Gym class starts today, and I'm happy to be going back to work out (and hopefully work off the extra pound summer sloth-ing brings) I also go to yoga on Tuesday nights to straighten out the kinks from my back. I've always had back pains until I started yoga - so now I go regularly.
I'm waiting to hear back from my editor about the last installment of Paradise Earth. I sent her the finished product - but in a very rough draft form, as I wanted some imput about it. My crit partners are all busy this summer, and I didn't want to post it through my online crit group as it means I'll have to do some critting in return and I haven't got the time. (the truth about having critiques done is that you feel guilty if you can't return the favor - and some authors send you whole books and never critique anything back...so it's a hard balance to strike. )
I have a crit partner I really love, she really criticises, which is sort of the whole idea. Some people are afraid to hurt your feelings. I understand that - but if you want to progress, you have to learn to take some advice. You also have to learn which advice to take, and which to leave. It's a question of too many cooks spoiling the soup.
And then the book goes to an editor and you learn what real pain is like...
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3 comments:
Thanks for stopping by my blog and delurking earlier. ;-)
We writers sorely need good constructive criticism it and it’s difficult to come by. I can’t depend on my husband for it because he’s convinced everything I write is pure gold when, in reality, my first drafts more closely resemble corroded metal. LOL In fact, whenever I show him a less than stellar review of one of my books he plunges into a rant about what an idiot the reviewer is because my writing is sheer perfection. Sigh. Poor dear deluded man.
He’s very protective of my feelings, and I appreciate that, but I sincerely wish he was able to be objective and admit it when he spots something I write as being crap before I submit it and hear that from an editor instead. LOL I keep trying to tell him that I really and truly need him to be blunt because I NEED that constructive criticism to make me grow as a writer, but my sweetie just can’t bring himself to say anything he deems hurtful about my writing. While I adore him as a husband, I’m afraid I’ve had to divorce him as a critique partner.
This all means that I’m a very lucky woman to have such a caring, loving husband, but that I need somebody to verbally slap me around when it comes to critiques!
I know what you mean. Fortunately I have a mother who is a demon editor and tears my work apart with no scruples whatsoever.
I wish she were my editor, but I send her my first drafts for critiques. (But before I look at the results I take two aspirin...)
BTW - I loved your books Shipping Sharon and the Egghead one - (sorry I'm terrible about titles) Also, didn't you write a book of short stories??
I grabbed all your books to review for Word Weaving and for Scribe's World when I was a reviewer.
Hi Sam, yes critiquing is important. Lucky for me, I've been a member of an excellent critique group for a number of years and they are well acquainted with my work. I don't know if I'd have got so far with this difficult novel without their consistently helpful commentaries.
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