I had an interesting epiphany this week. I was discussing my
book with someone, who pointed out a lot of plot holes.
Of course, my first reaction, as it always is when I get a
harsh critique, is despair. The book
needs to be completely revamped. Have I learned anything at all as a writer?
Etc., etc.
When that passed (eventually it does), I had some time to
think. I already knew some plot points weren’t working, and I want to fix those.
But my almost immediate reaction to many of the suggestions was:
“Wait. Fixing it that way wouldn’t work for my book.”
I’m not sure if this is ever happened to me. I’ve had some
harsh critiques, and I’ve truly grown from them. But most often when I get
critiques, I think, “Of course, they’re right.” And I proceed to make changes.
The problem is, that I often end up in circles, rewriting, revising, ad
nauseam, never really sure if I’ve met the mark, because I don’t have a clear
vision for my book.
I’m not sure if it’s because I went to that Darci Pattison retreat in January and the first thing she had us do was write down the heart
of our story—the one thing that we wouldn’t change—but I feel totally different
about this book. I have a vision. I know what kind of book I want this to be.
And though some of those suggestions I received might work for another book,
they wouldn’t work for mine.
I wonder if having a vision is what keeps you from going
round and round on the revision merry-go-round, never knowing when or how to
get off.
I know now what’s missing from another manuscript that I’m
stuck on: vision. Before I start anew, before I change another word, I need to
decide why I wrote that book. I need
to be able to answer: what’s the point?
I can't say that revising will go any easier this time, but I hope knowing the heart of my story will help me know when to stop revising, when what I've written has matched the story in my head.
Now, I'm curious about you:
How do you keep the heart of your story in mind as you
revise and/or get feedback?
I try to listen to the critiques, but sometimes they aren't right for the story and you just have to do what you know is right in your heart. That's great you know the vision for one of your manuscripts so you can sort through your critiques better.
ReplyDeleteSometimes the critique points us in the wrong direction - we have to recognize it when that happens and make our own choices. It's our story.
ReplyDeleteGo with your gut.
It's tempting to go to one of two extremes with critiques:Either brushing them all off as irrelevant or, as you said, thinking you suck as a writer because something pointed out a problem. Just remember you aren't required to take their suggestions.
ReplyDeleteGood post. As you can imagine all critiques are not the same, but I do like to try suggestions because you never know where they might lead you. I've taken wrong turns, but I can always go back. The nice thing is that I've also gone down paths I wouldn't have considered but which eventually led me to the right path.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good point, and I've never thought about it this way. You do need vision, and you have to hold onto that throughout all critiques and revisions. It IS hard. Mostly I try to listen to my gut; when a suggestion feels wrong, I don't do it. I try to see what the suggestion is trying to get at, and find another way to fix the issue.
ReplyDeleteYou raise an interesting question! I think you have to go with your gut. Ultimately, you know if the suggestion feels right or not. I think the hardest thing is when you get different opinions from several people and they all have different ideas about how the story should go. Then I guess you have to pick and choose what you want to take and what you want to leave. In the end, it's your story, so don't be afraid to stick up for it. Good luck!! :)
ReplyDeleteNeil Gaiman said something like: Readers who tell you there's a problem are probably right; readers who try to tell you how to fix it are probably wrong.
ReplyDeleteI've been where you are too, and the result of trying to follow every suggestion was turning my story into something I didn't want or like. In the end, it's your story and you have to follow your heart.
ReplyDeleteI love this! Knowing what will and won't work for your story is always a sign of growth as a writer. I know I didn't have that when I first started, but I can see things like that now. I think as we grow as writers we realize when advice works for the story and when it doesn't. It's a gut feeling. After all, your story is your story. It doesn't mean it doesn't need work (all of ours do), but what one person picks up on might not work for what you have in mind.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, the vision problem. It's my biggest struggle! I get lost in my characters; lost in my words; lost in symbolism and detail. Once I started forcing myself to write my vision, and then a one-sentence summary, it became so much easier to find my way out of holes and back from tangents. Vision writing isn't easy for me... My epiphany was that I never know what I'm writing about. No vision=constant re-vision. Yup. Stick to your vision and follow your gut. If two readers have the same response then rethink it, but be conservative. Maybe there's something you just need to discover, but is already there. Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love this! I hadn't thought of it in that way before, as having a vision of the heart of your book, but that's exactly it.
ReplyDeleteAs for how I keep my vision, I like to write a blurb at the beginning, kind of like the back cover of a book or the paragraph in a query letter. Then I can go back and reference it when I need to remember the heart of it.
Happy writing and revising!
Writing up a short one/two sentence tag about the book helps me to focus on what it is exactly I want from the book. Otherwise it's way too easy to get tossed about by every opinion I hear about what other people think the book should be about.
ReplyDeleteI think the vision or the heart of the story is key, and can help us distinguish between advice that helps vs. advice that we need to let go... but it can take a while to find that vision! I have a story idea that I've tried to run with and it just won't go yet and I think it's because I don't have a vision for it yet, just some concepts/ideas.
ReplyDeleteI had books too where I didn't have a clear vision and I ended up changing things endlessly. Once the vision is there, everything becomes easy.
ReplyDelete