KoKoa_B Posted March 19, 2015 Report Posted March 19, 2015 I just needed somewhere to rant/freak out about this! If you want to give me feedback on how big of a chicken wuss I am, go right ahead! I guess I've finally cried enough on another website about not getting any reads (although to be honest, I've stopped it a long time ago. Found out that writing was much more enjoyable if I didn't worry myself over who didn't read); someone is right at this moment, taking a look at one of my stories! And I have to say that I am scared shitless! I know, I know; concrit is helpful and yada, yada, yada! And I do appreciate feedback; I'm not one of those who only wants the positive and the "aejfnielbwivwslbv THIS STORY IS A-MAZZING" comments. They don't help. At all. I can only tell you thank you very awkwardly and go back to my crocheting! But, oh my God, I'm about to cry! She's critiquing the author's note, for crying out loud! *cries* I mean, she has a solid point and I'm going to make changes! But, still... is the author's note not even safe anymore?!?! So, now, tomorrow is going to be a very long day for me, filled with mini panic attacks. Because I know she's going to critique a couple of more chapters. And tell me not to quit my day job. Which sucks because I have no job to begin with! Yeah, KoKoa: good job impressing folks with the crapload of an info dump in the very first paragraph! Yep... that helped a ton! I should tell her. I should tell her that I know that I suck and that I need a lot of work and that my MC who I love with all my heart and would marry if she was real and I swung that way, is nothing but a Mary Sue. And that my plots are non existent. And my grammar... fuck, my grammar; that's ghost as well! Let's not start on my dialogue, which I found out that I write it like a five year old Hulk! Because if I tell her then she'll already know what to expect. Maybe she'll be a bit lenient on me and just go with a "you're right" critique. Just... ugh... here... *gives out hard drive* burn it; burn it all!! I've definitely got to be the only one who freaks out when it comes to this... but writing it all out has been slightly helpful BronxWench 1 Quote
BronxWench Posted March 19, 2015 Report Posted March 19, 2015 The first time I had to deal with an editor was probably the most emotionally fraught thing I've done as a writer. There is absolutely nothing more demoralizing than having a total stranger read your work, work that a publisher has offered a contract for, and hear, "This is a great story. Really. Now, let's just pretty much rewrite everything from the dedication onward, shall we?" I cried literal tears. I was sure the emotional heart of the story had just been gutted. I knew I'd never be able to recognize what was going to come out at the other end of this literary grinder. I whined with great enthusiasm to my editor, my family, my friends, and anyone who'd listen. I even blogged my woes. And then I knuckled down and started making the changes, one by painful one. The end result was a much tighter, much more coherent story (although I still take issue with all the descriptors). I did apologize after the second pass, when I could see how much better the story was, but gods... It was brutal. I mean, I welcome concrit, but this was concrit with a box cutter. So, the second time around, I tried very hard to incorporate what I'd learned in that first editing massacre. My second manuscript that was accepted was (I thought) lots tighter. And I had a new editor as well, so fresh eyes. Okay, I expected comments. You always get comments. I got a list of words to banish, a huge amount of tweaks as far as those pesky descriptors, and a guitar. Don't ask. I had no idea one of my MCs could even play. I whined about certain things, yes. I wasn't quite as blindsided as I'd been the first time, but it was still hard, and it hurt to have to cut some of what I cut. However, this second time around, I remembered something. This is really important, too, and deserves saying, over and over again: It's MY story. There were some points where my editor and I butted heads, and I stood my ground. If I thought it was important to the story, it stayed. I dropped whole scenes when we simply couldn't make them work. I gave in places, and I stood firm in others, and the manuscript ended up as MY story. Well, except for the guitar. We're losing the guitar in the next book in the series. KoKoa_B 1 Quote
CL Mustafic Posted March 19, 2015 Report Posted March 19, 2015 I'm sorry but I'm laughing over here. Not because it's funny but because I've held off on asking anyone to beta my stories for me for the same reasons as you're freaking out about. I'm afraid that they'll tell me to stick to writing excuse notes for the kiddies and leave the real writing to the professionals. Though my grammar isn't usually that bad, I used to have a problem with run on sentences but I've gotten much better with that, I have a wandering mind. I'm not sure sometimes if my stories bounce around like my thoughts do or if they are more coherent. Oh look a butterfly... I'm sure that you're harder on yourself than you should be. Hearing someone pick apart your work will probably not be easy but maybe you'll end up with an amazing finished product for your readers to enjoy. BronxWench and KoKoa_B 2 Quote
CloverReef Posted March 19, 2015 Report Posted March 19, 2015 I can't imagine going through a real professional editor. Christ on a cracker, Bronx, that must've been hard. Every single time I post a story - hell, even when I post to a thread or in the shoutbox - I'm a bundle of nerves. Even when it's something I'm proud of, that I've gone over a dozen times with a fine toothed comb and came out the other end loving the finished product. As soon as I click that submit/post button, the anxiety hits me. "Did it sound too stilted? Too clinical? Was that sentence too long? Did I start too many sentences with the same word? OMG is that what I call a transition?!" I usually end up doing a bazillion post-finished-product-edits. In case anyone's wondering: yes, it is entirely possible to over edit.I sympathise, KoKoa. BronxWench and KoKoa_B 2 Quote
BronxWench Posted March 19, 2015 Report Posted March 19, 2015 I completely agree that it's possible to over-edit. I do it all the time, and then I slap myself silly and move on. I think because we care this much about our writing, it means we're always going to be sweaty-palmed and anxious until someone tells us that we did good. And Clover, I actually have come out of the editing wringer feeling a whole lot better about myself as a writer. This does not mean that I won't whine just as much the next time, though. Quote
magusfang Posted March 19, 2015 Report Posted March 19, 2015 WOW guys...i never knew writers were so self conscious! Now that I made a terrible joke...take a deep breath and partake of the relaxant of your choice. Don't take it to heart, editors are like you third grade grade english teacher, it may seem like they hate you, hate your story, and utterly despise your characters and they may, but remember its your world and you decide what gets changed. The editor can only make suggestions after all. So Kokoa, if you want a universe populated by people who speak like 5 y/o hulks, whose to say that's wrong? KoKoa_B and BronxWench 2 Quote
KoKoa_B Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Posted March 20, 2015 (edited) So, I don't know if I feel better or worse. Thank you guys, by the way; hearing that some of you go through what I go through helps a lot! She asked what was I looking for. I should've told her the truth: I wanted her to give me all the feedback that she could. But... I don't know. She said that it wasn't bad at all. That she had seen WAY worse and I was not a member of that club. But then it felt like she didn't want to read more. I told her that I never want to force anyone or make someone feel obligated to read anything of mine; that's the truth. But on the other hand, she's the first who critiqued that story (there was this one asshat that went to the second story of the series and complained that they didn't know what was going on and in my mind, I'm like- no shit; apparently, you skipped the blurb and the author's note stating that it was book two, as well as the link to guide you back to book one...) and she wasn't harsh. Anyway; she suggested that I ask someone to give some feedback and then said that she would see if any of her writing buddies would be interested in providing feedback as well. I feel... I don't know how I feel. Lots of things. Like a hand-me-down. Or this unique, undiscovered art form. But mainly like an orphaned step child. I just can't see myself going profile to profile, begging like some bum off the street! What does she thinks I am, assertive?!?! I mean, I know it would help a bit for those to discover me. But it just makes me feel weird doing that. Like I'm some 14 year old kid looking for approval and praise of some crappy art project that no one but mom would appreciate! *Sighs* I'm gonna go crochet some gratitude stones... Edited March 20, 2015 by KoKoa_B Quote
BronxWench Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 The hardest part for me is always selling myself. I can talk about my characters, and my stories, but don't ask me to market myself, or even ask anyone to beta for me. It's incredibly hard to put yourself out there and ask for feedback. Having said that, I'm going to urge you to at least promote your stories in the Promote a Story thread. Set up review reply threads and talk to readers. Add the review thread links to your stories, something I get scolded for not doing. It gets easier as you do it. And say yes to any feedback you can get. Here's the thing. I've gotten less than shining reviews over on Goodreads, and my editor (the most recent one) was upset. But the truth is, I wasn't. One such review was on my debut novella, and it was legitimate in the concrit offered. Not only was it valid, the reader said they'd try the second book in the series. So, they were willing to give me another chance. My editor saw negative; I saw positive. Sometimes, it's how you spin it to yourself, too. As long as the concrit is about my book, and not a personal attack, I can deal with it. A critique of my writing is not a critique of me. Quote
KoKoa_B Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Posted March 20, 2015 Having said that, I'm going to urge you to at least promote your stories in the Promote a Story thread. Set up review reply threads and talk to readers. Add the review thread links to your stories, something I get scolded for not doing. It gets easier as you do it. And say yes to any feedback you can get. Oh, I've done that! I just found and realized that, along with my lackluster writing, I write in a obscure fandom. Not too many will venture to it, let alone to the pairings that I tend to write! Most prefer to read about just Batman or something extremely kinky involving DC super villainess...es. ... O_o the bad girls! It's something that I've learned to live with, something that the only thing I can do is just... update and cross my fingers! I know that my blurbs need working on as well; that's the first thing people see. It's gonna be a loooong editing process... BronxWench 1 Quote
BronxWench Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 Oh, I've done that! I just found and realized that, along with my lackluster writing, I write in a obscure fandom. Not too many will venture to it, let alone to the pairings that I tend to write! Most prefer to read about just Batman or something extremely kinky involving DC super villainess...es. ... O_o the bad girls! It's something that I've learned to live with, something that the only thing I can do is just... update and cross my fingers! I know that my blurbs need working on as well; that's the first thing people see. It's gonna be a loooong editing process... My epic mess of a fan fiction is in a very obscure fandom as well, so I can sympathize entirely. I have one fan fiction set in the Dragon Age: Origins world, which some gamers know, but no one remembers Neverwinter Nights 2, let alone the Forgotten Realms lore that my geeky little heart adores. And I write the worst summaries known to mankind. I'm beginning to take pride in how awful they are. KoKoa_B 1 Quote
KoKoa_B Posted March 20, 2015 Author Report Posted March 20, 2015 Ah, yes: summaries! I'm learning. Because I hate spoilers, my summaries were basically: Something happens to OC. *insert fandom* *insert disclaimers* *insert tags* *thank people for reading* I was always afraid that I would be one of those who told the entire story in my blurb. At least with my old way, I wouldn't run into that problem! XD BronxWench 1 Quote
BronxWench Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 I look at old summaries and die inside while laughing at myself, because I am that bad. I gave up after a while and just chickened out with : "Response to AFF Challenge Prompt [whatever] and then tags. VERY creative of me. CloverReef and KoKoa_B 2 Quote
magusfang Posted March 20, 2015 Report Posted March 20, 2015 So..."None of your damn business!" is a bad summary? BronxWench and KoKoa_B 2 Quote
KoKoa_B Posted March 23, 2015 Author Report Posted March 23, 2015 So..."None of your damn business!" is a bad summary? I would read that... BronxWench 1 Quote
magusfang Posted March 23, 2015 Report Posted March 23, 2015 (edited) Then that shall be my new summary! Hate writing those damn things, never know what to put since I don't really plan my stories out. Edited March 23, 2015 by magusfang Quote
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