Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lake
Constructive criticism is always good. I've had people flat out lambaste me before on my writing, while at the same time providing constructive criticism, and in the end I think it's made me better by helping me identify problems and fixing them. The mental checklist I go through now when writing is incredibly complex and long. But it's helped me get better and better. I'm now at a point where I can write stuff off the cuff with the same quality that my "finished" works were as little as 5 years ago.
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I've found this, too but I reckon your writing grows and improves all the time, so I'm always quite excited to see whether I can keep it going.
Quote:
Originally Posted by basilsands
I've got 3 books out, the oldest is 4 years old, and still I find things in it that make me cringe. I think what happens is that we writers know our story intimately and after a while read what we think it is supposed to be as opposed to what is actually on the page.
I finally broke down and am paying for an outside editor for my next work. That will probably fix a lot of the little nagging things.
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I think you have to get somebody from outside to look at it. The other thing that's difficult, but important, to avoid is that initial rush of enthusiasm when you finish writing a book - especially the early ones - that makes you really want to get your stuff out there. I'm just publishing my "debut" novel. It's the fourth but the first one I actually have any confidence in. I actually persuaded some agents to read my first one - it was about 15 years ago - and they were very kind about saying no but I suspect that maybe why none of them will touch my stuff with a bargepole now!
Cheers
MTM