Readings: Well Placed Praise and Honest Critique Help to Push You to the Next Level
I had my second reading of my second book entitled, “Tetarul Parallel” at the writing group last Thursday. It continues the story from “Echoes of the Gidat”. If you are curious, here is the link to the writing group. http://aawg.wordpress.com/
I have expressed before how helpful this group has been to me. It was no different this time. Of course, reading your work is so nervewracking. I’m not sure if I will every get used to it. I’m nervous up until I hear people scratching away for more than two minutes after I’ve uttered the last word. If they are doing that then I know there are going to be some very good comments. Then I relax. Somewhat.
The comments were varied and appreciated. One person apologized for being nitpicky, but it was exactly what I wanted. Formatting has also been challenging to me. How to I properly format my work so that the Reader understands what is happening? Also some very good suggestions.
The group has a very balanced approach to critiquing. They let you know what they like and what they don’t like. There is always a suggestion for making it better. I also like when they ask questions about the characters motivations. Then I can debate whether it is appropriate to reveal that particular piece of information now or allow it to be revealed later. Revealing too much upfront is not good either.
As hard as it can be to hear a critique of my work, I try to absorb what they are saying, take copious notes, and clarify what I don’t understand. Then I go home. I set it aside for a few days and then I take a look at the comments and my notes. I decide what requires immediate change. These are things that absolutely without a doubt should be changed. This usually includes, grammer, punctuation, formatting and general word usage.
Then I analyze the more complex suggestions and decide if this is something I want to change or not. Only I know the overall arc of my book. If the suggestion moves the story forward in a satisfactory way and still leaves the Reader intrigued, then I take the suggestion. If not, then I leave it. That is not to say that it was a bad suggestion. It just wasn’t what I had envisioned for the story.
The best piece of advice that I received is making sure that I’m not too inside the head of the character. I need to be more demonstrative of the concepts and not staying in the realm of concept. Does that make sense? It makes sense to me.
I’ll give you an example. (I’m demonstrating what I learned.) “Felana was always aware of the passage of time and what she had not accomplished. She rarely looked back at what they had done, but rather what they had not done.” Now, here would be a fine opportunity to demonstrate this concept. I could go down a list of tasks instead. It could read something like this. “Finally, I finished cleaning the fish. She sighed. But then I haven’t even touched the clothes that need washed, or the roots that need chopped, or the firewood that needs gathering. There simply isn’t enough time to get it all done in one day. She thought in exasperation.” It still needs more work, but now you are picturing all the things she hasn’t gotten done. Much better than the first sentence, don’t you think?
Critiques are not something to fear. Having a supportive writing group helps tremendously. It doesn’t help me if everyone says how great the writing is. I am suspicious of that. I always think there is room to improve. Well placed praise and honest critique help to push you to the next level. I think that’s why I love it so much. It’s a journey. And I’m all about the journey.
