Needed a bit more research, too. 😉
Let’s backtrack.
I’ve been going over Rachel’scritiques and wow, is it wonderful seeing my work through someone’s critical eye.
Okay, okay, I’ll be honest, it’s not always wonderful at first. I sometimes have a bit of trouble in the beginning. Especially if there are a lot of comments. This is sooo normal. It’s that knee-jerk reaction a lot of writers get when someone doesn’t instantly like their work.
But I did not sign onto this for a cheering section.
Yes, I like when I’ve obviously done something right. The most important thing I’ve learned in the last year of working so intensely with someone whose ambition (Or is it obsession? heh heh) mirrors mine is that every time I’ve received positive feedback, it’s been on work I’ve given plenty of time and concentration.
After that first reaction, I let things settle a couple of days, mull over the suggestions, think about the WORK itself. Mostly, I remind myself that I want this to be good. Really good. And if I haven’t done my best, I can only be thankful that I work with someone who will show me when I hurry through the last few chapters. Someone who isn’t afraid to say the work isn’t up to my speed. Someone who shares this knowledge uh, thoroughly. 😉
So, here are a couple of my problem areas.
1. Overuse of the words up, down, back, quickly, that, instantly. I mean OVERUSE. Sit down, pull up, hurried back into… these are superfluous words that should only be used when emphasis is needed.. I know that. But for me, they’re such a huge part of my vocabulary, they become invisible. I’m thinking of doing search and finds. 😉
2. I have a tendency to write my characters in a vacuum. I can SEE the world around them and at times, I’m good at describing that world, but sometimes, I get caught up in the story and dialogue and forget to show the readers what I see around the characters.
I haven’t yet whipped up the courage to look at my final chapter because Rachel warned me it had a lot of comments. But I can’t help but be glad I’ve got another chance to rewrite the last fourth of the book before a full is requested.
All this puppy needs is a little more…
Time and Concentration.