As I crack down on the last bits of this round of revisions for my soon to be query bait, it's time to get feedback. And because the writing community is incredibly awesome, there are places to get test readers for the first 250 words, query, you know pretty much the works (even betas from beta/CP mixers at
Falling for Fiction, and whole forums just for finding a crit partner! Writers are awesome!!!)
This week the fantastic
Daisy Carter has gone over my first
250 words! Thank you so much Daisy. And if all y'all aren't reading Daisy's blog, you should be. She is a great writer, repped by the fabulous Tricia Lawrence of Erin Murphy Literary Agency. So check her out and take a hatchet to my first 250 (the question at hand being whether to axe a flash forward, turn it into a prologue, or leave it alone).
How do you guys feel about public
lambasting critiquing? I for one am a fan, though it can be hard to swallow. It's certainly not for the faint of heart!
I think I learn a LOT from public critiquing... well, from reading someone else's piece that has been publicly critiqued. I can't say that I would ever be brave enough to put something I wrote out there for that. Good for you! I hope you get everything you want and more from the process.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I've started reading ALL the entries in a contest if I can. It helps SO MUCH; it's crazy.
DeleteAnd Daisy is a great critiquer, so I know I'll get what I need.
You're brave. (I break out in a sweat when I put anything in public.) But it is the brave who succeed!
ReplyDeleteGoing to check it out!
Brave is when you're scared of doing something and do it anyway. I have been anxiously awaiting this critique (which was fantastic, and I loved your suggestions).
DeleteAwe thanks...I really do hate throwing my two cents in on work that is already so good!
DeleteThank you so much for being brave, Rena. You're an excellent writer, and I'm so honored you submitted!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! And Thank You so much for having me. I really thought you pointed out some great things about my first page. It gave me courage to cut something that should have been cut ages ago, but I'd been on the fence. Of course, the section cut had one of my favorite lines of all time. Good bye great line *sigh* I'll miss you.
Deleteread it. more please!
ReplyDeletei offer beta/cp services to you if you're still looking...
I've had my queries up on a couple blogs, and that doesn't bother me. But I've seen people share lines on Twitter, and while I love the idea of doing that, I am too chicken.
ReplyDeleteHeading over to read your 250 now!
When I share lines on twitter, I wonder if people think I've gone crazy. But then I remember, they don't wonder if I've gone crazy; they *know* I've gone crazy.
DeleteRight now I'm lucky if I let THREE people read my manuscript! So public critiquing is a long way off for me. I can definitely see it being useful though, because you get to see what a cross section of readers think of the piece, and most of all whether they'd be interested enough to buy it.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, brave writer!
I've had such a mixed bag with beta readers and critique partners, that for a while I thought "Maybe I won't let anyone read it but agents and stuff."
DeleteYeah, that didn't really work out.
It depends on what I want to share. For the most part, I save my best for the CPs. I like to keeps that for a surprise. :)
ReplyDelete