You've spent months writing a novel. You've revised it, cherished it, dreamed about it, hated it, formatted it, and fallen in love all over again. You're ready to send it out to your first readers. And it's like cutting out a little piece of your soul, knowing it will come back chopped to little bits. Like Andy in Pretty in Pink, you know you'll have to sew it back together again using bits of old and new versions, until you have something shiny and beautiful and unique.
But what do you do when your betas and critique partners disagree?
My current manuscript has been through many revisions. I felt that it was close to being really, truly done. Recently, though, I won several critiques through contests. Each comment has been different, but some have been specifically the opposite advice. In an earlier draft, I had this line. I really liked it. It felt like it summed up what the book was about in the first page, without being too obvious. One of my first readers took the time to say, "I love this line!" Another one said cut it. I decided to leave it in, and it has survived through a few revisions. In my sit down with an editor at the SCBWI conference, she said cut it. Two more contest critiques came in last night, and guess what? They both took the time to compliment that line. (Though they both had plenty of other suggestions for things to ax!)
And that was just one line. I've had the exact same thing happen with entire scenes. This month I've learned how subjective personal taste can be. Ultimately, I just have to go with my gut about what advice I want to take. I also have to keep my head up and stay confident (or at least pretend to be) that this story is on the verge of being that shiny, beautiful, unique thing, and that it will one day find a home.
Music for today: Bandages by Hot Hot Heat
How frustrating! I guess it just comes down to going with your gut in the end. I've run into similar situations with my query, and it definitely makes you stop and take a closer look at the thing in question, but it can be really confusing. I hope you're able to sort through what needs to stay and what should go. Good luck! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Jaime. And yes, my query is the same way, perhaps even more so. My book alternates points of view, and I've been told the query must only cover one POV from about half the people who've read it. The other half say I must include both POVs in the query, or else I'm being misleading.
DeleteIt's so frustrating when that happens. I think going with your gut is the right thing to do, but sometimes it can be can to know what your gut is. usually I figure it out after a couple days or a week, but it'd be so much easier if the problem didn't even arrise in the first place. Good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true! I've heard we should ask ourselves if the reader needs to know this information at this point in the story. My struggle is deciding if the reader needs to know certain information at all.
DeleteI had the exact same thing happen with the beginning paragraph in my WIP. I posted the first 5 pages on Writeoncon and most everyone loved the opening paragraph, a few said to cut it. I posted the first chapter on another site, and all but one person who critiqued it said they loved it. But I love it too! So I'm a little torn.
ReplyDeleteIt can be frustrating, but I think you have to do what you feel is right by you and by your book. Even if it's just a sentence. :)
With that much positive feedback, and knowing how you feel, I'd keep it!
DeleteSomething like this happened to me too where one industry professional who looked at my work wanted me to change something, and another person said to keep it the way it was. Ultimately, I went with my gut instinct, which also matched the opinion of the industry professional who had more experience and whose style meshed a little better with mine.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes. "Opinion" is the key word. And in the end, you have to do what you feel makes the work stronger.
DeleteI had that happen with WriteOnCon a few weeks ago with my query--I added a line to please some folks on AW, and kept it when I posted on WoC to see what they thought. Lots of suggestions and crits that ended up feeling nitpicky, or that they wanted every single question answered in a query.
ReplyDeleteI've always heard and believed that you don't want to answer every quest in the query--without confusing them or being coy--the goal is to intrigue them into reading your pages. So I dropped that last line altogether, and I got a partial request!
Gut feeling for the win!
Congratulations on your request! I think queries are even worse about being subjective. What works as "voice" for one person is gimmicky or unnecessary for someone else. Explaining a fantasy world in under 200 words is also such a stretch. I hope that partial turns into a full! :)
DeleteSometimes we are so eager to please, so anxious to make things perfect, that we forget whose name is on the cover of the book. The person who wrote it of course. Feedback is good no doubt about it, but opinions are subjective, not factual. So unless there is a huge majority giving me feedback to change something, my opinion is going to be the one that counts.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, and almost exactly what my husband had to say about it.
DeleteGreetings!
ReplyDeleteI am hopping over from GUTGAA and trying to visit some blogs before the fun begins. Nice to meet you...you have a lovely blog!
Donna L Martin
www.donnalmartin.com
www.donasdays.blogspot.com
Thanks for stopping by, Donna!
DeleteYou're right about critiquing being very subjective. I've had the same thing happen with my writer's group. Some will like something, others won't. Some will nitpick at things, while others rave about the same thing. If they all have strong feelings about a specific part of the story, character, setting, or whatever, it might be wise to consider changing it, but what really matters, in the long run, is what YOU like. :)
ReplyDelete