Monday, February 06, 2012

Rescuing the good bits from the logic bog

On the one hand I want to tell you all the things I'm trying to do to make my stories better. On the other, I don't want to sound like a know-it-all jerkface, who thinks she's got it all figured out because I don't.

Um. I should probably just add that text as a blanket disclaimer to my whole web site.

I received some useful feedback on my work Saturday. The WIP excerpt (critiqued in the morning) suffered from not having a character who was immediately likable. I might try starting from a place of danger and see if I can get the character to make a choice right away.

The short story (critiqued in the afternoon) suffered from logical inconsistencies, some of which I knew about, some of which surprised me. I'd spent so much time staring at the words and rewriting that I needed some outside opinions on what really wasn't working so I'd have a better idea what to save or tie up better in the end. Now we'll see if I can translate all of that feedback into a a better story.

If I can pull off this short story I'll be very happy. It's got some interesting stuff going for it, which is currently getting bogged down by the parts that don't work.

Looks to be another sunny, gorgeous day in Seattle. I wonder if I'll leave the house.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The new title for your blog: NOT ANOTHER KNOW-IT-ALL JERKFACE!

I learn so much from fellow writers' blogs, and I can totally relate to "translating" feedback into a rewrite that shines. It takes some work, but it's well worth it. Some of my best stories are my "best" because of the input I received from editors who were kind enough to say "Close, but we need you to..."

Folly Blaine said...

Thanks, Milo. :) I totally agree. I am always grateful when I get a hint -- or a flat out statement -- about what isn't working for the reader. The right feedback can save so much time.