I thought for a semi-refreshing change of pace, I would talk about my writing. Specifically, what I like to affectionately call THE UNKNOWN NOVELLA!
Yes, THE UNKNOWN NOVELLA. The one that I wrote some 4 years ago. The one that does not have a title of any kind (hence the nifty moniker). The one that will become my next release. The one that gave me the great-grandmother of all reality checks. If you're a writer, then you know the kind of reality check I'm talking about.
To bring everyone up to speed, roughly two weeks ago I had a fellow writer from FB, whose main job is a freelance writer and all the various tangents that go with it, go over my novella in her official job title as copy-editor with a fine tooth comb, strand-by-strand. I just got that first draft back yesterday (6/14), and while I have not actually looked at the manuscript, I did read the wonderfully detailed/nuanced/straight from lip e-mail that she wrote.
Once I'd scraped my lower jaw from the floor and reattached it securely to my face, I re-read the e-mail. Thrice. I actually had just one question for her about something she'd mention, simply because I was fortunate enough to understand the remaining 99% of what she'd written. Upset I did not get, because not only did I ask for it (the masochist that I am), but quite frankly, I needed it.
I know it sounds very strange for someone to say, "Please sir, may I have another.", especially if they ain't Oliver Twist or Kevin Bacon from Animal House, but if I want to take my writing to the next level, I needed a Moe Howard Drive-By. And a vicious Moe Howard Drive-By is what I got.
A writer is someone I really want to be, especially since I have about a half dozen good quality slushies knocking at my chamber door, so the job for me this coming summer & fall, will be to expand and expound, tighten up and loosen up,
Now, where did I put that bottle of Jose Cuervo?
(c) 2016 BOOKS BY G.B. MILLER. All Rights Reserved.
Better to get the truth now while you can fix it than in a review when you can't do much about the mistakes.
ReplyDeleteMost definitely. I knew that if I wanted to seriously pursue this thing called writing, I really needed an objective set of eyes not only to tell me what's right, but what's wrong and how it can be fixed.
DeleteI admire your willingness, as a serious student of your craft, to take constructive criticism as incentive to improve as a writer. It's easier to do that when the suggestions come from someone you respect, so your freelance writer-reviewer must fall in this category.
ReplyDeleteYes, she does. I'd first met her back in 2012 when I signed my first publishing deal. At the time, she had a couple of books (including one YA best seller) under her belt. So I was able to watch and glean what she did both up close and from afar. I respect the writers that I've met here, so it made it that much easier to learn and grow as a writer.
DeleteI'm trying to get back into something I quit about a year ago. Isn't esy.
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not. Beside this novella, I'm also working on a slushie that I'd originally wrote some 6 years ago. So I have two interesting projects to drive myself slug nutty with.
DeleteI think this is part of what holds me back from finishing anything I've written or putting it out there. Sometimes I kind of wish my blog posts would get critiqued in a serious way to give me a better perspective about my writing. Or maybe not.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
I was somewhat prepared for this shot upside the head, in that some 6 years ago I had a short story blog. Got some very fine critique from the people who'd read them and was able to parlay that into a few published short stories.
DeleteCritiquing blog posts is tough, because blogging is a world upon its own. What might sound/read wrong for one person is completely normal for another.
I considered being an editor as a career once, but I figured out pretty quickly that editors are not popular with writers, most of the time. An editor who trained me said "It's like they hand you their newborn baby and you tell them that this finger and these toes need to be cut off."
ReplyDeleteYeah, that sounds about right. Still, I did seek this person out because I do want to put out the best product possible.
DeleteWow, I understand where you're coming from with this post. I think I have beaten you. I did start writing a novel... almost 20 years ago. 44 pages later... nothing. :-) Well, one day, one day...
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
20 years, eh? Where was I 20 years ago? Oh yes, I was just starting out my brand spanking new job with the first of what would be 5 government agencies. Up to then, the only writing I did was essays back in high school. So yeah, that has me beat hands down. :D
DeleteAnd...I have to ask...who is Moe Howard? I don't know if I could take an editing like that.
ReplyDeleteThe Three Stooges. Moe Howard, Larry Fine, Shemp Howard, Curly Howard, Joe DeRita, Joe Besser.
DeleteI would say prior to 2010, I wouldn't have been able to take one like that either. But I seek improvement in what I write, which can only lead to more product to put out for the general masses to consume.