I wrote a psychological thriller about a year ago and set it aside...to forget about. This is a great way for writers to complete their first re-write. By putting the story aside for a year, I was able to clear the details from my mind. By reading the story (as a reader would) I was able to see where I needed to re-work some parts of the story.
Some novels I've read seem to come across as patchy. I believe this is when a writer assumes the reader knows as much about the story as he/she does. I could see them saying, "well, that's what I meant", when a author leaves loose ends or the story comes across as flighty. This happens when writers fail to "read" their own work, but skim over it thinking the details are in there when they actually are not.
Now that I'm reading my novel, I can see where it needs more color, or maybe a little less. The twists in the story seem to surprise me, just like I want the reader to experience them. Of course, I also find those scenes that read like a computer manual. Flat, dry, and the detail seems forced....too structured. I don't think I would have caught that had I read the story right after I finished it.
Some writers like to share their work with friends or family, expecting an objective and honest opinion of the work. Picking friends and family to critique your work has one of two outcomes: they love it or they hate it. When you ask your Mom for her opinion, what do you expect but a good response? Unless you have an truly objective mother, usually she delivers just that. And then you have the haters. People who are either way too critical or way too picky. If I write a thriller and give it to my friend who doesn't like those kinds of stories, then I'll get flack for the subject matter and not their opinion of the content and the flow. The other issue with haters comes up when you pick people who are avid readers and they red-line everything. This could easily stifle your artistic flow because they expect perfection - they almost demand it.
So I became my own critic. The trade-off for leaving a completed novel on the shelf (unseen and unpublished) is that I can read it with a clear mind and a critical, yet productive mindset.
I've been verbally accosted for not getting my work in front of a publisher as soon as possible. I would rather hand them a completed, critically edited work, than receive a reject slip for writing a mindless book. I started the re-write today and anticipate writing a new draft by year-end. than, and only then, will I start promoting my novel as a completed work.
Some novels I've read seem to come across as patchy. I believe this is when a writer assumes the reader knows as much about the story as he/she does. I could see them saying, "well, that's what I meant", when a author leaves loose ends or the story comes across as flighty. This happens when writers fail to "read" their own work, but skim over it thinking the details are in there when they actually are not.Now that I'm reading my novel, I can see where it needs more color, or maybe a little less. The twists in the story seem to surprise me, just like I want the reader to experience them. Of course, I also find those scenes that read like a computer manual. Flat, dry, and the detail seems forced....too structured. I don't think I would have caught that had I read the story right after I finished it.
Some writers like to share their work with friends or family, expecting an objective and honest opinion of the work. Picking friends and family to critique your work has one of two outcomes: they love it or they hate it. When you ask your Mom for her opinion, what do you expect but a good response? Unless you have an truly objective mother, usually she delivers just that. And then you have the haters. People who are either way too critical or way too picky. If I write a thriller and give it to my friend who doesn't like those kinds of stories, then I'll get flack for the subject matter and not their opinion of the content and the flow. The other issue with haters comes up when you pick people who are avid readers and they red-line everything. This could easily stifle your artistic flow because they expect perfection - they almost demand it.
So I became my own critic. The trade-off for leaving a completed novel on the shelf (unseen and unpublished) is that I can read it with a clear mind and a critical, yet productive mindset.
I've been verbally accosted for not getting my work in front of a publisher as soon as possible. I would rather hand them a completed, critically edited work, than receive a reject slip for writing a mindless book. I started the re-write today and anticipate writing a new draft by year-end. than, and only then, will I start promoting my novel as a completed work.
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