Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Editing and Critique Partners

Call me a dork. I like the editing process. I like the critique process. People all have different opinions on the world and writing is no different. The trick is to combine all these views together to make a cohesive piece of writing that others want to read.

Elementary, my dear Watson... or is it?

My current WIP that went to the critique partners is starting to trickle back to me. One CP said it was great and she loved it. That helps in that it tells me I'm on the right track. It was at least liked and not suffered through.

Yet another CP told me to slow the love scenes down and add more emotion. I can do that. She also said it was a genuinely likable story with characters she rooted for. Again, that's promising.

The third CP so far has given me plenty of comments (she says its only her opinion - but trust me, her opinion counts for a lot when it seems to match the editors). This CP is blunt, but fair and constructive (which I think all CP's should be).

Keep this in mind, I have at least three CP's because I know that we are all human. One might find something that the others don't and so on. Also one might read a certain section and say its great and another might find the fatal flaw in it that makes that section stop or become choppy.

Does that mean that one's right and the others aren't? Heck no! That means that there are good things and wonky things that need to be addressed and they are there to help me before I subject some poor editor to a piece of writing that wasn't ready to be looked at, but now is ready.

Now I need to figure out how to work all these opinions into a decent piece of writing that an editor will read and smile (oh, and want to contract it).

So back to the bat cave.

4 comments:

Clare Revell said...

I had about 7 ppl looking at my latest story. NO ONE noticed the mistake, a huge gigantic mistake. Dad finally did and he killed himself laughing over it too.

I have one CP, who is great on grammer and rephrasing my english into american where needed.

Tanya Hanson said...

Hi Wendi, have fun in the bat cave. I like editing...although I am sure I'll always find things in my work I'd rather change. no matter how much I've fine-tuned it. I guess that's the English teacher in me.

Fortunately my CP is a best-seller at HH...so that helps LOL.

Marianne Arkins said...

I think everyone tends to have something they look for. I'm big on emotion and head-hopping (DRIVES ME WONKY) and I'm a grammar fiend. But other stuff? I'll probably skip right over it... which is why it's good to have a couple people review.

Good luck with it!

Wendi Zwaduk and Megan Slayer said...

Clare - I had that happen in my contracted one! I missed it, the editor missed and I finally caught it in the GALLEY! ACK!

Tanya - You're lucky to have a great CP. I love mine - all of them. And yes, I love to tweak stuff which drives the CP's nuts.

Marianne - probably good you never read my early stuff. Oy! Did i head hop! One Cp says I'm good with emotion in a piece, so I run with that. Trsut me, I need the luck!

Hugs