Comments on: Discussion: consider the carrot

By: Derek

Derek — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:06:22 +0000

Thanks for the links and the explanation. I do hope that this person lets you read the first chapter of her work like you had offered.

By: Reesa

Reesa — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:40:03 +0000

@Derek - Here are a couple of links about book doctors. Hers is I think a more grassroots version, small-time scammer. He’s taking money or trade for his services, but still pulling a lot of the same problems by either giving a bunch of “wow this is really great!” cheerleading, or telling her to rewrite entire sections based on “writing rules” that he tells her about with great definitiveness. (Cheerleading is fine, and I recommend every writer have a reader or three that does just that. However, far less useful in an editor. Also, I’ve told you before my opinion about people who spread t concept of writing “rules” as one-true-way-isms or How Everyone (who wants to get published) Should Write.) I think he may have also done some vague “this is how you write if you want it to sell” sort of advice. Shady stuff, but she’s clinging to it right now because she doesn’t see herself having better options and knows that there’s stuff wrong with her work that she can’t automatically fix on her own.

It’s a really frustrating place to be in, and I can totally empathize with those stuck there. After all, when I “failed” at my first novel I didn’t write again for years! This was before the popularity explosion of the internet, and I didn’t have any local, easy, “how to write and fix a novel” classes.

And you DO have to pay for good freelance editing work, if you decide to go that route. You’re lucky in that you know a couple of ethical editors *grin* that’ll hook you up deal-wise (yay blood bonds!), but it’s often hard to separate the scam artists from the good guys that really can improve your book. Educating yourself on what to look for and then believing the signs when you find them is about the only way to protect yourself when trying to find editing help for a project.

By: Derek

Derek — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:37:18 +0000

Never heard the term “book doctor”, can you explain that in more detail for me? Or would that require a new post?

By: Reesa

Reesa — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:23:50 +0000

@Andrea - That sounds stifling. Glad you’ve found some brain hacks that allow you to create gorgeous art anyway after that sort of beginning! “Wasting time doing things we enjoy” sounds like a modified version of the Puritan ethic that has warped this country’s culture from the beginning, le sigh.

@ Derek - Interesting analogy for critique! I wouldn’t have necessarily thought of it that way, having been born with a deficiency of stage fright (hehe), but it makes sense.

I’ve heard that about unhelpful critique from other writers before, and it sounds pretty bad. I’ve been fairly fortunate to receive reasonably good critique overall, and have enough confidence in my work that the occasional bad one doesn’t really stick, but then again had a good editor early on who taught me what to look for in good critique.

I met someone the other day who is really struggling to find good critique of her work, and has unfortunately fallen in with a “book doctor”, the sort of scam artist that gives freelance editors a bad name. I offered to give her a sample chapter critique of what I felt one should look like, so she could compare them both and make her decision on her current arrangement at that point. Lack of access to good, informed opinions can potentially slow your progress down…but ill-advised or poor opinions can do worse damage to your craft.

By: Derek

Derek — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:36:46 +0000

Oh yes, lately I have definitely been branching out and trying to read things in all types of genres to expand my influences and not just confine myself to sci-fi/fantasy. That has already helped a great deal! =)

I don’t really have any specific questions or concerns about giving and receiving critique, but I will say that it relates closely to dancing for me in the sense that letting someone read and critique a story I write is similar to getting over the stage fright or the “all-eyes-on-you” syndrome that prevented me from getting out on the dance floor and cutting loose.

I guess the key there is “helpful” critique. Aside from family, most of the critique I have received during my life was either poorly worded, or just in poor taste, which isn’t helpful at all.

If you post it, I will comment.