Trust your own internal editor
Some authors have "beta readers," friends or fellow authors who read their work, either when it's completed, by chapter, or just when they've hit a tough patch. My beta reader is my agent, Kristin Nelson. For Armed & Magical, I sent her the entire manuscript once I'd finished it. For The Trouble with Demons, I only sent her the first seven chapters. Depending on how warm & fuzzy I feel about Bewitched & Betrayed once I've finished writing it, I'll probably do the same (send Kristin just the first couple of chapters). Basically this is just to let her know what I'm doing, and what I'll be sending to my editor.
I don't send my work out (whether finished or in pieces & parts) to a group of people for feedback. I guess I'm just a lone wolf in that respect -- or more likely, I'm just a control freak. ; ) Any problems, snags, or plot snafus I have, I work them out myself. And my gut tells me if something isn't working. My internal editor has a very strong voice, and I listen to it.
I trust my gut, my instincts, my internal editor. The stories I write come from me. The perils of asking everyone you know and their sister for advice is that you're going to get as many opinions back as the number of people you ask. Not that asking others for advice is a bad idea, but never let this override your own vision for your work. You can't depend on others to tell you what's wrong or right with your work, or when a character is behaving uncharacteristically. Only you know that, because no one knows your characters and your story like you do.
I'm blessed that both my agent and editor share my vision for my stories, and we are completely and utterly on the same page as far as what's right, what's wrong, what works, and what doesn't. This doesn't mean that I take their advice over my own opinion; it means that most of the time, my opinion is the same as theirs. If Kristin or Anne say a line or section doesn't quite work for them, chances are 98% that I'll agree with them, and I'll make the change and the book is better for it. And if I don't agree with a suggestion, I explain why, and the line or section stays the way I wrote it.
So while there's nothing wrong with asking for advice, just be sure you know your own mind, trust your instincts, and stick to your guns when you know that's what's best for your book.
Some of what's coming in the few weeks:
I don't send my work out (whether finished or in pieces & parts) to a group of people for feedback. I guess I'm just a lone wolf in that respect -- or more likely, I'm just a control freak. ; ) Any problems, snags, or plot snafus I have, I work them out myself. And my gut tells me if something isn't working. My internal editor has a very strong voice, and I listen to it.
I trust my gut, my instincts, my internal editor. The stories I write come from me. The perils of asking everyone you know and their sister for advice is that you're going to get as many opinions back as the number of people you ask. Not that asking others for advice is a bad idea, but never let this override your own vision for your work. You can't depend on others to tell you what's wrong or right with your work, or when a character is behaving uncharacteristically. Only you know that, because no one knows your characters and your story like you do.
I'm blessed that both my agent and editor share my vision for my stories, and we are completely and utterly on the same page as far as what's right, what's wrong, what works, and what doesn't. This doesn't mean that I take their advice over my own opinion; it means that most of the time, my opinion is the same as theirs. If Kristin or Anne say a line or section doesn't quite work for them, chances are 98% that I'll agree with them, and I'll make the change and the book is better for it. And if I don't agree with a suggestion, I explain why, and the line or section stays the way I wrote it.
So while there's nothing wrong with asking for advice, just be sure you know your own mind, trust your instincts, and stick to your guns when you know that's what's best for your book.
Some of what's coming in the few weeks:
- How to keep a story believable
- Authors are business people, too
- Writing yourself out of a plot hole
- Need inspiration? Look into your characters' pasts and air that dirty laundry. ; )
- Listen to your readers
- Keep the action going
- Real dialogue for realistic characters
- Say no to "info dump"
- Start with a hook, end with a cliffhanger
- Let every scene advance the plot
- Stick to a writing schedule
- Talk to yourself on paper
posted by Lisa Shearin at
10:40 AM
6 Comments:
Such good advice, Lisa. It can be tempting to put your work up for "committee review." But I always prefer one voice to many.
I think the hard part for most writers is listening to their gut, especially on something that you haven't sold. In the end, though, it's your name that's on the manuscript. You have to be satisfied with what you write. It takes time to develop the ability, and you never quite lose your uncertainty. Eventually, though, your instincts will get your work going in the right direction.
I'm a perfectionist-especially when it comes to my writing. But I have learned, only by beating it into my thick head, that perfection is NOT necessary in the first draft. I also used to have friends look at my work, but now I mainly work on my lonesome because having too many voices coming at me at the same time was just too darn confusing! :)
Thank you, Robert!
Kate, I'm the same way. ; )
I sent my latest novel out to three people who expressed an interest in reading it. I asked for volunteers on my blog, and I got three, which was actually the maximum I was prepared to send out. They were all people who I knew and whose opinions mattered to me. They were also all writer-types, who don't tend to hold back in their criticism. Two of them had read other works of mine.
Their feedback varied, but they all had one thing in common. They all clamored for a certain bit of backstory. And thus another scene was born.
However, I saved my final draft for review by yours truly. And I found lots of stuff to fix. Not because they did a bad job, but because no one knows my manuscript better than I do, and this is my last chance to sniff out any inconsistencies. I also printed it out. There's something about that hardcopy and that red pen that makes me find problems like nothing else.
Great advice! At the moment, I do let people crit my work (only those I trust on CC). I'm still new to all this. I have been known to explain why I won't be implementing a change, even though people are like 'it doesn't work'. There is a reason for some things which they don't necessarily see at chapter 3.
But often the points are valid and I'm happy to change. I'm new to writing (over a year old new), and I don't see the bigger picture when I write. On one wip, I'm doing the first edit. It's taking an age, but going well. After I've edited, then I'll check what my critters have said, and see if I've already implemented the changes.
I give it to my freinds tell them i quote got it in the mail and ask them what theythink of it honestly THEN i tell them, its fun and they dont mind, hey crosses count ;)
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