A nice side effect of finding a new writer's support group online is that I've sold a few more books and received several nice reviews. I've also encouraged a couple people to share what they liked about my stories, but also what they didn't like. That is always important to me as I want to improve and grow as a writer.
There were two common themes to the feedback: I'm not consistent with my descriptions and I didn't make things difficult enough for the MC. I happen to know the folks who felt I wasn't hard enough are also fans of Grim/Dark fantasy. Granted, I don't bloody my characters relentlessly, but that's just not my style.The difficulties I try to inflict on my characters are usually emotional, and I will continue to do so.
The issue with my inconsistent descriptions is something I can fix, and will. I never realized how much I expanded the scenes I thought were important and glossed over other scenes that were important to the reader. The trick will be trying to determine just how much extra description a particular scene needs. From the comments I received, it should only require a few more sentences to flesh out.
Another plus from joining this new support group is the large number of young readers and writers. Their enthusiasm for my YA stories has given me a new spark to continue those stories. The support and encouragement I've received from the group has really helped me to look past the trials of last year and focus on the future.
In other news, today I reached a small milestone in my life. I met with the previous owner of our Meetup site and critique group to officially transfer ownership. I am now the proud owner and administrator of the Kitsap Writer's Critique Group. This is not a position I ever imagined myself in, but I take the responsibility seriously. I'm looking forward to the future and doing what little I can to help others become better writers.
Thanks for reading.
Heaven knows with all the stuff you've had to deal with this past year it's amazing you have been able to function at all. I would call it situational depression which would differ from normal depression in that when the situation improves so does the outlook.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your on the rebound and the new FB group is helping. I signed on to the FB group on Fantasy too. I know, I don't write fantasy. But, I read more of it than anything else. I'm not sure if it's the same fantasy group you got on to or not. I don't do facebook much.
Nevertheless, a few kind words here and there really goes a long way in bolstering the desire to write. These groups can be good for that beside the critiques. The critiques have reshaped my thinking as I compose. Getting to the point where you and Michelle and Sharon and and few others are at where the prose comes off the page nearly perfect is a goal for me. But, it's like walk halfway to the wall. I will never get there, but eventually pretty darn close.
Youngsters seem to have a higher tolerance to gore. I think it is a gradual conditioning and the never ending attempt of the entertainment industry to 'shock' the audience after they've already become numb to the last round of blood. We've come a long way since Psycho. I'm not saying it's good or bad. Just not to me taste. But I'm not a good judge, I've never been a fan of horror movies. And rarely read such material. So, I laud your restraint in bloodying your characters. As far as descriptors goes, I think you do fine. Perhaps, here and there you might strengthen a scene or richen it a bit with more sensory detail, but for the most part it is an area I think you do fine with as is.
I think the next level of writing for you is in the layering of your story, building on subplots that seem unrelated that really aren't and come together to touch and divert again or climax. I've yet to figure out how to do that. But I like it when I read a book that is that way.
Anyway, see you in a couple weeks and thanks for sharing. -Jerry
Hey Jerry! Thanks for the comments, and sorry it's taken me a couple days to respond. Typical of me, as soon as my knee started feeling better, I over did it, and mow I'm in pain again. You'd think at my age I would have figured that out by now. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying the new group, and it gives me some hope for the future. There are a number of young writers, (I'm talking 13-16 years young) that say they want to learn how to write because they are sick of the gore, violence, and foul language in most of the YA stories today. It would be nice seeing more stories for teens with a deeper and more meaningful message.
I think you will see some of that layering in the second book of my Deluti series. I initiated several sub-plots in the first book that carry over and become an important part of the second. We'll see how it turns out. Right now I need to concentrate on finishing the second novella.
See you soon.
Roland.