Learning from Reviews

by Rebecca Talley

I recently received a rating and review on Goodreads for my book, The Upside of Down. Receiving a review, bad or good, isn't unusual. Goodreads was established for readers to rate and review books. This review, however, piqued my interest.

The reviewer started it off by saying this wasn't her favorite book and she couldn't decide to rate it 4 or 5 stars. She then went on to pick out specific examples of what she liked or didn't like. These are the kinds of reviews that are most helpful to me because I can then evaluate the comments and seek to better my writing.

After I finished reading the review, with plenty of things the reader didn't like, I realized something. She had been affected by what I wrote. My words had elicited a response. And that's the point.

We write to affect people. Even if that effect isn't what we hope, the fact that someone else thought about our words, our stories, makes the effort worthwhile. Having people think about our stories after they have finished means we have struck something inside of them. Even if it moves them in a negative way, we still moved them with our words. We made them think.

Of course, we all hope to move readers in a positive way and hope that our stories will resonate in a good way. Truth be told, we hope that everyone who reads our works will love and adore them. But, they won't. And that's okay. As writers, we need to learn to have thick skin. We need to learn to take what we can from good and bad reviews so that we can eventually become the kind of writer we want to become.

I found this particular review intriguing because it seemed as though the reader didn't enjoy my book, yet she couldn't decide whether to give it 4 or 5 stars--a high rating. I actually learned quite a bit from this review, including that different people have different ways of looking at things. When we write, we do so from our unique perspective on the world (which is why 10 writers with the same prompt would write 10 completely different stories). We write from where we've been, how we've learned, and from experiences that we've gained throughout our lives. We create stories and characters based on our own unique understanding of the world around us. I think that's why certain stories resonate with certain people.

I appreciate reviews. I appreciate readers who take the time to express their reactions, good and bad, so I can learn from them. A review isn't a personal attack (usually) but rather a commentary on how our words affected that person. If we can learn from reviews we are on our way to becoming better writers.

The Girl

Alison got into the shower late. Mom was shopping, Dad was watching the younger kids. Ali heard the screaming, but she put it all down to Dad's roughhousing--until she stepped out of the bathroom and got the shock of her young life.

A year later, Ali and her mom are starting over--again. She hasn't yet recovered from the dark turn her life has taken, and doesn't know if she ever will. Then there's that pesky little detail--she's seen the face of a murderer and doesn't know if he will let her live long enough to graduate high school.

Honestly, all I did was take a shower today and this story hit me. What would this do to a young girl? How would she pull out of it? What are the immediate after-effects? By the time I get to bed tonight, I'll have a rough draft of the details all ironed out.

As if I don't have enough to do, writing-wise. Lately, my strong suit has been ideas. I've been getting them in spades--some good, others not so much--but they don't stop coming. I take notes and put them aside. If the story seems strong enough, I'll pick it up at a later date. There are some details that might change, but that standard life-or-death struggle is something that readers never seem to tire of.

What is your writing strength? Are you a plotter? A pantser? Do you love the idea stage, or the rough draft stage, but hate editing? Or are you one of those amazing people who loves the editing stage? Come on, don't be shy. :) Share!

Reflections

by Cheri Chesley

As I type this, my husband is behind me answering my son's question, "What is a coma?"

It calls to mind a conversation I overheard my twins have on our way to a wedding reception.

Twin B: You're lucky I didn't devour you when we were single cells.

Twin A: How do you know I didn't almost devour you?

Well, at least no one can say my life is boring. :)

Very soon, my family will embark on the next chapter in our lives. In this upcoming chapter, I anticipate more writing time and more ebooks--and also more time spent with my kids.

We're moving. To a very small town. I'm really looking forward to it. Fortunately, so are the kids. My husband's parents need some help, and we just happen to be at a point in our lives where we can offer it.

I remember being told that my children will provide a great deal of inspiration for my writing, and that I should diligently observe them and their interactions. I'm finding that guidance particularly easy to obey. These kids I've been blessed with provide me with an unending supply of angst, happiness, anger, sadness, laughter and silliness. They are a constant blessing in my life.

Don't forget to stay tuned to my personal BLOG for updates on my writing activities and upcoming books. I'm waiting right now to hear from the publisher on a recent submission. That never ceases to be a nail-biting experience. :)

Stress and the Life of an Author

By Cheri Chesley (re-post from 5/24/10)

**These are simply my observations, and should in no way be taken as established truths.**

As an author, I dream of deadlines. I long to have an editor pushing me to get my revisions, or my drafts, in by a certain day and time. Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment. But we do this. We want this. And, if we have a contract and this isn't happening, we (or at least I) can really drive ourselves up the wall.

But, in our heart of hearts, I think we can admit a good deal of the stress we experience as writers is self-inflicted.

I'm not going to tell you that setting goals and deadlines for yourself is unhealthy, because it's not. If you don't, you could well be working on the same novel for 20 yrs. At the same time, we are not above heaping stress upon ourselves for a great number of things.

Let's say we miss that deadline by a week.

Or we make the deadline because we've put off our family to have time to write.

After about ten minutes at the computer, I have horrible upper back pain. It just starts aching, and pretty soon I'll have to get up. I don't do my stretches. I don't see my chiropractor regularly and, sadly, have only had one massage in my life. I'm beginning to think, at least for me, these things are critical in relieving stress and making me a more prolific writer.

The sad thing is I can't offer any real solution for resolving the stress. There may be none. But, perhaps, some of you have ideas on reducing it. Thoughts?

Learning to take criticism

by Heather Justesen

When I was in ninth grade, I had an English teacher who used to go over all of my articles for the school yearbook with me. I'd hand it to her after hours (because my yearbook staff met after school--yeah, I was one of those nerds), and she'd sit me next to her and mark it up, telling me why things worked and why they didn't. I remember her saying that she wasn't sure that criticism could really be constructive.

Mrs. Philips, I have to say, I still disagree with you--and more now than I did all those years ago.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at the first day of the LDStorymakers writer's conference. We call it boot camp--and it can be the first critique session many of the attendees have ever experienced. It's a stressful thing for everyone the first time they allow strangers to read and pick apart their writing--I know it was for me! I remember getting madder and madder as I flipped through the first professional edit I paid for (by the talented Josi Kilpack). It wasn't that she was wrong, or even that I thought was was wrong at the time, it was mostly that I knew she was right about the things she pointed out.

Was my frustration and bits of anger a normal reaction--I'd have to say yeah, they were. Of course I thought my baby was beautiful when I sent it off to her--I just wanted someone to point out the little minor details I'd missed and let me put a pretty shine on it before I resubmitted it. But the truth was, my book needed a great deal more work than I'd expected--because despite having a BA in English lit, I hadn't really been studying what make books work, and how others crafted their stories. I'd avoided writing classes because, heck, I wasn't going to be a writer, so what did I need those creative writing classes for, anyway. (I know, famous last words--I didn't need any journalism classes, either, because I wasn't going to work for the media, and then I became a newspaper copy editor. Oy vey!)

It took me a while before I made the suggested revisions and resubmitted that first manuscript to the publisher, and though they still didn't pick it up, that first experience of getting critiques was invaluable in my growth as a writer because she not only pointed out what was wrong with the specific manuscript, but also showed me where my writing was weak, and directed me to specific resources to help me improve.

Because of that direction, reapplying myself to my writing, and getting more helpful feedback from other writers (which I also hated, but agreed with), the second book I sent for professional edits received a contract.

Now I've been part of my own critique group for three years and the sting of criticism has disappeared from the feedback I get (mostly). I still get a tad nervous when I read out loud to them (though more when they have family members wandering through the next room).

To be honest, the people at my table yesterday took their critiques from everyone else like pros--even if they disagreed with what they were being told from time to time. This is a huge step in the right direction for any writer, because none of us can exist inside a vacuum. We all need editing, constructive feedback (aka criticism) and support, because this writing thing can be a difficult, harrowing experience, but if we work and grow and become better, it can be so worth it.

Someday I'm going to see these books in print--I can't wait for that day, because anyone who brings that kind of attitude to the table and willingness to learn is bound to succeed.

Making Headway

It feels good to be making progress again, as a writer. With the craziness of the book launch, signings, and then the holidays, I really fell behind on my editing. But, last week, I edited the first six chapters of The Tyrant King. Yay!

Chapter seven is where it starts getting really hairy. I mean, so far we've had two characters die, but now the attacks start hitting home. My main characters are going to face some direct peril, which is always good in a story, but I'm terribly curious to see how my beta readers react.

I'm doing something a little different this time. I have three beta readers who get the story chapter by chapter and give me feedback. I'd planned to stop at chapter three, but the process has been working for me--and providing accountability if I fall behind--so I'm going to stick with it. I love that my beta readers are patient with me. And it really helps that they are loving the story.

One reader, in particular, is troubled by how many small details I had to leave out of The Peasant Queen. What is the main character wearing? What are the details of the room? I'm better at putting those things in now without slowing the pace of the story. I don't have to stop the action to explain how the room looks now, or what the character is wearing--though I don't always have the descriptions right at the front of a scene.

But, this process is all about getting better, right? This is what we do. And some of it we simply have to learn through trial and error.

On to chapter seven!

It's all in the tool box

By Heather Justesen

This week I had an ambulance training with a couple of local search and rescue guys. We learned about rope rescue and how to work as a team effectively while repelling, and then ascending a steep hill with a patient in tow. It was quite fascinating stuff, and I already have plans to use that some day (oh, the story ideas I've gotten from EMT trainings!) It was fascinating to see what a difference a single pulley made in easing the group up the hill, and how knowing the right knots and having the right equipment could broaden your options.

I bring this up not just because it was a dang cool activity that I can't wait to repeat with the whole posse in September (though that's true), or to point out that I did an awesome job of repelling (though that's true too--even if coming up again towing a patient was a bit trickier, but I'll blame that on the sage brush).

I mention this because the activity was about training as a team, and knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses and how to make the teamwork more effective.

Who's on your writing team? Do you have people you can brain storm with? People who are good at punctuation and grammar? People who point out where you prose isn't working as well as it could, or where your phrasing is a bit didactic or cliche? Do you have team members who cheer you on and help you see the good points in your writing so you don't become discouraged?

I think all of these jobs are essential--especially as we first start out writing. Until we can learn how to write better dialogue every time, we need people who can point out where it works and where it doesn't, and help us learn the difference. If you're a comma dunce (like I used to be, and still struggle with sometimes), then you'll need someone on your team who's a comma queen (or king) and can help you learn when and why to use them, and when something else is better.

We may not have every tool in our writing tool box that we'd like, but if we work with a team of others who have different strengths and weaknesses than we do, we can all pull together and accomplish far more than we could apart. And as we collect those tools over the years, we can share our skills with other writers who are where we used to be.

'Cause there are a lot of other comma dunces out there--and you never know when that comma dunces' prose will inspire you with fabulous plot twists you hadn't considered before.

Why Did You Write it?

By Christine Thackeray

Motivation is key to any strong plot, but it is also an interesting factor in terms of the author. Understanding as an author why we are writing a project can shift the way we create it and how much input we are willing to take. I also believe that as authors mature, their motivations for writing often change.

With my first book, I wrote it to illustrate how a single individual can make a magnificent difference if they follow the Spirit. At the time aware of a mini-feud going on in our small branch and it was my way of writing what I wish had happened. My next book, non-fiction was an intellectual study and although I believe it had moments of brilliance, typing it out was often more like a homework assignment.

"Lipstick Wars" was a different endeavor, written to help women see the impact they can have through diversity, being friends with people of all ages in and out of the church. It also dabbles in the theme of how women so often push each other away when we need each other most. I wrote it because a sweet friend pushed through my barriers and helped me through a very difficult time.

In writing group a few weeks ago one of my fellow authors was struggling with her book and was asked why she was writing it. Her response is she often lost her car when she came out of the grocery store and wanted to write about someone that had the same experience. That can be the nugget for starting a project but the reason for writing has to be bigger.

My motivations have been so didactic, illustrating truth, but I admire people who also include a strong desire to entertain. Can telling a thrilling story be the sole motivator of an author or do you think it needs to be more?

Stress and the Life of an Author

**These are simply my observations, and should in no way be taken as established truths.**

As an author, I dream of deadlines. I long to have an editor pushing me to get my revisions, or my drafts, in by a certain day and time. Yeah, I'm a glutton for punishment. But we do this. We want this. And, if we have a contract and this isn't happening, we (or at least I) can really drive ourselves up the wall.

But, in our heart of hearts, I think we can admit a good deal of the stress we experience as writers is self-inflicted.

I'm not going to tell you that setting goals and deadlines for yourself is unhealthy, because it's not. If you don't, you could well be working on the same novel for 20 yrs. At the same time, we are not above heaping stress upon ourselves for a great number of things.

Let's say we miss that deadline by a week.

Or we make the deadline because we've put off our family to have time to write.

After about ten minutes at the computer, I have horrible upper back pain. It just starts aching, and pretty soon I'll have to get up. I don't do my stretches. I don't see my chiropractor regularly and, sadly, have only had one massage in my life. I'm beginning to think, at least for me, these things are critical in relieving stress and making me a more prolific writer.

The sad thing is I can't offer any real solution for resolving the stress. There may be none. But, perhaps, some of you have ideas on reducing it. Thoughts?

Visions of farm accidents

For those who didn't know, in addition to being a writer, I'm also an EMT in my hometown. The last week of every month we have training where we learn new skills or review things we know (and quarterly we also have pass-offs of all our skills and the drugs we carry so we can stay current on them). Tonight we were told we were working with the fire department--which usually means we're doing car extrication practice. We work with the guys on the fire department a lot--anytime there's a car accident dispatch calls both departments out together. If there's a structure fire (house, barn, etc), the ambulance goes out to the scene to monitor the firemen between their runs into the house to rip out ceilings and douse flames. And sometimes we even end up treating people who live in the house--but usually we're just badgering the firemen to wait until their blood pressure comes back to a normal range, and forcing them to drink more electrolytes. =)

Tonight, however, we drove out to some farms and learned about extricating people from accidents with tractors and balers and other large equipment. I still couldn't tell you what all of the machines are called, but I got a crash course on what could go wrong on farm equipment. One of the EMTs and her husband--who runs a farm--got some volunteers to get bloodied (with fake blood) up as victims, and put together some fake bodies to take the place of victims who probably wouldn't survive the accidents (no actual people were harmed in the scenarios, though several were really cold from lying on the ground, and any number of clothes were damaged beyond repair).

We went through each scenario discussing what the EMTs injury concerns would be, what the firemen could do to help us, to extricate the patients and solve problems while we cared for the patient. After it was all over, I heard one of the EMTs saying to Lindsey, who put it all together, "Wow, you must have a really twisted brain to come up with all of those situations." I kept the fact that I had been wondering about how I could use one of the scenarios in a story to myself. She didn't need to know how seriously twisted I was, after all.

After Jeff told us that he and three other farmers stood around the baling machine that morning discussion how someone might have an accident with it and not end up dead, I realized farms are a magnet for danger. I could write a real horrific suspense story on one of those places!

Okay, now to the point of all of this (besides the fact that it was just plain fascinating). EMTs have to learn new skills and keep their current skills up to date. In the same way, I need to keep my writing skills honed, and learn new ones all the time. I read Lisa Mangum's new book The Golden Spiral this week and she said in her acknowledgments that in writing her second book, she learned every new book is different. They have to be treated like a different book because what works for one doesn't work for the next one.

Just because I've been to ten or eleven conferences now doesn't mean I've learned everything there is to learn about writing (I learned plenty at the LUW spring workshop last weekend). This is an ongoing process and I can't afford to become comfortable with the same kinds of skills that I've used in the past.

What worked for my first couple of books isn't going to be enough for the next one, and though I can use the skills I've already learned, I need to keep improving, keep searching for better ways to work my craft, better ways to express myself, new and unique ways to kill people off (If there are so many on a farm, just imagine where else you could find a few!).

Flow

There is an instinct that writers develop after gaining some writing experience for how the rhythm of their sentences flow. Have you ever read a manuscript that seemed choppy...or worse, so long winded that the whole thing felt like one never-ending pile of mush? I have. And they were my own manuscripts.

At first I had no idea how to fix the problem, but after I got a little practice under my belt I realized that the length of my sentences had to be varied. They couldn't all be short or long, and they couldn't all have the same rhythm when they were read aloud. Like music, the language had to be interesting, broken apart by differing speeds,rhythms, and pauses.

Try reading your manuscript out loud to yourself. Does it sound short and choppy? Are all the sentences the same length? Try to vary the length of the sentences in each paragraph until they sound like they flow well when read aloud. Sometimes of course you may purposefully shorten or lengthen a few sentences in a row in order to create tension or another type of mood.

In any case, paying attention to the flow of your language will make your writing much more professional and enjoyable to read. After awhile, you will start to vary your sentence lengths automatically without even having to think about it.

Kersten Campbell
"Confessions of a Completely Insane Mother"
www.kerstencampbell.com

ANWA Writers Conference

All local writers are invited to this year's ANWA Writer's Conference. It’s one of the best in the west, with some very big names in the business.  The cost is about a third of most other writer's conferences.

The 2010 ANWA Writers Conference

“Start Write Now”

Saturday, February 27, 2010

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Dobson Ranch Inn,

1666 South Dobson Road

Mesa, Arizona 85202-5699

Open to all writers on this or any other planet

 Register at

http://anwa-lds.com/conference.html

Discounted Hotel reservations available on the above registration site or by calling Dobson Ranch Inn directly at 480-831-7000 or 1-800-528-1356 http://www.dobsonranchinn.com/

Keynote Speaker

 J. Scott Savage

Author of the "Farworld" Series

Aprilynne Pike

New York Times best-selling Author of “Wings”

Doug Johnston

Publicist Extraordinaire

 Nancy E. Turner

Author of “These is My Words”

Dr. Pamela Goodfellow

Writing Coach, Editor

and Owner of Goodfellow Publishing Services

Sara Fujimura

Author and Magazine Writer

Helen Bair

Counselor and Author of

“Finding the Healer in Me”

Marsha Ward

Author of the “Owen Family” Series

Book signings at end of conference

Early Registration 

General Public:  $75 before February 7, 2010

ANWA Members $60

After Feb. 7 add $5

Cost includes Catered Lunch

For questions contact, the ANWA 2010 Conference Chair Person, Cindy R. Williams or Conference Registrar, Krista Darrach at kristadarrach@yahoo.com