My Maniac Tendencies

So, on Sunday I heard back from my critique partner about the last few chapters of my WIP. Two words: HOORAY and OUCH. If you've ever had an in depth critique partner, you totally know what I mean. She seems to really like my writing and the story, but the biggest issue she found, what she got completely hung up on, was the last chapter. It had some major flaws.

Yes, that's code for: My kids were home when I wrote that last chapter.

Further meaning that I tried to write this emotional scene with a litany of interruptions.

Lesson learned.

So as you can guess, all day Sunday I was thrilled by her encouraging words while stewing over the "issues" she found. And then yesterday I drove myself crazy with "what if" and "how will I" questions. I literally had knots in my back!

Why do we as writers stress out like this? One day we think we have something great, something readers will love and then the next day we want torch it all?

 I know you guys do this too. I read your blogs. ;)

 
 Is being crazy-emotional about a word document just something that comes with the personality of a writer? I'm thinking so. Did the authors of the past throw their typewriters in the trash bin only to gently retrieve it hours later with love and affection? I wouldn't doubt it.

By the way, I think I fixed the problems she found, and am hoping it's great. And I think I want to do another blog post in a few days about how fantastic critique partners are because her reaction to the story as a reader, and then her advice as a critique partner have been absolutely invaluable.

But for now, tell me about your maniac tendencies as they pertain to writing. Ever throw your laptop in the trash? 

Constructive Criticism: Judges Feedback

So a couple days ago I went to my email inbox and saw something from the Frasier contest. Cool. I opened it and was glad to see they'd sent me the judge's feedback. All in all I had the input of four judges and each had their own page, word document. Of course the first page I opened happened to be the harshest, because that's how life can be. But, no, it was like tearing the band-aid from a hairy arm and I'm glad the first was the worst.

I went on to read the three others' and the smile on my face continued to grow. One of the judges stated that it was gripping and rated it as ready for publication which gave me hope.

I loved the constructive criticism I received too; there was one piece of advice in particular that I found helpful and I wanted to share it with my blog friends. Now, know that this isn't the easiest thing for me to do. I'm sharing my manuscript weakness' for all to read and that in itself scares me a little. But the advice is so helpful that I can't not share it! So, with a deep gulp, here it is:  

"Phrases like I saw, I noticed, etc signifies telling. For example:

I noticed the older passengers helping the younger ones.

To make the sentence more active, just say Older passengers helped younger ones. Or you could be more specific and show one passenger help a younger passenger with a specific activity.

Showing and active sentences create a much stronger, powerful scene."

Now, I've heard it a thousand times, "show not tell!", and I've tried to do just that, but this judge actually gave me an example which brought it to a whole new level. I will definitely be hunting for those hints of telling rather than showing and eradicating them pronto!

As I re-read the feedback over and over again, I'll continue to post the advice I find particularly helpful. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on this judges show not tell advice?