Yesterday, I had planned on spending my lunch time outside
basking in the sunshine- enjoying it’s warmth and the promise of Spring it
spoke of. But when I left my desk, that very same sun exposed my lint
and crumb festooned carpet and all my housekeeping flaws. Ugh!
So instead of getting outside, I grabbed my vacuum and attacked the litter, promising myself I’d get outside later. (I did.)
Critique partners and editors are a lot like the sunshine, revealing things we need to eliminate. Fingerprints (personal opinion) and excess words can
cloud our readers vision and what we intended to say. Excess description clutters the beauty of a scene.
Do not be afraid to allow others a view of your work. Their suggestions might clear up your story's meaning, redefine your plot or help you clarify the point you
were making, providing a punch to your words. You and your reader will be happier.
How do you review your work objectively? With the help of others, or with a set formulaic structure?
7 comments:
Thank you Diana. I am reposting because critiques are so needed. Amazing what another set of eyes sees that an author misses.
You can come clean my mess now!
Love you,
Elaine W. Miller
www.SplashesofSerenity.com
They are helpful IF others are honest. If all you hear is "I love how you arranged that lint. That's attractive clutter", you might as well have gone outside. Get a knowledgeable critique partner.
Sorry Elaine, but I will be busy here for a while. :-) And I think you are slated for some snow?
Amen to the knowledgeable critique partner. Very important.
I have a partner (Gina Conroy) who gets to see my work first. We allow ourselves to try different things and not worry about what the other will think. It's good to have that one person you can do that with. It allows both of us to write without limits.
Oh my, your office sounds like our office! Great analogies, and thanks for the helpful tips. You've inspired me to seek out the vacuum...
A great analogy! And if we truly do want our work to be the best it can be - and the most potent blessing - then we'll welcome the articulate criticism from our friends. My wife recently told me: "Sorry - your chapter two just did not grab me. Take another shot at it." Second time around went much better.
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