- Joined
- Nov 28, 2022
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Got a good news report regarding the meeting I was scared about! As a refresher, my friend's mom, who is an author of children's books and is in the process of getting them published, agreed to review the prologue of my book and give me feedback on it. She has been part of a literary critique group for some years, so she's knowledgeable. She told me she has told people before that their writing sucks, and she's made people cry, so I was quite nervous.
But she told me ahead of time that she thought my prologue was very good, so that eased my nerves. And as for the type of feedback she gave me, it was very positive and it made me excited to dig in deeper to the feelings and stories of my characters.
Mainly, her feedback was mostly relating to reorganizing information in the paragraphs, eliminating redundant and unnecessary words, and including more sensory details to "show not tell." She wants me to illustrate the characters' feelings more through using direct thoughts and sensory feelings, rather than just stating information. Also, she was able to help me find some places where my language wasn't entirely consistent. By that I mean, I have a wise, angelic unicorn who speaks in a formal, elevated style, and there were some areas where my language didn't quite match that.
She also pointed out a place where I described a mysterious man who lived in the mountains, and he's the one who told the main character about the legends of the unicorns. This is hugely important because it sets the whole story in motion. My friend's mom said she was immediately full of questions about this mountain man, so I should either give him a prominent role in the book, or eliminate the mention of him. At that moment, I was hit with sudden inspiration like a tidal wave. I don't want to spoil anything for those who eventually want to read my book, but I have an existing character whom I realized would be perfect for this role, and now I just need to connect him to it.
But best of all, this same lady who isn't afraid to tell people when their writing sucks, told me my story has, quote, "the bones to be a classic."
That made me so happy! Mechanical things and issues of telling-not-showing can be fixed with some effort, but if the bones aren't there, what are you even doing, right? But she told me she really wants me to publish my book. That made me so excited and encouraged. Ever since I was a little kid, I've dreamed of becoming a published fantasy author. In more recent years, I've dreamed of contributing something new and refreshing to the fantasy genre. Maybe, with enough work and patience, that could happen.
But she told me ahead of time that she thought my prologue was very good, so that eased my nerves. And as for the type of feedback she gave me, it was very positive and it made me excited to dig in deeper to the feelings and stories of my characters.
Mainly, her feedback was mostly relating to reorganizing information in the paragraphs, eliminating redundant and unnecessary words, and including more sensory details to "show not tell." She wants me to illustrate the characters' feelings more through using direct thoughts and sensory feelings, rather than just stating information. Also, she was able to help me find some places where my language wasn't entirely consistent. By that I mean, I have a wise, angelic unicorn who speaks in a formal, elevated style, and there were some areas where my language didn't quite match that.
She also pointed out a place where I described a mysterious man who lived in the mountains, and he's the one who told the main character about the legends of the unicorns. This is hugely important because it sets the whole story in motion. My friend's mom said she was immediately full of questions about this mountain man, so I should either give him a prominent role in the book, or eliminate the mention of him. At that moment, I was hit with sudden inspiration like a tidal wave. I don't want to spoil anything for those who eventually want to read my book, but I have an existing character whom I realized would be perfect for this role, and now I just need to connect him to it.
But best of all, this same lady who isn't afraid to tell people when their writing sucks, told me my story has, quote, "the bones to be a classic."
That made me so happy! Mechanical things and issues of telling-not-showing can be fixed with some effort, but if the bones aren't there, what are you even doing, right? But she told me she really wants me to publish my book. That made me so excited and encouraged. Ever since I was a little kid, I've dreamed of becoming a published fantasy author. In more recent years, I've dreamed of contributing something new and refreshing to the fantasy genre. Maybe, with enough work and patience, that could happen.