{"id":2988,"date":"2013-09-22T04:20:19","date_gmt":"2013-09-22T12:20:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2988"},"modified":"2013-09-22T04:20:19","modified_gmt":"2013-09-22T12:20:19","slug":"story-critique-the-blessings-and-the-curses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/publishingblog\/?p=2988","title":{"rendered":"Story Critique\u2014The Blessings and the Curses"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been putting the finishing touches on Cat-Eye Witness<\/em>\u2014the 2nd in the Klepto Cat Mystery series for a few months now. I announce to friends and family that it\u2019s done. Then I find myself editing it again\u2014doing more minor revisions.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve incorporated suggestions from seven readers and a proofreader into the final manuscript. I\u2019ve read it through and did more editing at least two dozen times. I am ready to publish it\u2014as soon as the cover art is completed. <\/p>\n

Is it a good idea to farm your novel out to readers before publication? Many novelists like to (and probably should) invite people to read their stories before they are deemed finished. The benefits can be many\u2014you receive validation, serious problems with the story or the characters may be identified, punctuation errors and typos will be caught. However, you might also receive some negative feedback\u2014\u201cyour characters are not likable,\u201d \u201cthey\u2019re shallow\u201d or \u201cyour story isn\u2019t believable,\u201d for example. The level of your attachment to your story and your characters will determine whether you can accept truly constructive criticism or not. <\/p>\n

But what about the criticism that seems to be based on the other author\u2019s or reader\u2019s own vision? <\/p>\n

There are hundreds\u2014maybe thousands\/millions\u2014of ways to write a single story. And I\u2019ve seen authors allow the opinions of others to interfere with the story they want to tell in the way they want to tell it. The thing is, every author and even many readers have an opinion about how they would engineer a story. Seldom are the visions of others relevant to your story\u2014your way of telling your story. It\u2019s a fine line between staying true to your story and listening to\/accepting the valid suggestions of others. <\/p>\n

An author who farms his\/her manuscript out to be critiqued before publication must prepare on many levels. He needs a thick skin. He must detach enough from his project so he can view it without emotion. He must also be able to separate useful suggestions and critique from emotion-driven opinions.<\/p>\n

Read my first attempt at a novel\u2014Catnapped<\/em>, a Klepto Cat Mystery. It has been revised for your Kindle. It\u2019s just $2.99 at http:\/\/amzn.to\/14OCk0W<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been putting the finishing touches on Cat-Eye Witness\u2014the 2nd in the Klepto Cat Mystery series for a few months now. I announce to friends and family that it\u2019s done. Then I find myself editing it again\u2014doing more minor revisions. I\u2019ve incorporated suggestions from seven readers and a proofreader into the final manuscript. I\u2019ve read […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t