Over the years, I’ve often been asked about craft, inspiration, plot, query letters and other publishing-related topics. I’m happy to share what I know and in an effort to be efficient, I compiled a post with multiple links to – hopefully – better assist writers with their questions. Something I didn’t include in the post that I’m asked a lot lately concerns critical feedback. Here’s a paraphrased question that’s been posed to me several times recently:
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“I’m a new writer and I’ve never finished a book before, but I wrote a few chapters and I’d really like someone to look at them and tell me if they’re any good. Where should I go for this?”
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My response? BACK TO YOUR KEYBOARD.
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Let me elaborate on why. Getting an idea you want to write about is easy. Turning that idea into a completed novel is not. I read somewhere that 80% of people polled say they’d like to write a book. Less than 10 percent of them actually do it. Why? Because writing a book from Chapter One all the way to The End is time consuming and difficult, to be blunt. If it wasn’t, most of those 80-percenters would’ve done it. The bottom line is that life is busy for everyone, plus new ideas crop up that make you want to work on them instead. To start and finish a book requires an almost manic dedication to one particular story, so in my opinion, the last thing you want to add on top of that is getting a critique every few chapters. Some writers may be able to handle that, but most of us, when we are trying to overcome that First Book hurdle, need encouragement. Not criticism, no matter how constructive or well-intentioned it is, and if you give your story to someone to read, then expect critical comments because no one writes a flawless first draft. No one. In fact, no published novel is flawless, even after going through the editing, copyediting, and proofreading stage. If you’ve finished a book and think it’s so fabulous that it needs little to no revising, you’re probably overestimating your abilities. I believe it was Oscar Wilde who said, “Books are never finished, they are merely abandoned.” In other words, what you wrote can always be improved upon, and that improvement is done through revisions. But here let me quote another writer: “I can fix anything except a blank page.” – Nora Roberts. Revisions are imperative, and critical feedback plays a crucial part in revisions, but first, fill those pages from Chapter One to The End. Otherwise, you may find yourself repeatedly polishing initial chapters on a novel that will never be finished, and that’s as useful as making beds while in a burning house.
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Let’s say you’re of the ultra-thick skin variety and criticism bounces right off you (and if you are…teach me your secret? *grin*). Even so, I wouldn’t recommend seeking an outside opinion until you’ve completed your first novel. Why? Well, until you’re done writing the story, you don’t know yourself what may stay or may go. Take my debut novel, Halfway to the Grave. What you see in Chapter One now was, in first draft form, originally Chapter Four. From initial writing to selling the book, I ended up deleting the first three chapters in their entirety because after the book was finished and I went back over it, I saw they contained too much backstory that dragged down the pacing. When I wrote them, of course, I thought every word was necessary. It was only in hindsight that I realized none of them were. What if I’d given them to a friend/family member/critique group when they were all I had and was told that the story was boring and to write something else? (which would have been valid criticism at that point, by the way). Then I may never have finished the book that ended up becoming a bestseller and launching my career. Again, if you’re a brand new writer who’s never finished a book before, my recommendation is to focus on that one goal exclusively. Believe me, that’s already challenging enough.
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I’ll address the “I’m done with the book, now what?” or “I’ve completed several novels, but I’m not sure if this one is good enough to finish” questions in a later post. Right now I need to go over the galley pages for Once Burned, where, proving Oscar Wilde right, I will cringe over all the errors that I didn’t notice before in the manuscript.
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Note: Sorry for the dots between the paragraphs. Pasting this from where I originally wrote it in my inbox draft folder seems to have stripped the proper formatting when converting it to WordPress.
I am thankful to you Jeaniene. I love all the Cat and Bones books and the single stories too. i have even gotten some friends addicted to. Thank you for writing them. Your information was very helpful. I don’t like to write a few chapters. i like to write the wholle thing.
I have been a huge fan of your work for years and I can not thank you enough for this blog post today. I was asked to do a rewrite of my ms for a small press publishing company (it appears I have an addiction to the word “she”) which I did and resubmitted. Yesterday came the email of “although it reads much tighter, we are going to pass. Sentances need to be more active.” Anyway, total devistation as I thought this was a sure thing. Your blog today relit the fire under my rear to get back to the drawing board, rewrite, edit and start querying again. Your blog posts are always wonderful and it was just what the doctor ordered today! Much thanks for your amazing books. Always a happy dance day when a new one comes out!
Dear ms. Jeanine, thank you so much for your awesome imagination. I can’t put into words how much your books entertain me. My boyfriend is constantly wondering where my sudden outbursts of laughter come from and all I do is hold up the book and point. Keep them coming!! My sister is addicted also.
Hi Jeaniene, thanks for posting this. Finishing a first draft can be so hard, and early criticism can be really rough. However, and I’m only speaking from personal experience here, I’m not sure I would have finished a novel without that early feedback. I took classes and received critiques from the teachers and my peers. The great thing about feedback in that kind of an environment is that it’s tempered with a lot of encouragement, and I needed that encouragement to keep me going. It also helped me to know that everyone else also felt lost and felt like their first drafts were terrible – I wasn’t alone in my doubts. So for anyone who’s thinking, “but I still really want feedback,” find a quality local writing class or check out online classes.
I’m glad you found a good writing class when you were starting out. I’ve heard some writers complain that certain genres (like romance or urban fantasy) were derided in their creative writing classes, though, I’m glad to say, I’ve also heard some writers say those genres were treated with the same respect as any other. In my post, I was mainly talking about online critique groups where writers swap stories with each other. or asking a friend/family member to read. Taking classes to improve your craft is something I’ve recommended before in other posts (though, in the interest of full disclosure, I never took a writing class prior to being published).
I have to confess I’ve been in classes where my writing was insulted (by the teachers, no less) because I wasn’t writing “literary” fiction. The first time it happened I was crushed and stopped writing, so what you said in your original post really resonated with me. The second time, I got really awesome feedback from my peers, so the fact that the teacher refused to give me feedback didn’t matter so much. After that I took classes focused on what I wanted to write, and it made a huge difference for me. With my comment, I just wanted to offer another suggestion for anyone who felt like they’d be lost without feedback, as everyone’s path is different.
And Jeaniene, you’re a natural, you obviously didn’t need classes. Every book and story you write is better than the one that came before, and I can’t wait to see how you outdo yourself next. 🙂
Hey, there, you’re my favorite author, I love all of your books. Vlad is one of my favorites and I can’t wait for his book. I was wondering when you were have his story.
I’m currently on hapilly never after. I really like how you write spin off stories. There’s poeple there we didn’t know in the main books.
I write books to but I’m at a loss of ideas and when I reread mine I wish they were as good as yours 🙂
This is great advice I wish I’d had when wriing my latest book. The first one I wrote two years ago (which will never see the light of day) was not so great. I had a friend reading it as I went along, but she just enjoyed it and never offered any feedback. The main thing I learned with that one was what not to do so the next one would be better. My current WIP had several people looking at it while I was writing and they were critical. It slowed me down at times because I would get discouraged and take a break from it, unsure if it was worth it to keep going. I still finished the novel within seven months at 90k words, but there were a lot of stops and starts.
Now I’m in the revision stages. I have definitely been going through and cutting many things that aren’t necessary and adding a lot that is. One thing the critique partners have been great for is catching plot holes, inconsistencies, lack of description, etc. The thing is, it might have been better to hear all this after finishing the first draft. My early chapters were revised upward of ten times before I got half-way through the novel. That slowed me down from finishing and it was only through sheer determination that I did hit the end (and love of the story I was telling). I’m glad to say I’m on revision number three (if you’re counting the entire novel and not those early parts that got many more). Yet there is still a lot that can be improved before it’s marketable.
For those just starting out, keep writing and wait on the feedback. I’d agree with Jeaniene that it is better that way.
Wished you’d blog more but I’m hoping your to busy writing. 😉 Some teasers would be nice. A date would be even better! Don’t be shy just blab about bullshit…or whatever *grin*
I love your books, they are so awesome! I love Cat, she totally kicks ass!
I have 2 questions that I hope you answer.. (I tried to find the answer’s on this site, but was not having any luck.)
1st Question. In the excerpt at the end of One Grave At A Time, they’re throwing Bones a surprise party, then Annette never shows up, etc. What is the name of that book? It only says on the page before it: Here’s a sneak peek at a special Christmas story, and it was available November 2011.
2nd Qustion. Why did the girl depicting Cat on the cover change on One Grave At A Time? She doesn’t look like an ass kicker like the other one did! 🙂
Thank you, and again, I LOVE your books!
Jamie
The book is ‘A Bite Before Christmas’. The story(Home for the Holidays) is a must read!!!
I agree about the cover pic, but the other girl you could tell she was aging and Cat doesn’t 😉
😀 I like this post so much, mainly because I’d like to consider myself one of those minus 10% people and I keep ‘revising’ every single thing I write ( not erasing though, I just kind of… rearrange).
Thanks a lot for your guidance.