It's been three weeks since I last posted. I don't really have a great reason for the extended absence. I did have a deadline the first week and after that, I feel like I kind of lost my voice. Every time I went to write something, I didn't have much to say.
So I went about living life. Laundry, cooking, shopping for a new car, going to my boys provincial basketball tournaments, cleaning and more cleaning. In between it all I took a few moments to write, but more importantly I put myself out there a bit.
I entered a few contests where the first line of my WIP and my query were critiqued. I thought both were good, but no one else really agreed with me. Once I got over the sting of not getting glowing reviews and vowing that I was done writing, I looked more closely at the advice I was getting. You know what? They were right?
My first line didn't' set the tone for the book. It was cliched, had too much information, and was confusing. My query did sound like it was telling two different stories and needed to be more clear.
I've always been quite shy about putting myself out there to be judged. It has always felt like standing on the edge of a cliff where one word can send you tumbling down the cliff or back to safety. It's definitely not my favorite thing, but hopefully I can learn from it.
Anyway, I'm glad to be back and look forward to catching up with all of you.
How about you? Do you feel comfortable putting your work out there for all to see?
9 comments:
It's okay to take breaks. It's okay to know when you're just not in it. I'm proud of you for putting yourself out there--even when it hurts and even when you might feel like quitting. I'm glad you didn't.
I used but usually the pros outweigh the cons even if I realize I still have a lot of work to do!
I think when we put ourselves out there, that's how the connections are made. And for me, that's what writing is so much about, connecting thoughts and dialogue with the reader.
Recently my agent asked to see something in rough draft form. Yowser. That was hard to send. So, yep, it's tough for me.
~ Wendy
Putting yourself out there gets easier with time...Critique Circle (an online group) helped me a lot. Having 5-10 people react to pieces of your work in different/similar ways helps you get a better handle on what's really going on with it.
Difficult to give constructive criticism, it is sometimes what is needed though, here's hoping the comments weren't too harsh.
I never feel comfortable, but I've gotta do it. I will not end up like George McFly at the beginning of back to the future.
I must be odd because I don't have any problem letting people read my work. If people are interested enough to ask I usually say yes :)
I think it's a bit scary to put myself out there, but I've rejected when really good opportunities have been passed up.
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