Years
ago when I first started writing, I wrote short drama sketches for my church. The
first one got published and every one after that. Then I turned my hand to
novels. After a few months and 125,000 words, I found an online critique group.
When I
received my first critique, I discovered I knew nothing but good dialogue ... and I mean nothing. Zilch. Nada. Zip. I'd
never heard of POV and had no idea what it even meant. Show don't tell?? Why
can’t I use a plethora of adverbs? Omniscient is something God is.
I
didn't have any problem accepting the hard critiques. The difference was, while
they were hard, I never saw them as harsh.
It's all a matter of POV. I wanted to
learn. I read those critiques from the POV of being taught - not attacked.
We need
to trust that our critique partners won't let us get away with anything less
than our best. We should grow to the point where we don't need compliments. The highest compliment I can receive from my CPs
is getting back a chapter with no suggestions or corrections. I think that’s only
happened once.
How do
we do give the best critiques? Read with an editor's eye and a
sister-in-Christ's heart:
the mindset
that God deserves our best not our leftovers. When I’m lazy and don’t feel like
thinking up a new meal, I fix leftovers. I even tell myself I’m being thrifty.
That might be fine with food—but not in our writing.
What are literary leftovers?
1.
Not
removing superfluous adverbs in contrast to spending an extra twenty minutes
looking for just the right verb.
2.
Not
knowing your characters well enough to communicate their hurts and motivation.
3.
Not
investing the time required to get the character's motivation shown-not-told on
the page.
4.
Using
clichés or over-used metaphors
5.
Recycling
a great metaphor or simile without changing it.
6.
Using
the same old conflict over and over. In romance, if miscommunication is the
only conflict, that’s week-old-moldy-green leftovers.
7.
Not
always striving to grow as a writer.
Even if
you've already got an agent, have been close to a contract, or you’re published,
you can still get a low score on a contest entry. Fiction is subjective. We all
know that. But instead of ruffling your quills in indignation, change your
personal POV. See teaching not attacking. You'll be glad you did. You'll add
another layer to your rhino skin, and you'll be more willing to kill your
darlings. It’s all a matter of your
POV.
Ane Mulligan writes Southern-fried fiction served
with a tall, sweet iced tea. She's an award-winning bestselling novelist,
a multi-published playwright and contributor to the award-winning blog, The
Write Conversation. She resides in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband and
a rascally Rottweiler who thinks he’s a teddy bear. While
a large, floppy straw hat is her favorite, Ane has worn many different ones:
hairdresser, legislative affairs director (that's a fancy name for a lobbyist),
drama director, playwright, humor columnist, and novelist. Her lifetime
experience provides a plethora of fodder for her Southern-fried fiction (try
saying that three times fast). Ane firmly believes coffee and
chocolate are two of the four major food groups. Her passion when she isn't
writing her Southern-fried Fiction, is Community Theatre. She's Creative
Director of Players Guild@Sugar Hill, an avocational non-profit theatre group,
where she and her husband act, direct, build sets, and are chief gofors. Contributor to the award-winning literary site,
Novel Rocket, Ane resides in Sugar Hill, GA, with her artist husband, her chef
son, and a wooly mammoth. You can find Ane on her website and blog:
http://www.anemulligan.com. If you'd like to see a map of Chapel Springs
showing you where all the characters live, visit http://www.anemulligan.com
No comments:
Post a Comment