NaNoWriMo Support Group discussion
After math of NaNo!
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Editing ~
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Wow, this looks AMAZING. I always have trouble deciding how to edit or what to edit...mainly the reason I've never edited my NaNo stories much. I don't have time to read this at this moment, but I will definitely read through it later! Thanks so much!
How do you EVER get over a bad critique?I've been writing novels for a year, and have so far written four , all unpublished so far. I have redrafted the first draft of my novel five or six times, and also sent it around to some friends and family members who were willing to proof read it, with detailed instructions as to what was to be proof read, and not just a"can you read my novel please? " request.
I have also joined two Internet- based critique groups: Inked Voices and Scribophile, for which I critique work on a daily basis, and also regularly submit my own work for critique (although some of it really really gets looked up, especially in Inked Voices). I am starting to take it personally that people don't always look at my work and/critique it, when I always critique work that comes my way whether I really like the writing style or genre or not, and I am NEVER as harsh as some people have been with me.
I am constantly reading books, and not just those in my genres, which so far are urban fantasy for children, and young adult fiction, although I also want to write women's fiction in the very near future.
I have a couple of writing advice books: Write Good or Die edited by Scott Nicholson and No Novel No Problem by Chris Baty (the founder of NaNoWriMo.) I have also participated in, and won , NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo twice each (2013 and 2014 for regular nano and April and July 2014 for Camp).
So far, the general consensus from people who have critiqued my work is "great characterisation/believability/grammar and spelling/plot ideas" , but that I " need to improve the readability and some plot areas to make it more compelling, and cut down on large descriptions. "
I'm concentrating so far on getting my first novel, the first in an urban fantasy trilogy which could be read by anyone, but that is primarily aimed at the 9 to 12 age group ready for publication.
I have been working on it for just over a year, and doing countless rereads and edits myself in addition to the ones other people have done for me. I don't have anyone directly involved in the writing/publishing industries in my family, so has been difficult for me to get very constructive feedback from them, although in general they are quite encouraging. An added problem I have is not having the money on hand to pay an editor, which is what a lot of people have advised me to do
. Back in April/May time this year, I started a campaign to raise money for editing and publishing my book, but I did not raise nearly as much as I needed to (in all, I only raised a couple of hundred pounds, and I learned early on that paid services can be expensive. )
People in both of the critique groups I am in are welcoming, but have also reacted differently to my work. I have had people on the one hand saying that they like my work, and others on the other hand saying that they don't, and getting very personal about it , for example, yesterday I had someone in Scribophile basically say that I don't know how to write a book, and I have to learn to write one. I do not know this person personally, and I responded letting her know that although the work I have posted for critique is from the first novel I ever wrote, she ought to cut me some slack because I have other novels, and have written others since. In fact, I have written four in just a year. She reacted by not exactly saying sorry, but congratulating me on the amount of books I have written in a short time. I don't know whether to take that as an apology or not.
I recognise that a draft is not going to be perfect the first time, and possibly not even the sixth time, but what people need to learn is to not get at people so personally. What they don't realise, is that every day I am working hours to pursue my dream and goal of being a published author, and that I am constantly thinking about, and working on, my book
Another person basically said " it's not that you can't write, you can, you are, but it needs to be better."
Outside of my high school exams, which I passed first time in English and well, (I got a B in English language and a B in English literature), I have also taken a short online course on creative writing run by udemy, and also taking a course on writing prompts run by a small creative writing school local to where I live.
I adore writing I am doing what I can to improve my writing skills with the budget I have available, which is not very much as I have physical disabilities and a high level of medical needs that need to be catered for, and time and time again I get physically upset by the critiques that I get at the moment this is not good for my health.
How can I improve my writing, and not let bad critiques get to me? I really want to grow as a writer and I want my writing to get better over time, because my ultimate goal is to publish my first book next year at the latest, because then I would been working on the same book for near enough two years.
Some people have said that the time I have been working on it now is not long enough, that they have been working on the same book for four years, but I really do not know how long a person should work on the same book for , and when, and how, to judge when it is ready for publication.
I realise that next year is really not far off now, but I really want to improve significantly between now and then in my writing so that I have a better chance of publishing, although it would be great if I could publish before the end of this year, but I'm not sure whether that would be feasible or possible.
At the moment, people are doubting the publishability of my work.
The people who like my work seem to think that it is nearly ready for publishing, and will be at least with some changes. I like to think that too , and I do, but I am really concerned about publishing something that is possibly going to get bad critiques from the outset if it is not more formatted . This is something people in both critique groups I am in have warned me about. Are they right to warn me about this? Is it true that something like that could happen? How likely is it? Would I be wiser to improve my writing before publishing it or just take the plunge and publish? Or could it be possible that they are just saying things like that of jealousy, or that they want me to fail as an author? I seem to think that some people are
I've asked these types of questions already in the critique groups, and I've got a variety of answers, so I thought I would ask in here to see if ask you to see if anyone's got any more useful insight and advice for me.
Deep down, I know I've got the possibility and potential to be a great author, but so far, unfortunately the guidance I have got is not really helping me go in the direction that I would want to go, and that is towards publication. I am not even sure if people who criticise my work and my ability as an author criticise it because they know that I have disabilities and they think that because of that might work will not be very good, even though I am a very hard worker, and intelligent, or whether they are criticising it because they want me to be a better author and be successful. To be honest, it's really hard to know. I need advice on this and everything I have said in this post.
I'd be really grateful if you could also suggest some writing advice books and websites I might find useful to help me on my journey as an author. I've been told by many people who value me and my work that I am on the right track, and that I am doing the right things. This leads me to ask: So why am I not getting better critiques? Does a critique really reflect the writers ability, and give potential readers an indication of this so that they are more likely to readand/or buy a book? I've always wondered about this, because I rate a lot of the books that I read.
The simple answer to this question is to wait. The Roman poet Horace was known to wait nine years before beginning the process of revision. That’s a little long in my opinion, but the idea of waiting is helpful. You need to wait long enough so you are able to critically approach your NaNoWriMo novel and make the tough decisions that are required to perform effective manuscript editing. Some writers don’t like the process of revision, but successful writers know the first draft is really just about telling a story; the second draft is about writing a novel.
Think big
Before continuing, an important distinction must be made between revising and editing. Editing is concerned with the technical aspects of language. Revising is concerned with issues bigger than just the simple mechanics of language. When revising your National Novel Writing Month novel, you should be concerned with the larger issues: the focus, the theme, and the purpose. Think about your audience during this process. This will help you determine whether the tone of your work is appropriate and, if it isn’t, how to alter your NaNoWriMo novel so it is.
Begin with the plot
When revising, writers frequently find it helpful to begin with the plot. Is the plot interesting? Is there a conflict? Where does the story start? Does the plot follow a classic story arc? Is there a strong opening and escalating tension that inevitably leads to a climax and resolution? Is there a discernable time line? Is the plot in your NaNoWriMo novel believable? You may have to make some difficult choices here. Problems with plot often require the most extensive re-writes. You may have to start your story at another scene or you may have to rewrite your ending. You may even have to add or delete scenes and characters.
Theme
Fill in this sentence: My NaNoWriMo novel is about _________. If you can’t explain what your novel is about in one sentence, you might want to examine whether you actually have a theme. Keep in mind that theme does not mean plot points; theme is what your manuscript is about. Your NaNoWriMo novel can be about anything: love, life, death, revenge, or friendship. The possibilities are endless. Once you’ve established the theme, the whole process of revising becomes much easier because you are able to determine what belongs thematically and what doesn’t.
Know thyself
The Latin term for “know thyself” is “nosce te ipsum,” and while it usually refers to personal introspection, the phrase is applicable to revision. In order to revise your NaNoWriMo novel effectively, you should know your own writing well enough that you are able to anticipate problems. For example, in my writing, one thing I need to look out for is that my characters are always looking at someone or something:
Steve glanced around the pub, “I don’t see her.”
“I haven’t seen her all night,” Matt answered looking into his waning pint. His
reflection stared back at him.
Steve watched his friend. He appeared to be sad. “Well, we should really look for
her.”
One of my writing mentors was kind enough to point this out to me and for this I am eternally grateful. The best way to find out what your little linguistic ticks are is to join a writer’s group, have a writer in your community review your manuscript, or try our manuscript critique service.
Characters
Pay particular attention to your protagonist. Are their characteristics and actions well-developed? Have you created believable characters? How do they change in the story? Remember that your NaNoWriMo novel should resolve in one of of two ways; the protagonist will either change for the good or they will change for the worse. A story in which the protagonist doesn’t change is a pretty boring story. Another point to consider is whether there are forgotten characters in your novel. If you have two or three really interesting characters that appear only once and are quickly forgotten, consider the possibility of combining these characters into one really compelling secondary character.
Language
You know those NaNoWriMo tips to writing a book we shared to help you reach 50,000 words? Well, it’s time to get rid of that extra padding. Do a quick search, using your word processor’s find feature, for the following words: just, really, very, and suddenly. These words are almost always unnecessary and are simply used as padding. Also, try to eliminate dialogue tags (he said/she said). If there are only two people speaking, there is rarely a need to include them.
Continuity
Make sure your green-eyed heroine with black hair doesn’t squint her sky blue eyes, while brushing hay coloured hair from her face. This may sound silly, but continuity errors are some of the most common we encounter when editing fiction. The physical characteristics of characters or the landscape often change for no apparent reason. A technique to deal with this is to use a notebook to track all these details; so whenever you come to a description, flip to that section of the notebook and skim to ensure you are maintaining consistency.
Imagery
In your NaNoWriMo novel, imagery is important. Imagery engages the reader’s senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing). It also helps convey a sense of place, tone, and theme, if done properly. However, imagery is one of the most common avenues for clichés to inadvertently make their way into your manuscript. Also, when describing imagery, there is a tendency towards “purple prose,” which is when the author uses overly extravagant, flowery language. Keep the descriptions in your novel simple, concise, and unique.
Dialogue
Another aspect of your novel that you may have to revise is dialogue. A simple technique is to read the dialogue out loud. This technique allows you to pay attention to the rhythm of the dialogue and make appropriate changes. You want the dialogue in your NaNoWriMo novel to be natural and believable.
Conclusion
Once your revisions are complete, it is time to edit. Some people have no patience for editing their manuscript. By the time the third or fourth revision is complete, your NaNoWriMo novel is probably the last thing you want to read. Once you’ve reached the stage where all you are concerned with is ensuring all your commas are where they are supposed to be, consider submitting your novel to our manuscript editors. We’re the Oompa-Loompas of creative writing. While you dream and write, we are obsessed with the little details of writing. So why not put us to work editing your masterpiece?
[LINK]: http://www.scribendi.com/advice/nanow...