Good morning, Readers!
This wonderfully weird piece is by deviantart.com user alexson1. I really like it. The artist has more cool stuff. Check them out by clicking the image.
Yesterday, I sent an email to two people I know who are writers - good writers - who are not also my beta readers. The kinds of writers I reckon I could learn a lot from. You see, I'm writing a story. It's something that's a little closer to my heart-space than any of the other books I've written. I mean, I love all the books I've written, but this one is really special to me.
As much as I love this story, I'm also frustrated with it or, rather, I'm really frustrated with me. I don't think I'm writing well enough to do the story justice. In other words, I'm suffering from a severe case of IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
So, I sent an email, begging for help to make it better, to comb through the manuscript to identify the weak points, the plot holes, the character inconsistencies, the boring bits, and point them out to me. I can't see these things. I'm too close to the story, like a cop investigating the case of their daughter's murder. Or something. That was a weird simile. I feel desperate to improve, and it's so strong it's feels like it's almost physically bursting out of me. It's feels a little bit like wanderlust, that awful feeling of profound restlessness, of needed to run away somewhere for a month, or two, or several. It's like needing to stretch, but being cramped up in a box.
Anyway, I've asked two people I respect and trust to tear apart my manuscript.
Because they're both infinitely wonderful, they both agreed. This is something to note, because both are extremely busy, and they've got so much on their plates, and they STILL agreed to help me out. I know wonderful people. I really do.
Let me just toot the horn of the Ottawa SFF community. They are such a bright, fun, supportive, helpful bunch of kind people and it's just so lovely to be around them.
That's all the gushing I have the stomach for today.
In any case, I just need to stress how important feedback is for a writer. It's fun to receive praise, but rarely does it result in improvement. Rarely does it make a manuscript any better. Rarely will it make you a better writer.
I want those things for me, and I am so incredibly lucky to have people around me who are willing to help me get there.
Right, I have more writing to get done.
Ciao!
As much as I love this story, I'm also frustrated with it or, rather, I'm really frustrated with me. I don't think I'm writing well enough to do the story justice. In other words, I'm suffering from a severe case of IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
So, I sent an email, begging for help to make it better, to comb through the manuscript to identify the weak points, the plot holes, the character inconsistencies, the boring bits, and point them out to me. I can't see these things. I'm too close to the story, like a cop investigating the case of their daughter's murder. Or something. That was a weird simile. I feel desperate to improve, and it's so strong it's feels like it's almost physically bursting out of me. It's feels a little bit like wanderlust, that awful feeling of profound restlessness, of needed to run away somewhere for a month, or two, or several. It's like needing to stretch, but being cramped up in a box.
Anyway, I've asked two people I respect and trust to tear apart my manuscript.
Because they're both infinitely wonderful, they both agreed. This is something to note, because both are extremely busy, and they've got so much on their plates, and they STILL agreed to help me out. I know wonderful people. I really do.
Let me just toot the horn of the Ottawa SFF community. They are such a bright, fun, supportive, helpful bunch of kind people and it's just so lovely to be around them.
That's all the gushing I have the stomach for today.
In any case, I just need to stress how important feedback is for a writer. It's fun to receive praise, but rarely does it result in improvement. Rarely does it make a manuscript any better. Rarely will it make you a better writer.
I want those things for me, and I am so incredibly lucky to have people around me who are willing to help me get there.
Right, I have more writing to get done.
Ciao!
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