So Let’s Review . . .
Aug312009
I sent Lani and Krissie the first two scenes from AKMG, thinking they were in pretty good shape.
Lani wrote back:
Really good, I think you just need a small tweak for what they want. I don’t know why Andie’s there in the first scene, what she’s after, and I have no idea what North wants in the second scene. Everything else sparkles, they just need a quick tweak to get those lines in, I think.
For those of you who write, this means, “There’s no goal and therefore no conflict, so you’ve got some work to do, Princess.” Or as she said later, “I can’t believe I had to tell Jennifer Crusie that.”
Well, it’s different when you’re the one writing it. ARGH. Back to work.
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28 Comments to 'So Let’s Review . . .'
On August 31, 2009 at 11:47 am Kelly said...
So sorry that there were tweaks needed. You know we are all anxiously awaiting AKMG (or whatever it ends up being called) being published. (No pressure.)
Still, how wonderful to have such close friends that they can tell you the whole truth and remain your friends!
On August 31, 2009 at 12:59 pm naked under my clothes said...
It’s so comforting to know that even YOU get comments like this. And great that you have critique partners who will tell you what’s what.
On August 31, 2009 at 1:57 pm Sure thing said...
It’s jsut because you’re close to it. You know the goal and conflict, or else your characters have started telling you, but you haven’t written it down yet.
Thank goodness for intelligent, honest friends. I shudder to think what we’d do without them
On August 31, 2009 at 2:14 pm inkgrrl said...
Oh gods yeah, “small tweak”… “quick tweak”… and you can’t exactly leave it like that with the justification that your raspberry lipgloss sparkles too when you slather it all over My Little Writer Pony’s face. Lucky for you, it’s you doing the writing of it.
On August 31, 2009 at 2:39 pm robena grant said...
I think it’s great that you got so caught up in your story you didn’t put in enough goals and conflict for your main characters in the very beginning. You knew what they were, and I’m sure they became well known to the reader in the following scenes.
So yeah, an easy fix. Piece of cake, right? : )
On August 31, 2009 at 3:19 pm Lani said...
It IS a quick fix. You know Jenny, everything she writes is bloody genius. The scenes are fabulous, and she actually almost has the conflict and goals in there, but she dances around them a little bit. And the reason why we all need critiques is because we’re all too close to it, even the masters. Like La Crusie. So no one is allowed to beat themselves up for missing this stuff, although we all do. The last time Jenny gave me a critique, she prefaced it with, “Get a glass of wine.” It was good advice.
But yeah, I did feel like I was in a twilight zone episode a little bit.
On August 31, 2009 at 3:32 pm TerriO said...
As an aspiring writer, this made me feel immensely better. About learning this craft and about the joy (and sometimes pain) of finding the right crit partners.
On August 31, 2009 at 4:18 pm JulieB said...
But I heard this scene — well, one incarnation of it I think — a while ago. Couldn’t she just go because she’s nice and he asked her to? (If it’s the scene you read at the con.)
Probably that didn’t help. But I might go.
On August 31, 2009 at 8:03 pm Melissa Blue said...
Every critique should begin with “Get a glass of wine”. Just saying.
On August 31, 2009 at 9:19 pm Courtney De said...
Sooooo MANY things should begin with “Get a glass of wine.” LOL
On August 31, 2009 at 10:06 pm Melissa Blue said...
Maybe we could create a list.
On September 1, 2009 at 8:45 am Meredith B. said...
An item for the list: I think some mornings at my job ought to start with a glass of wine. I spend too much time dealing with men who think I either don’t have the technical expertise or don’t have the authority to give them an answer, since the answer I gave them wasn’t the one they wanted.
On September 1, 2009 at 8:58 am Slave Driver said...
What alternate reality are you people living in? In my universe everything begins (and ends) with “Get a glass of wine…”
On September 1, 2009 at 1:02 pm Jenny said...
Here we have “wine o’clock” which is usually about five, sometimes nine, and sometimes we just look at each other and say, “Well, it’s wine o’clock somewhere.” Except I don’t drink wine. I have enhanced orange juice.
On September 1, 2009 at 1:52 pm Meredith B. said...
Here’s another one! Meals served by impertinent waitresses who feel free to criticize your reading material. She was so impertinent that I agree with Mary Stella– it was a wine-cum-brownie kind of moment. What a day I’m having!
On September 1, 2009 at 7:49 pm Melissa Blue said...
Oh, I’ll add when your father calls because he wants YOU to be the ghostwriter for his million dollar idea.
Yes, there are many “wine o’clock” moments in life.
On September 2, 2009 at 5:06 pm naked under my clothes said...
Hell, I need wine to *give* a critique! Receiving is much easier. But that’s the inner Canadian (down under the naked-idity).
On August 31, 2009 at 10:39 pm Mary Stella said...
That’s it. All critique sessions need to start with, “Get a glass of wine.” Perhaps they can end with “Have a brownie.”
On September 1, 2009 at 12:29 am Micki said...
LOL, if a friend said that to me, I would never know how to interpret it! But then again, you guys have been at the critique thing a long time, and know the secret codes and handshakes!
I am so looking forward to this!!
On September 1, 2009 at 12:38 am Jill said...
She wrote back:
Who she ? Lani ? And what Melissa said–every critique should begin with ‘get a glass of wine’
On September 1, 2009 at 7:41 am Beki said...
I love getting the crtiques. Of course, my crit partner is a sweetie and tends to say things like “I don’t really get what’ the point of this scene is” instead of “what the hell are they doing in the mall when the action is at the house?” It’s that point when you think you’re done and it’s great that a good crit can point out some things that you just won’t ever see for yourself. It’s all about the potential!
But yeah. Wine helps it go down smoother.
On September 1, 2009 at 10:01 am marly said...
I have great faith in Ms. Rich and Ms. Stuart. After all, Ms. Stuart gave us Patrick Blackheart and I’ve been in love with him for years. On the other hand, if I don’t find out the why and wherefores in the first few scenes of a Jennifer Crusie novel – I will read on happily until they appear. I think their opinions are important to you because they are so important to you. You can shrug off strangers, but friends that you know want you to do the best you can do? Usually, they’re annoyingly right.
On September 2, 2009 at 1:08 pm Kathryn said...
This is so funny! I love it. I can almost see this entire gals chat conversation landing in some story somewhere. It’s so typical of us!
Also, I have been having serious anxiety about having a crit session and, I’m a little embarrassed to admit, it didn’t even occur to me to get a drink. I’ve just been thinking “take your medicine’. “Get a glass of wine” sounds so much more palatable!
On September 3, 2009 at 10:23 am Meredith B. said...
Wow, you’re right. “Take your medicine” is how I go into web site reviews with my boss, too. I wonder how he would react if I said, “Just let me get a glass of wine!”
On September 2, 2009 at 2:06 pm Ann said...
Names suggestions:
-Between haunted walls (sounds pretty scary)
-Whispers in the night (sounds romantic and scary at the same time)
For Emme I suggest Alexandra, I really love that name.
On September 2, 2009 at 8:32 pm Kate said...
You are right–it is completely different when you are the one writing it. I write non-fiction mostly, but sometimes I get the same comment. And I am so relieved to know professionals can make the same mistakes I do!
On September 8, 2009 at 10:04 am Marta said...
“I can’t believe I had to tell Jennifer Crusie that.”
Still smiling over that one. What constantly trips me up, with or without wine, is the autofill function in my brain. It has an annoying tendency to automatically fill in the blanks as I read, making me miss stuff on edit. The old “It’s in my head, so it must be on paper” pitfall.
On September 8, 2009 at 5:43 pm Deborah Blake said...
I came home from RWA Nationals and spent two weeks rewriting my 2nd ms after taking Jenny’s Turning Points workshop. It completely changed the way I write (if it isn’t for the better–not Jenny’s fault). Then my CP gave me the 1st 60 pages of her 2nd ms for St. Martin’s and said, “Be brutal.” Silly girl. I had to stop after the 1st 50 pages and say, “NOTHING HAPPENS.” I tried to do a beat analysis, and there were NO BEATS. Thankfully, the rewrite was fab, and she still loves me