Another day that lives in infamy

cj Sez: When I look at the pictures and videos of the events of 9.11.01, I feel the same anguish and fear and shock and anger as I did when I watched them unfold. The feelings have dulled in some ways and intensified in others because this country is still facing the threat. 

I pray for comfort and strength for the families of all those who died. And to all the first responders who intensely carry the emotional and physical scars of that day, I raise those same prayers and send my thanks for your heroism. You are awesome.

  

I want to write about critiques again today because they are a must for serious writers. We’re way too close to our manuscripts to be subjective. Despite our best intentions, we can’t judge/proofread/edit our own words, at least not thoroughly or objectively. We read past things because we “thought” them. Obviously the reader will know what we mean, even if the words aren’t on the page or are wrong. Objective critique partners are able to find missing words, poorly constructed sentences, punctuation errors, missing story threads, plot holes, and all those other etceteras that the subjective writer misses.

Finding compatible critique partners is hard, sometimes very hard. Shared likability and a mutual respect for expertise are required by, for, and from each other. But the manuscript deserves and needs critiques, so connecting with a critique group is definitely worth the effort. Some organizations have on-line critique groups so you don’t even have to leave your computer.

Members of critique groups generally have different strengths and areas of expertise.

One might be a whiz at line editing. Another might offer insights into story structure. Still another may be great at recognizing any plot weaknesses. Or character flaws. Or the dreaded middle-of-the-book sag.

There is yet another type of critiquer that can be incredibly helpful. That’s the one who perhaps isn’t so technical, but who points out the things that elicit their visceral reactions. What they laughed at, what they got scared of for the character, where they cried, got lost, what they did or didn’t “get” or where they were tempted to skim over paragraphs or pages. That kind of emotional information is invaluable. These are the comments that point the writer to where s/he’s succeeding or where s/he’s failing to communicate the desired story. These comments can represent the similar reaction of the writer’s intended audience.

A caveat: Writers should consider critiquers’ comments as if they were values on a bell curve. The comments that are similar (and bunch up like a hump in the middle) could need another look. The outliers on either end of the curve (the one or two strange or obviously subjective comments) can probably be disregarded.

Whether your work is critiqued in chunks (as I like to do) or you wait until your manuscript is complete, find some fellow writers to read it over. Trade yours for theirs. And the more eyes on the manuscript, the better. I formally belong to a critique group and occasionally trade whole manuscript critiques with other members of the Guppies…the online chapter of the international Sisters in Crime organization.

Something to remember, though, is that there really are rules for critiquing. The most important one is: Be kind. Second: Find a way to start your critique with something positive. (Writers have fragile, creative egos, but you know that.) But also be truthful. It won’t help any writer if you praise something that is poorly written. I truly understand that no one likes to hear their baby manuscript is ugly, but speaking from experience, if we’re going to be successful writers, we have to develop a rhino hide to deflect unwarranted as well as warranted criticism and agent rejections.

I’ll leave you with an offer:  I’ll be happy to provide a brief/written critique to the first five writers who eMail me the first three pages and the last three pages of Chapter One of their work-in-progress.  Rules:  Copy and paste the pages within the eMail (no attachments). The formatting might be lost, so use asterisks or extra line spacing to separate the first three pages from the last three.

In the meantime, you-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

cjpetterson@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

Choosing Carter  -- Kindle  /  Nook  /  Kobo   /  iTunes/iBook

Deadly Star --  Kindle  / Nook  / Kobo

Amazon Central Author Page:  http://amzn.to/1NIDKC0

P.S. Mark your calendars: “More than Friends,” the bundle of SIX romance novels that includes CHOOSING CARTER is scheduled to launch Sept. 19. After you’ve read then, and when you get a chance, be sure to stop by the authors’ Amazon pages and let us know what you think. I look forward to reading your comments. 

What is needed

A new day on the Gulf Coast

In addition to the usual writerly things an author does during any given year (critiques, writing short stories, attending a conference or two, entering contests), my plans for 2014 include revising a romantic suspense/mystery, completing the first book in a detective series, and thinking through (is that called outlining?) a young adult fantasy. Several months into these projects, the dust is settling around me, and I wonder how much of this ambitious schedule is wishful thinking.

I completed my final edit (I thought) of the romantic suspense/mystery a couple of years ago, but it turned out that the theme became too close to a real-life tragedy…I didn’t feel I could send it out “as is.” Ergo, I’m doing a major revision. I will have to touch EVERY chapter and make sure the old plot threads are totally destroyed, and the new plot threads are connected from chapter one to novel ending. It’s a bit overwhelming right now, looking at touching every line of 400 pages, so I’m procrastinating.

I really like the protagonist in the new detective story that I want to turn into a series. There is a neat supporting cast as well. Jannecka Konner—“It’s pronounced Yahn-ecka, but my friends call me Jake.”—is a Yankee transplanted to the deep South. She is learning her way around Mobile, Alabama, at the same time she’s launching her career as a private detective. There’s infidelity, a murder with an unexpected twist, and a young boy in danger of being sucked into the foster care system. Jake’s sassy repartee with the lawyer who wants to be her lover is going to be fun to write.

The young adult fantasy I’m attempting is five chapters long, but it is now sitting on the proverbial back burner. Focus group review (six teenagers, most of them writers-in-training) persuaded me that I should rethink this story. The concept is good, they said, but the action needs to be beefed up. The story is written with a PG rating in mind, so I’m reading other PG YA novels for direction, dialogue, and development of characters. One novel I read was the first of John Grisham’s kid lawyer efforts. As expected, Mr. Grisham expertly develops the protagonist and the setting (time, and place), but I agree with another young reader . . . as a YA novel, it falls short. There isn’t enough action and there’s a lot of telling instead of showing. The reader also pointed out, and he is right, that some character threads were left hanging when the story reaches its denouement. Unanswered questions at the end of a novel (“hooks”) might be a perfectly acceptable method for most adult series but not for young readers. I was, however, able to analyze how Mr. Grisham develops a likeable character and appreciated the learning moments (how a trial works).

How much of my grand plan for 2014 is achievable?  All of it, I believe, if I set my derriere down in front of my computer for more than an hour a day. What is needed is discipline. Tell you what, instead of wishing me luck on completing my to-do-list, would you drop me a line and wish me discipline instead?

You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same.

cj

Photo by Jeff D. Johnston

AFDOC 11 & Baldwin Writers

What a busy and productive week! Mailed off four contest entries, finished a book review, and met with the Baldwin Writers Group in Daphne's Library. And, no, AFDOC didn't get a lot of attention this week, but all my seeded plants are in the ground and looking fine in the spring weather. Does that count? Probably not.

First let me say that the Daphne Library is a nice place to spend some time. They were in the middle of their annual book fair Saturday, so the place was packed with people buying and sharing. If you haven't been to their library, make it a point to visit the next time you're over that way. It's easy to find and full of creativity. The entire facility has an at-home comfort and is filled with cute do-dads (a great Southern word) stashed all around. In the young adult section there is an ongoing puzzle, which will be framed once it's finished. From the look of it, a lot of people have taken in interest in finishing it. There are comfortable chairs and cozy areas to sit and chat or peruse a book, and a delightful book store. And to-die-for quilts you can buy a chance to win. All and all a delight for a reader or author's eyes. A special thank you to the kind librarian who got me a bottle of water. I was in the antihistamine desert and forgot to bring mine.

Thanks to Phil Brady, President of the BWG and Nolan White, who invited me to speak. The group discussion was on the art of critiquing - a process near and dear to my heart - and hopefully I gave them some valuable information to make their work profitable (in more ways than one.) A friendly and well versed group of established writers, newbie writers, and a most personable artist, who, like me, was visiting for the first time had a lively discussion. I won't embarrass the artist by mentioning a name, but (s)he's also a dentist, and I'll bet a darn creative one. When my son was in junior high, he wanted a cap on his incisor with a purple LSU on it - he did not get it - but I'll bet this dentist is just the one who could've helped him with that. By the way, my son did get a gold retainer with a purple LSU down the middle of it after his braces were off. He's an executive chef now and is equally creative in his formulation of menus and delightful dishes. The 50s picture this week is dedicated to him.

A special thank you to cj who went with me to the meeting and added valuable info to the discussion about genres and literary compared to commercial fiction, etc. We continued our artistic discussion at lunch with Nolan, Frank C (there are several Franks), and Donna afterwards. cj and I talked all the way across the bay and back home. I thank BWG for prompting so many creative thoughts.

AFDOC and I have scheduled some serious time together next week. Wish me well and I send you caviar wishes for champagne writing. Mahala