write romance. (Unless you count very slight romantic undertones here and there.) I slipped away from there with a sad sigh.
A few days ago, Andrea suggested a place called Litopia. Thanks, but after researching the place, I don't think it's for me. Something about having to submit a piece so that a few people I don't know from Adam can choose whether I'm good enough reminds me too much of choosing teams in gym. Getting picked last for 6th grade dodgeball was scarring enough. (Well, picked last until I started kicking serious dodgeball ass, and then I was the one choosing teams. Of course, then I got picked last for every other sport, but that's neither here nor there. Or maybe it is. I can't tell anymore.)
I guess what I'm saying is that I need to find the right group of kids - ones who are good at the same games I am. So, if any of you know of a group of people who write suspense/mystery/urban fantasy/speculative fiction, let me know. I don't mind standing on the sidelines and watching for a few days, as long as I eventually get in the game.
When I first started, okay, it was probably that hard. Looking back, I see now that I wasn't in a place where I could take criticism, and the book is probably something people would be critical of. I tried, though. I joined an online community and posted my first page. The other people promptly ripped it to shreds without so much as a compliment sandwich. (You know, where they tell you something bad between two slices of something nice.) And walked away - okay, I ran - feeling like I fell off a motorcycle wearing nothing but a bikini. Road rash, anyone?
After a couple years and a thicker skin, I joined another writing community. They were pretty damn good. Hell, they must've been because I stayed almost a year. When I left, it wasn't because the writing part of the community sucked, or because they were mean to me. I left because at some point I realized that intertwined with the non-writing parts were things I didn't want to have my name associated with. I deleted all my posts and walked away for real this time.
Flash forward another year or so, and I tried again. This time, the community was good - both the writerly and non-writerly parts. I didn't stay long, though, because the majority of the members there wrote romance, and I felt like an outsider. You know, since I don't write romance. (Unless you count very slight romantic undertones here and there.) I slipped away from there with a sad sigh.
A few days ago, Andrea suggested a place called Litopia. Thanks, but after researching the place, I don't think it's for me. Something about having to submit a piece so that a few people I don't know from Adam can choose whether I'm good enough reminds me too much of choosing teams in gym. Getting picked last for 6th grade dodgeball was scarring enough. (Well, picked last until I started kicking serious dodgeball ass, and then I was the one choosing teams. Of course, then I got picked last for every other sport, but that's neither here nor there. Or maybe it is. I can't tell anymore.)
I guess what I'm saying is that I need to find the right group of kids - ones who are good at the same games I am. So, if any of you know of a group of people who write suspense/mystery/urban fantasy/speculative fiction, let me know. I don't mind standing on the sidelines and watching for a few days, as long as I eventually get in the game.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Bad Weather, Bad Bugs, and Bad Critters
Last night we got a humdinger of a storm. Golfball sized hail and a half inch of rain with tornadic activity just to the southeast of us. And people wonder why I call this Kansas-lite. (Pics to come later.) Needless to say Daughter spent some quality time in the basement with Kira cat. Husband and I spent our quality time between watching the skies and watching the radar. (BTW, if you haven't gotten any of the apps from The Weather Channel, I'd highly recommend them. The one for Firefox puts weather alerts at the bottom of my browser.) We also spent some time outside under the overhang. Which is when I got hit with a ice ball right behind my knee and right in the place where the spider bit me.
Yep. I got bit by a spider. First time in my life as far as I know. I didn't see it, but from all the research I did online, it was probably a jumping spider. Since we have brown recluse around here and black widows, I spent a lot of time making sure it wasn't either of those. Not fatal, but certainly not comfortable either. If you're bothered by gross stuff, skip the next few sentences. The bite started out like a mosquito bite that itched and burned. Then it got a tiny blister in the center (which is why I researched it so hard). For about a day, it looked like I had a zit back there. The blister went away but now I have a quarter sized red splotch that still itches. Following online advice, I'm applying Neosporin alternately with hydrocortizone. As long as it doesn't get infected, I'm fine. (Not that the hailstone hit did it any good. Of all the places to get hit, why there?)
As for bad critters, a friend of mine posted a snippet of her work online recently. Personally, I thought it was pretty good. I mean, she said it was a rough first of her first attempt at writing a novel. Even given that, it was pretty good. This morning I went to her site to find that she'd removed the snippet because some numbnuts was making rude comments about her work. I'm at a loss to understand why people do this. Is it just that their lives are so empty that they have nothing better to do? Or is it that their lives are so full of pain, they can't help but spread their misery to others? :shrug: I mean, I could see someone coming along and tearing her up if she said she wanted hard crits of her work, but she didn't. All she was doing was posting something she hoped her blog readers would enjoy.
And that's part of the reason I monitor my comments section. Yeah, it probably stops some good people from commenting - which is too bad - but it keeps the trolls off my blog and my back. When a nasty comment comes, I glance at it and delete it. It never makes it where anyone else can see it. (Doesn't mean that sludge doesn't hurt, but at least it's gone forever.)
You turn. Anything you want to talk about? Anything the good blog readers want to say? (Because at this blog, it's NO TROLLS ALLOWED.) Feel free to vent a little in the comments.
Yep. I got bit by a spider. First time in my life as far as I know. I didn't see it, but from all the research I did online, it was probably a jumping spider. Since we have brown recluse around here and black widows, I spent a lot of time making sure it wasn't either of those. Not fatal, but certainly not comfortable either. If you're bothered by gross stuff, skip the next few sentences. The bite started out like a mosquito bite that itched and burned. Then it got a tiny blister in the center (which is why I researched it so hard). For about a day, it looked like I had a zit back there. The blister went away but now I have a quarter sized red splotch that still itches. Following online advice, I'm applying Neosporin alternately with hydrocortizone. As long as it doesn't get infected, I'm fine. (Not that the hailstone hit did it any good. Of all the places to get hit, why there?)
As for bad critters, a friend of mine posted a snippet of her work online recently. Personally, I thought it was pretty good. I mean, she said it was a rough first of her first attempt at writing a novel. Even given that, it was pretty good. This morning I went to her site to find that she'd removed the snippet because some numbnuts was making rude comments about her work. I'm at a loss to understand why people do this. Is it just that their lives are so empty that they have nothing better to do? Or is it that their lives are so full of pain, they can't help but spread their misery to others? :shrug: I mean, I could see someone coming along and tearing her up if she said she wanted hard crits of her work, but she didn't. All she was doing was posting something she hoped her blog readers would enjoy.
And that's part of the reason I monitor my comments section. Yeah, it probably stops some good people from commenting - which is too bad - but it keeps the trolls off my blog and my back. When a nasty comment comes, I glance at it and delete it. It never makes it where anyone else can see it. (Doesn't mean that sludge doesn't hurt, but at least it's gone forever.)
You turn. Anything you want to talk about? Anything the good blog readers want to say? (Because at this blog, it's NO TROLLS ALLOWED.) Feel free to vent a little in the comments.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
I Love This But...
My first reader is done. She inhaled the book in a few two hour sessions and we talked about it afterwards. Her take on DLN was "I love this, but..."
And all her 'buts' were dead-on. They were things I was concerned about, but had glossed over in my mind.
1) There's too much backstory, which she said was understandable considering what I'm trying to do - you know, world building and trying to work this into a series - but really... too much backstory distracts from the main story.
2) There aren't enough bodies. More people should be dying. There ought to be more destruction. (I think her exact words were 'more blood' but even the people who do die in the book aren't really bloody - just dead.)
3) And that part where I strayed from the secondary plot? Well, it sort of seems like I forgot about it until almost the end and then wrapped it up too quick. (Of course, she also said she didn't notice this until about pg 313 - out of a 318 pg book - so it's not as tragic as it could be.)
As always, my first reader is none other than Daughter. LOL, I didn't know when I started homeschooling that I'd be training my own beta reader, but she does a damn good job. Of course, since she mainlines paranormal, I'm just happy she didn't make up some excuse to get out of reading this book. She's a member of my target market, after all. (No, this book isn't YA. Even though Daughter is 16, she doesn't really read much YA.)
So, what do I do now? I still have one person beta reading for me (Hi Natalie) and I'm at a point where I'm considering a rewrite to fix the above. :heavy sigh: I really don't want to do a total rewrite, but if that's what this book takes, then so be it. We'll see what Nat has to say and go from there.
Time will tell, but I'm guessing that I won't be ready to query by the end of next month. :shrug: C'est la vie.
And all her 'buts' were dead-on. They were things I was concerned about, but had glossed over in my mind.
1) There's too much backstory, which she said was understandable considering what I'm trying to do - you know, world building and trying to work this into a series - but really... too much backstory distracts from the main story.
2) There aren't enough bodies. More people should be dying. There ought to be more destruction. (I think her exact words were 'more blood' but even the people who do die in the book aren't really bloody - just dead.)
3) And that part where I strayed from the secondary plot? Well, it sort of seems like I forgot about it until almost the end and then wrapped it up too quick. (Of course, she also said she didn't notice this until about pg 313 - out of a 318 pg book - so it's not as tragic as it could be.)
As always, my first reader is none other than Daughter. LOL, I didn't know when I started homeschooling that I'd be training my own beta reader, but she does a damn good job. Of course, since she mainlines paranormal, I'm just happy she didn't make up some excuse to get out of reading this book. She's a member of my target market, after all. (No, this book isn't YA. Even though Daughter is 16, she doesn't really read much YA.)
So, what do I do now? I still have one person beta reading for me (Hi Natalie) and I'm at a point where I'm considering a rewrite to fix the above. :heavy sigh: I really don't want to do a total rewrite, but if that's what this book takes, then so be it. We'll see what Nat has to say and go from there.
Time will tell, but I'm guessing that I won't be ready to query by the end of next month. :shrug: C'est la vie.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Well, I'm Done
With this draft, that is. And only 3 days past when I said I wanted to be finished. Of course, this means it's time for the beta readers to have at it. I've already got one person reading it chapter by chapter (:waves:), and Daughter is inhaling it (but she's so wrapped up in the story, she's not catching much for me to fix).
As always, I'll put out the call for additional readers here. If you're interested in beta reading an urban fantasy (paranormal suspense?) with Djinn as the central species, send me an email or leave a note in the comments and I'll contact you. I was shooting for a similar flavor to The Dresden Files, and since I just read the October Daye series, I think I can safely say it's similar to those, too. If you like either series, I'm hoping you'll enjoy beta reading this.
Daughter is really enjoying the story and she mainlines paranormal anything, so I must be doing something right. About halfway through, she stopped and told me that when she heard I was doing a paranormal, she didn't think I could pull it off. (Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid. =op) But she also said I surprised her and did it. Yay me.
Anyway, I'm hoping to be ready to start submitting before the end of May. So, if you've got the time and the urge to beta, let me know.
On tap for today? Well, I really don't know. I have several possibilities in mind. 1) Work on a general outline for the next book in this series. 2) Start writing a completely different book (already in the works on paper, btw). 3) Work on the blurb for DLN. 4) Go back and edit a previous manuscript.
If you were me, what would you do? What do you do after you finish a round of edits?
Oh. Sorry for the double post today. I already had that one scheduled before I thought about the fact that I'd finish DLN today. If you're interested in talking about banned books, scroll down. =o)
As always, I'll put out the call for additional readers here. If you're interested in beta reading an urban fantasy (paranormal suspense?) with Djinn as the central species, send me an email or leave a note in the comments and I'll contact you. I was shooting for a similar flavor to The Dresden Files, and since I just read the October Daye series, I think I can safely say it's similar to those, too. If you like either series, I'm hoping you'll enjoy beta reading this.
Daughter is really enjoying the story and she mainlines paranormal anything, so I must be doing something right. About halfway through, she stopped and told me that when she heard I was doing a paranormal, she didn't think I could pull it off. (Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid. =op) But she also said I surprised her and did it. Yay me.
Anyway, I'm hoping to be ready to start submitting before the end of May. So, if you've got the time and the urge to beta, let me know.
On tap for today? Well, I really don't know. I have several possibilities in mind. 1) Work on a general outline for the next book in this series. 2) Start writing a completely different book (already in the works on paper, btw). 3) Work on the blurb for DLN. 4) Go back and edit a previous manuscript.
If you were me, what would you do? What do you do after you finish a round of edits?
Oh. Sorry for the double post today. I already had that one scheduled before I thought about the fact that I'd finish DLN today. If you're interested in talking about banned books, scroll down. =o)
Friday, July 3, 2009
Weekly Update, etc.
Hmmm... What to say about this week? Well, I edited seven chapters of Nano, during which I tweezed out almost 1900 words and added in about 400. This leaves me with a negative 1500 for this week, and the whole novel at around 93.3K. Of course, the majority of the words I snipped will probably be reworked and added back in. I'm still not sure how much of this one villain's viewpoint the book needs.
Except he's crucial to the rest of the book, and without his POV scenes, the reader can't really tell why the hell people are dropping like flies. And then, he's also the most sympathetic villain I've had yet. He's got a helluva a good reason, but his premise and therefore his actions to correct what he sees as injustice are wrong.
Once I get done with all the major edits - another 8 chapters or so - I'll go through all his scenes and see what needs to be kept. Then I'll have to weave all that back in.
I know some of you are probably thinking I'm batshit. Editing the villain scenes along with the rest would've been easier in some ways, but I needed to pull him out of the picture so I could get a clear view. Kinda like throwing two jigsaw puzzles on the floor at the same time. I couldn't put together the main picture without removing all other pieces first. Once I did that, I could step back and see where everything needs to go - in both pictures.
Other than editing, I didn't get many other writerly things done. At least not for my own work. Not directly anyway. You see, I spent some time this week critiquing query letters over at The Public Query Slushpile. I don't know how much I'm helping others. I'm really trying to be helpful. I do know I'm helping myself while I do this. Looking at other peoples' query attempts seems to be sharpening my own editing skills. We'll see how much when I get Nano finished, and send it out into the world.
If you haven't been over there, I highly recommend it. It's a good exercise to help out other writers, and it's a little payment for all those writers who helped me. And besides, it gives me books to look forward to. After reading the queries for a few of these, I'm really jazzed to see them in print.
So, how're things in your world?
Except he's crucial to the rest of the book, and without his POV scenes, the reader can't really tell why the hell people are dropping like flies. And then, he's also the most sympathetic villain I've had yet. He's got a helluva a good reason, but his premise and therefore his actions to correct what he sees as injustice are wrong.
Once I get done with all the major edits - another 8 chapters or so - I'll go through all his scenes and see what needs to be kept. Then I'll have to weave all that back in.
I know some of you are probably thinking I'm batshit. Editing the villain scenes along with the rest would've been easier in some ways, but I needed to pull him out of the picture so I could get a clear view. Kinda like throwing two jigsaw puzzles on the floor at the same time. I couldn't put together the main picture without removing all other pieces first. Once I did that, I could step back and see where everything needs to go - in both pictures.
Other than editing, I didn't get many other writerly things done. At least not for my own work. Not directly anyway. You see, I spent some time this week critiquing query letters over at The Public Query Slushpile. I don't know how much I'm helping others. I'm really trying to be helpful. I do know I'm helping myself while I do this. Looking at other peoples' query attempts seems to be sharpening my own editing skills. We'll see how much when I get Nano finished, and send it out into the world.
If you haven't been over there, I highly recommend it. It's a good exercise to help out other writers, and it's a little payment for all those writers who helped me. And besides, it gives me books to look forward to. After reading the queries for a few of these, I'm really jazzed to see them in print.
So, how're things in your world?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Who Reads Your Stuff?
Strolling through the blogroll this morning, I noticed the crew at Romantic Inks had an interesting post about CPs and BRs and crit groups. I'm not going to rehash what they said, or what I said in my comment (or what I've said in previous posts on the subject over at my old blog), but it did get me to thinking about the people who read our work before it gets published.
They say you should'n't have family and friends read your work - at least not for any real opinion on its quality and/or saleability. Except for my daughter, I don't really have that problem. She's the only family member who reads my stuff, and her opinions aren't hindered by any need to save my feelings. (We don't work that way.)
My mother hasn't read anything I've written since I was a kid. I know if she read any of my WIPs, she would either give me an honest answer (if she liked it) or she would avoid the subject (if she didn't).
My husband only read the first book. He really liked it, but then he got irritated that I edited it after he read it. Now he says he'll wait until my books are published, so he knows he's reading the FINAL draft. (And before any of you gasp over this, it works for me. He doesn't want to interfere with my writing, and since he's an Alpha, he can't help but try to.)
I let my best friend read one of my books (RTL) last fall. Or rather, she asked me to email it to her, but she's so busy that the last I heard, she was only halfway through. (Seriously, she's busy. 50 hr workweek usually, two kids with lots of activities, family obligations... We only see each other about once a month, and that's because she works with my husband.) On the upside, she really likes what she's read so far.
Other than family and face-to-face friends, I do have my beta readers (and I love them all). Some of them I've never met, but each of them is important to me. They're the ones who give me feedback I can really use. Of course, one of them is my daughter, but for all intents and purposes, I can forget the familial connection and look at her like any other beta. They all read my stories with the idea of pointing out flaws, so I can craft the best book possible. And in most cases, I do the same for them. One of my betas got an agent a while back and should be going on submission soon. I can't wait to see her in print. My daughter beta just entered a college scholarship contest with a grand prize of $2K. I beta read the essay, and provided suggestions for improvement. I really think she has a shot to win money this year. (Which is good since she wants to go to college out of state. Ack.)
Anyway, I lost the point of this post somewhere along the way. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think it's valuable to have others read your pre-pub work. If only to get another set of eyes when you can't see the forest any more. It doesn't matter who these people are - friends and family, if you encourage them to be brutally honest, can be just as helpful as your published acquaintances. Sometimes it's important to just have someone else read your writing, if for no other reason than it helps shake out the fear of what'll happen when strangers read your work.
Who reads your stuff? Can you count on family and friends to give you the skinny, or do you have to look outside for an objective eye?
They say you should'n't have family and friends read your work - at least not for any real opinion on its quality and/or saleability. Except for my daughter, I don't really have that problem. She's the only family member who reads my stuff, and her opinions aren't hindered by any need to save my feelings. (We don't work that way.)
My mother hasn't read anything I've written since I was a kid. I know if she read any of my WIPs, she would either give me an honest answer (if she liked it) or she would avoid the subject (if she didn't).
My husband only read the first book. He really liked it, but then he got irritated that I edited it after he read it. Now he says he'll wait until my books are published, so he knows he's reading the FINAL draft. (And before any of you gasp over this, it works for me. He doesn't want to interfere with my writing, and since he's an Alpha, he can't help but try to.)
I let my best friend read one of my books (RTL) last fall. Or rather, she asked me to email it to her, but she's so busy that the last I heard, she was only halfway through. (Seriously, she's busy. 50 hr workweek usually, two kids with lots of activities, family obligations... We only see each other about once a month, and that's because she works with my husband.) On the upside, she really likes what she's read so far.
Other than family and face-to-face friends, I do have my beta readers (and I love them all). Some of them I've never met, but each of them is important to me. They're the ones who give me feedback I can really use. Of course, one of them is my daughter, but for all intents and purposes, I can forget the familial connection and look at her like any other beta. They all read my stories with the idea of pointing out flaws, so I can craft the best book possible. And in most cases, I do the same for them. One of my betas got an agent a while back and should be going on submission soon. I can't wait to see her in print. My daughter beta just entered a college scholarship contest with a grand prize of $2K. I beta read the essay, and provided suggestions for improvement. I really think she has a shot to win money this year. (Which is good since she wants to go to college out of state. Ack.)
Anyway, I lost the point of this post somewhere along the way. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think it's valuable to have others read your pre-pub work. If only to get another set of eyes when you can't see the forest any more. It doesn't matter who these people are - friends and family, if you encourage them to be brutally honest, can be just as helpful as your published acquaintances. Sometimes it's important to just have someone else read your writing, if for no other reason than it helps shake out the fear of what'll happen when strangers read your work.
Who reads your stuff? Can you count on family and friends to give you the skinny, or do you have to look outside for an objective eye?
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Forging Ahead
I've got the fear in a half-Nelson now. It's still trying to get the upper hand, but I think I'm winning. My synopsis is more than two-thirds of the way done now, and although it's still filled with stinkiness, it's there. (Limburger cheese wrapped in sweat socks stinky.) Here's hoping I can finish it up and spray it with Febreeze.
Additionally, I've been plugging agent info into my database with wild abandon. (Okay, not wild - I get a few in and the repetition makes me too sleepy to go on. Worked wonders to get me to bed last night, though.) Life would be easier if I just imported the agents I wanted from the last book's database, but each of those have notes and things attached, and because of the ancient program I use, I have to take all or take none. I chose none. I want a fresh start with this book. Data entry is sleep-inducing, but it's better than the alternative - which is trying to keep track of all my submissions in my head or in hardcopy. Umm... No.
So, with some last minute tweaks and this synopsis that I need to de-stink, it could be a week or two at least before I get to submitting.
Of course, that little voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that I'm using all these things as an excuse, but I'm trying to remind that little bastard of the pitfalls of sending out a manuscript too soon. We'll battle that out in the steel-cage of my skull over the next few days. If I start talking in a deep villiany voice, you'll know it won. ;o)
Wish me luck.
Additionally, I've been plugging agent info into my database with wild abandon. (Okay, not wild - I get a few in and the repetition makes me too sleepy to go on. Worked wonders to get me to bed last night, though.) Life would be easier if I just imported the agents I wanted from the last book's database, but each of those have notes and things attached, and because of the ancient program I use, I have to take all or take none. I chose none. I want a fresh start with this book. Data entry is sleep-inducing, but it's better than the alternative - which is trying to keep track of all my submissions in my head or in hardcopy. Umm... No.
So, with some last minute tweaks and this synopsis that I need to de-stink, it could be a week or two at least before I get to submitting.
Of course, that little voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that I'm using all these things as an excuse, but I'm trying to remind that little bastard of the pitfalls of sending out a manuscript too soon. We'll battle that out in the steel-cage of my skull over the next few days. If I start talking in a deep villiany voice, you'll know it won. ;o)
Wish me luck.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Miss Snark's First Victim
If you haven't seen it yet, there's a wonderful blog called Miss Snark's First Victim wherein a person calling herself Authoress talks about this writing thing we do and also hosts contests to help her fellow writers get a little farther down the road from unpub to pub.
Just recently she held a 'Secret Agent' contest. The first fifty people to send her the opening 250 words of their novel get those words posted to her site and critted by a yet-to-be named literary agent - as well as random readers. Last time around the 'secret agent' turned out to be Kristen Nelson. She'll offer up the name of this round's agent on Monday. From the responses to her last contest (which she posted on Friday), she's doing some really positive things for the writing world.
I haven't read all the posts on her site yet, but from what I've seen so far, the posts are intelligent and the critter comments are helpful (without being snotty). So, if you're still in this pre-pub boat, head on by and pick up some pointers on making your work shine.
Thank you for your work Authoress. =o)
Just recently she held a 'Secret Agent' contest. The first fifty people to send her the opening 250 words of their novel get those words posted to her site and critted by a yet-to-be named literary agent - as well as random readers. Last time around the 'secret agent' turned out to be Kristen Nelson. She'll offer up the name of this round's agent on Monday. From the responses to her last contest (which she posted on Friday), she's doing some really positive things for the writing world.
I haven't read all the posts on her site yet, but from what I've seen so far, the posts are intelligent and the critter comments are helpful (without being snotty). So, if you're still in this pre-pub boat, head on by and pick up some pointers on making your work shine.
Thank you for your work Authoress. =o)
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