So here we are again
So here we are again, after nearly ten months without posting anything.
I've recently joined an online critique group. I'm glad I was warned ahead of time that some of the people in it were very forthright in their critiques, but isn't that the best kind of criticism to pay attention to if you want to improve? The first submission I sent was the first part of my NaNo from last year. It pretty much got hammered, but most of my fellow writers said the same things, so I need to pay attention to what they said. I'm also still in my monthly Sunday critique group, and I've been taking the same material there that I've submitted online. The Sunday group has liked the piece better and have not been as, well, critical. I need to combine what both groups have said while doing rewrites. Of course in the end, it's up to me, the writer, what stays and what goes.
I see enough potential in the story to toss it and mark it up to part of my writing apprenticeship. I can also see that the first draft plus limited revisions I've made might prove to serve only as an outline for subsequent drafts.
I'm listening to Stephen King's "On Writing" again. It's reminded me that I watch too much TV, especially if I want to improve in my writing. As he says, I have to "read a lot and write a lot." the new TV season has just started and I can't afford to get sucked into watching show after show. That's a luxury I can't afford. The next books I want to read are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," King's "It," and others that slip my mind at the moment.
Back to the online group. It takes more time than I thought it would to critique others' work. It'll be worth it in the long run though. Getting back two or three or four good critiques is worth the time it takes to critique two or three others. I'm still working two jobs, but if and when I'm able to scale back to one job I'll be able to do more in critiquing others and writing more myself. It's a little after 9 AM Saturday morning as I write this. I have to be at Publix from 1 PM until 10 PM tonight, so that gives me less than two hours free time when taking into account getting ready for work and taking a short nap.
I'm trying to decide if I want to do the NaNo again this year. My inclination is to say yes, but I'm not sure yet.
Stephen King is going to be at a book signing in Atlanta on November 13. I'm hoping to get to go, but won't know until November 6. The bookstore where he'll be will be accepting email requests for tickets on that day. I'll be sending one a minute after midnight leading into the 6th.
I've recently joined an online critique group. I'm glad I was warned ahead of time that some of the people in it were very forthright in their critiques, but isn't that the best kind of criticism to pay attention to if you want to improve? The first submission I sent was the first part of my NaNo from last year. It pretty much got hammered, but most of my fellow writers said the same things, so I need to pay attention to what they said. I'm also still in my monthly Sunday critique group, and I've been taking the same material there that I've submitted online. The Sunday group has liked the piece better and have not been as, well, critical. I need to combine what both groups have said while doing rewrites. Of course in the end, it's up to me, the writer, what stays and what goes.
I see enough potential in the story to toss it and mark it up to part of my writing apprenticeship. I can also see that the first draft plus limited revisions I've made might prove to serve only as an outline for subsequent drafts.
I'm listening to Stephen King's "On Writing" again. It's reminded me that I watch too much TV, especially if I want to improve in my writing. As he says, I have to "read a lot and write a lot." the new TV season has just started and I can't afford to get sucked into watching show after show. That's a luxury I can't afford. The next books I want to read are "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," King's "It," and others that slip my mind at the moment.
Back to the online group. It takes more time than I thought it would to critique others' work. It'll be worth it in the long run though. Getting back two or three or four good critiques is worth the time it takes to critique two or three others. I'm still working two jobs, but if and when I'm able to scale back to one job I'll be able to do more in critiquing others and writing more myself. It's a little after 9 AM Saturday morning as I write this. I have to be at Publix from 1 PM until 10 PM tonight, so that gives me less than two hours free time when taking into account getting ready for work and taking a short nap.
I'm trying to decide if I want to do the NaNo again this year. My inclination is to say yes, but I'm not sure yet.
Stephen King is going to be at a book signing in Atlanta on November 13. I'm hoping to get to go, but won't know until November 6. The bookstore where he'll be will be accepting email requests for tickets on that day. I'll be sending one a minute after midnight leading into the 6th.
posted by David Surrett at 6:40 AM
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