The Going got Tough this Week

This week I had to send a "tough love" letter to a client. In my opinion, their 87,000 word novel needs a major rewrite. A couple of the issues include too much going on, passive writing, and head hopping. But the main problem is that it's all tell, no show. It reads more like a text book than a novel. And that is definitely a fiction no-no.

So...I sent the first 72 edited pages back, explained the issues, and suggested reading through the comments and making changes before I proceed.

Then I said a quick prayer and waited for a response, my stress-related chocolate craving instantly kicking in.

Seriously, you never know how people will react to harsh critique. I try to speak in love and not to offend. I always let the client know my main objective is to help them create a better book and, ultimately, make them a better writer, but still. People often don't  want to hear the truth. I didn't know if this client would respond with a nasty email, go on a defensive rant justifying the errors, or even insist that God gave them this story and who am I to tell them to change it! Yes, I hear this a lot. Hey...I'm all for godly inspiration. But when God "gives" you a story, He wants it to be as excellent as possible. That's why He created editors.

So anyway...when I saw a return email pop up only a few minutes later, I was nervous. I thought surely the client had just scanned over my message and shot off a hot-tempered response. I closed my eyes and clicked, swallowed hard, and peered at the screen.

The first words I saw: "Thank you for your comments!"

What? So not expecting that, but what a feeling of relief. This person went on to express complete acceptance of the feedback I'd given and was actually receiving my advice and suggestions. In other words, this client wants to improve. Wants to learn. Wants  to grow. And if that means more work for them and humbling him/herself by admitting they don't know it all in order to produce a better book, so be it.

There is a lot of work ahead for this client. I don't know what will happen with their book and I don't even know if I'll be the one taking on the project of helping to rewrite it. But the attitude and willingness to receive harsh criticism is refreshing and admirable.

So it seems that my "tough love" letter was tougher for me than the client. While I'm thankful for this client's positive response, writing the letter was one of the toughest things I had to do this week. It's never easy to tell the truth, even when it needs to be told, and even when done in love.

Q4U: What was the toughest thing you did this week?

Those Crazy Critiquers

1. "Your opening hooked me right away."

"This starts in the wrong place."

2. "This paragraph is awkward. Consider different phrasing."

"Love this paragraph!"

3. "I don't understand this sentence."

"Can totally relate to this!"

These are just a few of the types of critiques I've gotten recently. Two different people commenting on the exact same issues. With completely different feedback.

Oh, the frustration!

When I'm editing, differing opinions and suggestions like these often confuse me and sometimes make me want to pull out all of my hair. My biggest fear is changing it too much, thus causing "me" to disappear altogether, along with the vision I had for the story.

Everyone has an opinion, which really stinks when it comes to receiving critiques. Correcting grammar, commenting on passive phrasing, or pointing out tense changes is one thing. But when it comes to personal preference, how do we know who to listen  to?

The answer is we don't. That's when we have to trust our "gut." While many authors hold onto critiques to refer back to later, I don't. I open the document, along with my manuscript, go through each comment and make changes immediately, based on whether I think it's a good suggestion at the time. When I'm done, I delete the critique. If I didn't do it this way, I would make myself crazy. And Lord knows, I'm crazy enough already.

I'll admit that sometimes I get annoyed when I first read through a critique, especially when there's a ton of "red" comments. But if I really think about the advice being offered (and remind myself they are trying to help me, not make me cry), I can usually understand what they're saying. Then I have to weigh it against the other comments I've received - and my gut - and decide if it's something I should implement.

The most important thing to remember is that not everyone will "get" you or like your writing style. This plays into the scores from contest judges. Most of my non-finaling entries have earned two very high scores and one very low score. Interestingly, I've also found that unpublished authors are often the toughest judges. We aren't as forgiving for breaking the "rules." (I don't fit in with that "often" group, by the way. I am pretty forgiving as long as it works within the story or the author's voice.)

I am so thankful for all of my critique buddies and truly appreciate the time and effort they put towards making me a better writer and my manuscript publishable. No matter how they sometimes drive me crazy!

What about you? How do you handle conflicting critiques?

Genesis Afterthoughts...

First let me say that this morning I was still on a high from placing second in the Genesis contest chick lit category. But, you know, it's funny how easy it is to come down from a high like that.

Like, for instance, when you receive the judges' comments.

As thrilled as I am to have placed second, part of me is wondering just how I actually made it all the way up that high. Because, according to the scores, one of the judges loved my entry and one...well...not so much, it seems.

I should be used to it; after all, it's not like this hasn't happened before. Last year, this same manuscript finaled in another national contest. One of the final round judges loved it (even requested the full) and one hated it (scored me so low I came in 4th out of 4 finalists).

Don't get me wrong - I am VERY thankful for the feedback they gave me. It's not that I'm resisting their comments. Believe me - although of course it stings a little to get negative feedback, I'm not being defensive. I'm all about learning and improving my craft. I KNOW I'm not all that. I have A LOT to learn and I'm willing and completely open to suggestions and critique.

What confuses me is when two judges say the exact opposite things. One might say my voice is fresh, the other might say I need to find a fresher, more unique voice. One judge might say there is great opportunity for conflict and the other might say there is not sufficient conflict. One might say my main character is not likable, another might say my main character is totally relatable!

So who do I believe? Whose word do I accept as truth?

After the contest last year (the one where I placed last in the finals), I received a word of encouragement from the contest coordinator. This has stuck with me. She said that when a story causes two completely opposite opinions (in this case evidenced in the scores I received), it's USUALLY because the writing invokes strong reactions - either good or bad - and this is a good thing. That this USUALLY is the sign of an excellent writer. After all, the goal of any writer is to touch emotions, right?

So, I guess the moral of this post is, you'll either love my writing or hate it. Now the trick is finding an editor and/or agent who loves it enough to publish it! (And, of course, readers who love it, too!)

I have to add something, though. Like many writers, I have a "Writing Tip of the Day" posted on my blog. I love reading these and lately each daily tip has totally related to what I've been feeling in my writing journey. In fact, I just now checked today's tip and it says,

Believe in the quality of your work and the value of your message and at the same time, recognize surprises always happen in publishing.

I so needed to hear this today! I guess when I'm faced with differing opinions about my writing and style, I need to trust my gut instinct, believe in the quality of my work, and pray that God will help me to clearly convey the message He wants me to share.

But, even more important, is the Daily Snippets from the Word verse for today, which says,

"But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Luke 12:7)

This reminds me that no matter what others may think of my work, my heavenly Father loves me. Not because of what I do, but because of who I am.

Yep, definitely needed this today.

Forgive my ramblings...I plan to go over the judges comments with a fine tooth comb and perhaps beg for edits from a couple of friends and see what I can do with this manuscript to make it shine.

I sincerely thank the judges for taking the time to read and judge my work. I know that their opinions and suggestions come from a heart to help an aspiring novelist like me achieve success. For that, I am truly grateful.