tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79273425259888908092024-02-06T20:33:55.493-06:00Mary Baader Kaley (is) Not an Editor...but is of the writerly/critiquerly sortMarybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-43404566598926474312012-05-08T22:10:00.000-05:002012-05-09T07:52:01.235-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Author Jane Kindred<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">(Or, Voice + Stakes = Paramount)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
<b>charity water</b> fact: </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">50%
of the schools in the world don’t have access to clean water or adequate
sanitation.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Fantasy romance author Jane
Kindred thinks that all schools should have access to water. That’s why she’s
donated a query critique to the 2012 Charity Water campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Meet
Jane, member of team Megibow, and bid on her query critique <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">Jane Kindred
began writing fantasy at age 12 in the wayback of a Plymouth Fury—which, as far
as she recalls, never killed anyone…who didn’t have it coming. She spent her
formative years ruining her eyes reading romance novels in the Tucson sun and
watching <i>Star Trek</i> marathons in the dark. Although she was repeatedly
urged to learn a marketable skill, she received a B.A. in Creative Writing
anyway from the University of Arizona.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">She now writes
to the sound of San Francisco foghorns while two cats slowly but surely edge
her off the side of the bed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">You can find
Jane on <a href="http://twitter.com/JaneKindred" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">Twitter</span></a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/janekindred" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">Facebook</span></a>, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4856242.Jane_Kindred" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">Goodreads</span></a>, and on her <a href="http://www.janekindred.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">website</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: What valuable lesson have you learned from one
of your critiquers/beta-readers (feel free to share who it was)?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jane:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
I took an online workshop with Writer’s Digest editor Jane Friedman where she
critiqued first pages, and she got right to the heart of what was wrong with
mine: I was trying to set a stage; she wanted to be intrigued. It wasn’t
necessary for the reader to know exactly who my character was, or where she
was, but they definitely needed to care what happened to her before the end of
the first page, if not the first paragraph. The voice and the stakes were
paramount.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: What’s one of the worst
mistakes a critiquer can make?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jane:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
I’m not sure I know what the worst mistakes in critiquing are, but I know one
of the worst mistakes a writer can make is to try to rewrite to please every
reader. You have to evaluate which critiques are valid for you--without your
ego getting in the way, which can be hard. It’s a fine line between thinking
every word of a critique is right and thinking every word is wrong. LOL.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: When you critique someone’s
work, what is your general process?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jane:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
I line edit as I go, otherwise I’d forget the things that initially stick out
as I get lost in the story. It’s also an OCD thing; I like marking things, and
can’t resist line editing, even if that’s not the version I’m ultimately going
to give to the writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: Is there one specific thing
that you gravitate toward while critiquing?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Jane:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
I definitely gravitate toward grammar. If the grammar is distracting, I can’t
even pay attention to the characters or plot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Crits
for Water Quickfires—And, go:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1. Oxford comma?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>YES</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2. Should "I like him too"
have a comma before "too"? </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>It
depends on the context. Are there two people being liked? Or two people liking?
Or is the person doing something in addition to liking? Never mind; just change
it to “I also like him” and you don’t have to worry about the comma. ;)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3. Italicize or underline?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>I know
there are some agents and editors who still prefer underlining for emphasis so
they can see it clearly (and I think there also used to be printer typesetting
reasons to do it this way in a manuscript), so if that’s what they want, give
it to them. But the correct type style for emphasis is italic, and that’s what
it will end up being in print.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4. How do you separate scenes: #,
***, line break<i>?</i></span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
However your editor tells you to separate them. ;) It seems to be
largely dependent on house style, but what I’ve seen most (and therefore, how I
do it in my drafts) is to use a line break for a minor scene break and three
asterisks for a major scene break.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5. What's your favorite verb?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>I
don’t think I can say that here, but it’s possibly of Scandinavian origin, and
according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, “the earliest examples of the
word…are from Scottish”…</i>and if
it’s not Scottish, it’s crap. ;)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thanks, Jane, for stopping by! Take a peek
at Jane’s novels, such as THE FALLEN QUEEN.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnuVS6ETJToaivl9VXT_RNp1soBjSHyfz_zdbn0_1hPfXDuYYIw3mWcMgVMUh3ZJuxmna0vX0julR1uqCdo3Rh5LX7Ns4u3yMRCsf_GpQElLjiGZNlaA1PrwWl39v0J6c-8NVFz0KtPhe/s1600/Jane+K+fallen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnuVS6ETJToaivl9VXT_RNp1soBjSHyfz_zdbn0_1hPfXDuYYIw3mWcMgVMUh3ZJuxmna0vX0julR1uqCdo3Rh5LX7Ns4u3yMRCsf_GpQElLjiGZNlaA1PrwWl39v0J6c-8NVFz0KtPhe/s1600/Jane+K+fallen.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="border-bottom-color: windowtext; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: 1pt; border-image: initial; border-left-color: windowtext; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: 1pt; border-right-color: windowtext; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: 1pt; border-top-color: windowtext; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: 1pt; color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in;">Heaven can go to hell.</span></i></b><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Until her cousin slaughtered the supernal
family, Anazakia’s father ruled the Heavens, governing noble Host and Fallen
peasants alike. Now Anazakia is the last grand duchess of the House of
Arkhangel’sk, and all she wants is to stay alive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Hunted by Seraph assassins, Anazakia flees
Heaven with two Fallen thieves—fire demon Vasily and air demon Belphagor, each
with their own nefarious agenda—who hide her in the world of Man. The line
between vice and virtue soon blurs, and when Belphagor is imprisoned, the unexpected
passion of Vasily warms her through the Russian winter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Heaven seems a distant dream, but when
Anazakia learns the truth behind the celestial coup, she will have to return to
fight for the throne—even if it means saving the man who murdered everyone she
loved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If you’re curious about the voice and
stakes in your query and you think Jane could help, go to the Crits for Water
campaign page for her <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/" target="_blank">query critique</a> up for auction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-68662515304198809822012-05-06T14:23:00.000-05:002012-05-06T14:23:39.225-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Author Imogen Howson<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">(or, the Impossible becomes
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A <b>charity water</b>
fact: <i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">The
lack of clean water accounts for more deaths in the world than war.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Young adult author
Imogen Howson is ready to help out, to slow the number of water-related deaths, through the 2012 Crits for Water campaign. She’s
donated a 3000-word critique (available Monday, May 7<sup>th</sup>). She’s a
writer, she’s an editor, and she’s got an eye for scene necessity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Meet Imogen.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As a child, Imogen
loved reading so much that she not only read in bed, at the table and in the
bath, but in the shower and – not so successfully – on her bicycle. She enjoyed
books in a slightly unorthodox way, too – many of her childhood books have
ragged edges where she tore paper from the margins in order to eat it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some years later,
she's busy writing romantic science fiction and fantasy for young adults and
adults.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She lives with her
partner and their two teenage daughters, in a house that desperately needs a
second bathroom, near Sherwood Forest in England. She still reads in most
places, but she no longer eats paper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She's a member of <a href="http://www.rna-uk.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">The
Romantic Novelists’ Association</span></a>, the group blog <a href="http://thelucky13s.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">The Lucky 13s</span></a>, and the online writers’ community <a href="http://romancedivas.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Romance
Divas</span></a>. She's represented by <a href="http://www.mandyhubbard.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Mandy Hubbard</span></a> of <a href="http://www.d4eo.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">D4EO
Literary Agency</span></a> and her debut YA science fiction thriller, LINKED,
is coming out from Simon & Schuster in 2013.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE:
After a writer gets back an in-depth critique, what would you recommend in
terms of a review/revise process?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Imogen:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Read it a couple of times, then let it sit in your head for
a couple of days. Often, a writer's first response to an in-depth critique is
either "but that's WRONG" or "but I can't!" A couple of
days thinking it over will help you get over your first instinctive response,
and you'll get a better idea of whether it really is wrong or impossible.<br />
<br />
At this point, assuming you've decided the suggested changes are useful ones
(and totally ignoring the voice that might still be saying "but I
can't!"), make yourself a list of what you're going to deal with and in
what order.<br />
<br />
Personally, I deal with the little things first (overused words, little
continuity issues like someone's shoes disappearing mid-scene or someone else's
eyes changing colour). I leave the bigger things (particularly the ones I still
think are impossible to fix) for later, because I find that as I work through
the manuscript fixing the little things I tend to get an idea of how to fix the
bigger ones.<br />
<br />
As you work through the manuscript, take note of the points where you can
change part of a bigger issue (such as a single character's development). Then
when you're done fixing the little things, you can go back to those places and
start working on the bigger changes.<br />
<br />
You'll probably find that what started out feeling totally impossible becomes a
whole lot more possible later in the process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE:
What’s one of the worst mistakes a critiquer can make?</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Imogen:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Fixating on particular
"rules" without paying attention to whether they're appropriate for
the manuscript they're working on. For instance, some writers overuse weak
verb/ adverb combinations ("she walked slowly"), and it's useful to
them to be told to use stronger verbs ("she strolled") instead.
However, if a critiquer goes into a critique with the attitude "all
adverbs are bad" and tries to strike out the one or two carefully,
precisely chosen adverbs <i>this</i> author has used, that's the reverse of
helpful!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE:
When you critique someone’s work, what is your general process?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Imogen:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I read super-fast (it's a curse, not a gift!), so I'll read
through once, getting a sense of the characters, plot, setting, conflict etc.
Then, having noted the more global issues (unconvincing character development,
fuzzy world building and so on), I'll go through and do a line-and-content
edit, picking up everything (well, almost!) from character issues to awkward
sentences to comma splices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE:
Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Imogen:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I work as an editor, so I've been trained into looking for <i>everything</i>.
I think I'm particularly aware of pacing issues, though. If a scene doesn't
advance the plot or deepen the reader's understanding of the characters, then
often all it's doing is bogging down the book. Not always, though...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Crits for Water Quickfires—And, go:</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.
Oxford comma?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>Only
if it's needed for clarity.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.
Should "I like him too" have a comma before "too"?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>Only if you need it for emphasis.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.
Italicize or underline?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>Italicize.</i>
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.
How do you separate scenes: #, ***, line break?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>I like
asterisks, or even better, fancy wingdings, but I've been trained into using
two line breaks instead.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.
What's your favorite verb?</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <i>Shatter.
I like verbs that come with images </i>and<i> sounds.</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Thank you, Imogen! <o:p></o:p></div>
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There you have it. If you need help making the impossible
possible, take a stab at Imogen’s 3000-word critique here (May 7<sup>th</sup>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-53414699568468050602012-05-03T21:21:00.000-05:002012-05-04T11:33:03.810-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Michael Underwood<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Or,
Happier with Your Story)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
<b>charity water</b> fact: </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">One child dies every 19 seconds from fatal water-related
illness.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sadly,
it’s true. That’s why author Michael Underwood jumped at the chance to help out
in the 2012 Crits for Water campaign. He’s donated two separate <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/" target="_blank">query critiques</a>
and a 10,000-word critique. Watch the Crits for Water calendar for his auctions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Meet
Michael.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruAczyDAy5rim_yVdhQgekp7lLB0fAs373LCNAiW421tPnItKWoQ5-fbzCj-V7hIGwgqKr8Ak-OlQHoWCw_h8joPBziGLYfGuDmFIqKBkxJOmcDNwQFyPbHw5qS0XgLPVxs5x2Ur1mKbt/s1600/Michael+Underwood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjruAczyDAy5rim_yVdhQgekp7lLB0fAs373LCNAiW421tPnItKWoQ5-fbzCj-V7hIGwgqKr8Ak-OlQHoWCw_h8joPBziGLYfGuDmFIqKBkxJOmcDNwQFyPbHw5qS0XgLPVxs5x2Ur1mKbt/s1600/Michael+Underwood.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://geektheory.wordpress.com/">Michael R. Underwood</a>
grew up devouring stories in all forms: movies, comics, TV, video games, and
novels. He holds a B.A. in Creative Mythology and East Asian Studies from
Indiana University and an M.A. in Folklore Studies from the University of
Oregon, which have been great preparation for writing speculative fiction.
Michael went straight from his M.A. to the Clarion West Writers Workshop and
then landed in Bloomington, Indiana, where he remains. When not writing or
selling books across the Midwest as an independent book representative, Michael
dances Argentine Tango and studies renaissance martial arts.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: After a writer gets back an in-depth critique, what would
you recommend in terms of a review/revise process?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">MU:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
Read over the letter carefully, getting the general sense of the response.
Then, if you can, put the critique away and work on other things for a couple
of days. Then come back and re-read the critique, taking your own notes about
comments you think are useful, and re-examining those you think are not.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Once you’ve gotten a handle on the comments,
prioritize the revisions to be made. I always try to start with the biggest
changes first, since they will have the largest ripple effect on the rest of
the novel. If the big stuff is really intimidating, maybe do one or two little
things in between the big tasks. Keep track of your revision tasks and don’t
get discouraged.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: What is the one piece of advice you can give to someone
trying to develop his or her critique skills?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">MU:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
Read, read some more, and think in terms of the writer’s efforts. Critiques,
for me, aren’t about how you as a writer would fix what needs work, but helping
the writer discover the solution for themselves.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">At Clarion West, our system called for
starting with positive comments, identifying elements that worked well for you.
Then you can move into comments about elements that didn’t work. And if you
have suggestions of approaches for revision, those can go at the end, but
again, try to frame them in terms of what the writer is already doing or seems
to like doing, not how <i>you</i> would fix their story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: When you critique someone’s work, what is your general
process?</span></b><b><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">MU:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
It depends on the level of critique I’m giving. I don’t generally find it too
useful to do a developmental/editorial critique at the same time as a line edit/copy
edit, because they are different levels. If you still need developmental
editing, why go ahead and clean up the prose, when thousands of words could
still change?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I usually read through a whole time, making
major notes on the side as I go, and then when I’m done, I think about the
whole story/selection, and re-read the selection if I can to get another look
and clarify my comments.<br />
<br />
If I’m line editing, I will do everything at once, commenting in the margins as
I go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while
critiquing?</span></b><b><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">MU.</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
In a developmental edit, I tend to focus on character arc or the paradigm of
the world – how the magic fits into the world, making sure the setting is consistent.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In a line edit, I usually focus on flow and
readability, making sure that the prose is doing right by the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: How do you reconcile contradictory critiques?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">MU:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> As
I was revising my last novel, a New Weird Supers fantasy, I revised it
frequently enough with so many different voices that I was totally lost about
what I needed to do. Some people said I needed to get to the action faster, and
let the action provide the exposition, others said I needed to slow down and
focus on character first, setting the stage.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">They were both right, and both wrong. There is
no one way to open a novel, because there are countless ways to hook a reader,
many of them mutually exclusive, depending on the reader. If you’re stuck
between contradictory critiques, go back to your own vision of the story. Which
change are you more excited about? Which way of fixing it would give you the
story you’d prefer reading? I always find revision easier when I’m changing the
novel in a way that makes me happier with the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Crits for Water Quickfires – And, go:</span></b><b><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1. Oxford comma?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Essential</i>.</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2. Should "I like him too" have a
comma before "too"?</span></b><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Depends on context, for me.</span></i><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3. Italicize or underline?</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>I used to believe that editors wanted
underline instead of italics, but Adam Wilson, my editor at Pocket, just had me
change everything over to italics even before we went to production. Which
makes me happy, because I’d rather the draft look like the page will look
whenever possible.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4. How do you separate scenes: #, ***, line
break?</span></b><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I like ***</span></i><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5. What's your favorite verb?</span></b><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Defenistrate.</span></i><span style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Giggling
at <i>defenestrate</i>. Michael’s debut, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Geekomancy-ebook/dp/B007SNRRP8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336096731&sr=8-1">GEEKOMANCY</a>,
will be released later this year. In the meantime, if you need help in attaining
happiness with your story or your query letter, check out his<a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/" target="_blank"> items up forauction</a> this month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-22294274538976944232012-04-30T18:45:00.001-05:002012-04-30T18:45:51.547-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Author Sherry Thomas<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">(Or,
Covering Your Blind Spots)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A
<b>charity: water</b> fact</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">–</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> <i>Charity: water employs and trains Central Africans to build and
maintain the water wells that save lives every day.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Historical
romance author Sherry Thomas has <i>charity:
water</i> on her radar for the second year in a row (see last year’s interview:
<a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/06/critiquerly-interview-with-author_12.html">If
the Old Doesn’t Go, the New Doesn’t Come</a>). Gear up for the bidding on her <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/">three-chapter critique donation</a> (available
May 1<sup>st</sup>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Help me welcome Sherry and congratulate her on her release-day novel.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w6uthkv0ISmfOFYRY9COvfbKnJNRWGU3HKcuIPAPU7jGt9jfOvZmIMGRBTPLNqp_NAnMyrgbPFiM9UD4-9MMgakyKd3GPTxwMB8vwO3AoRe7tPf9QxSYhAwP6AdhlptxCz58b0mfKcgr/s1600/Sherry+Thomas+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w6uthkv0ISmfOFYRY9COvfbKnJNRWGU3HKcuIPAPU7jGt9jfOvZmIMGRBTPLNqp_NAnMyrgbPFiM9UD4-9MMgakyKd3GPTxwMB8vwO3AoRe7tPf9QxSYhAwP6AdhlptxCz58b0mfKcgr/s1600/Sherry+Thomas+2012.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;"><a href="http://www.sherrythomas.com/">Sherry Thomas</a> burst onto the scene with
<b>PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS</b>, a Publisher Weekly Best Book of 2008. Her
sophomore book, <b>DELICIOUS</b>, is a Library Journal Best Romance of 2008.
Her next two books, <b>NOT QUITE A HUSBAND</b> and<b> HIS AT NIGHT</b>, are
back-to-back winners of Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA® Award
for Best Historical Romance in 2010 and 2011.
Lisa Kleypas calls her "the most powerfully original historical
romance author working today."<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">English is Sherry's
second language—she has come a long way from the days when she made her
laborious way through Rosemary Roger's SWEET SAVAGE LOVE with an
English-Chinese dictionary. She enjoys digging down to the emotional core of
stories. And when she is not writing, she thinks about the zen and zaniness of
her profession, plays computer games with her sons, and reads as many fabulous
books as she can find.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.0pt;">Sherry’s latest, <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beguiling-Beauty-Berkley-Sensation-Sherry/dp/0425246965/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335825236&sr=8-1">BEGUILING
THE BEAUTY</a>, </b>book one of the Fitzhugh Trilogy, is available May 1, 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE: What is your favorite thing about writing a critique?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sherry:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> When
I hit on an issue and I have a pretty good idea on how to fix it. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE: What is your favorite thing about receiving a critique
back?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sherry:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> When
my critiquer not only sees problems, but gives me really good ideas on how to
fix it. (Two sides of a coin.)</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE: Why is critiquing important?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sherry:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> For
the one doing the critiquing, because it trains your critical thinking. For the
one on the receiving end, sometimes there are just blind spots in what we can
perceive about our own manuscript. A fresh pair of eyes can prove invaluable.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE: Your critique style is like which of the following: Red
Pen Editor, Overall Commenter, Supportive Critic, You’ll Know It If I Catch It?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sherry:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I
am an overall commenter unless the story doesn't have any major story/character/pacing
problems. Then I might comment on scene-level problems. I usually do not pay
much attention to grammatical/spelling errors unless they are atrocious. And I
generally do not line edit when there are bigger issues.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NAE: Name one of your favorite 2012 books (coming out or
already released), and why.</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sherry:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I'm
always behind so I will probably be 2015 by the time I get to 2012 books. The
next book I'm going to read is <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Disreputable-History-Frankie-Landau-Banks/dp/0786838191/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335826213&sr=1-1">The
Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks</a> </i>by E. Lockhart.</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Crits for Water Quickfires—And, go:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.
Oxford comma? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yes.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.
Should "I like him too" have a comma before "too"? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don't do it personally, but my
copyeditors always do. :-)<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.
Italicize or underline? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Italicize.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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How do you separate scenes: #, ***, line break? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">#<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.
What's your favorite verb? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Be.</span></i><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Take
a look at Sherry’s new release, available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Beguiling-Beauty-Berkley-Sensation-Sherry/dp/0425246965/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335829282&sr=1-1" target="_blank">now</a>. Happy release day, Sherry!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WoiK6W4JzqM7u9HMIdSG_MrO9KlcuKOGHG3kiU_apiLa4o_68-FUreg_LQG-DuHMC5fmXhweNdbpc37MO0gxxiGdp3LlmE4T2V7rjsGKdUQWipytyA_wh0BQmyZ1_aZropOjiY7J_oPu/s1600/sherry+beguiling-the-beauty-150x240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-WoiK6W4JzqM7u9HMIdSG_MrO9KlcuKOGHG3kiU_apiLa4o_68-FUreg_LQG-DuHMC5fmXhweNdbpc37MO0gxxiGdp3LlmE4T2V7rjsGKdUQWipytyA_wh0BQmyZ1_aZropOjiY7J_oPu/s1600/sherry+beguiling-the-beauty-150x240.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">When the Duke of Lexington meets the mysterious Baroness von
Seidlitz-Hardenberg aboard a transatlantic ocean liner, he is fascinated. She
is exactly what he has been searching for—a beautiful woman who interests and
entices him. He falls hard and fast—and soon proposes marriage.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><br />
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<span style="background: white;">And then she
disappears without a trace…<br />
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<span style="background: white;">For in reality, the
“baroness” is Venetia Easterbrook—a proper young widow who had her own vengeful
reasons for instigating an affair with the duke. But the plan has backfired.
Venetia has fallen in love with the man she despised—and there’s no telling
what might happen when she is finally unmasked…</span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Thanks
for the interview, Sherry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">If
you would like Sherry Thomas to look for blind spots you might have, consider
bidding on her critique <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/">here</a>
on May 1<sup>st</sup>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Thanks
to everyone else has donated to the 2012 Crits for Water campaign so far. You
guys are the best.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-87704599481191690862012-04-25T12:09:00.000-05:002012-04-26T08:01:37.353-05:00Crits for Water Interview: Romance Author Jenn LeBlanc<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">(Or, Feel it in Your Bones) </span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">A <b>charity
water</b> fact: </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Unsafe water accounts for 80% of all sickness and disease
around the world.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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That’s one of the reasons that illustrated
romance author Jenn LeBlanc has stepped forward and donated a <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/26/pledge-critique-of-20-pages-by-author-jenn-leblanc/" target="_blank">first chapter (up to 20 pages)critique</a>. She knows that we can chip away at that 80% with huge results.
Oh, yes. She feels it in her bones. Take a peek at her bio and then her thoughts on critiquing below.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_qizNo-C29YxBoDqQT9xkcvine3S58_d-Ibk1QU_cu1QTAmkVwYJ54uHLbI_AMAtwhDhFLq2Tu4BD0iRSeXjnQpP88Hk8-tvrIWuHXp2SX4HLNPYvyz5HH7uLDnPSFaIL3wUgckcYH6c/s1600/Jenn+LeBlanc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_qizNo-C29YxBoDqQT9xkcvine3S58_d-Ibk1QU_cu1QTAmkVwYJ54uHLbI_AMAtwhDhFLq2Tu4BD0iRSeXjnQpP88Hk8-tvrIWuHXp2SX4HLNPYvyz5HH7uLDnPSFaIL3wUgckcYH6c/s1600/Jenn+LeBlanc.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 9pt;">Canon. Curls. Colorado. CJs. Chuck Norris.</span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">Born and raised in a household of other people’s
children in this beautiful state —very nearly with a camera in hand— she never
left. She started her own family, got used to the curls, went to college, built
a CJ, started a business, and totally beat the daylights out of Chuck Norris,
all with a camera in hand.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">Spending her days in parenting chat rooms she got
highly adept with one-handed typing and she can still type just about as fast
with one hand as she can with two. It’s a great talent to have when engrossed
in a scene and in need of a hit of caffeine. One she finished her first novel
she quickly realized:</span> She was
born a photographer.</span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">From the realization that someone ELSE would be
shooting the cover of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>HER<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span>book her control-freak took over.
What started as an easy cover shoot ballooned into this completely new kind of
media, designed specifically for digital book readers.</span><br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<br style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">She lives and thrives off chaos and the constant
flow of the creative process. She wear shorts and flip-flops year-round —much
to the chagrin of her friends and family— and she is currently working on the
illustrations for her second novel. Her first serial novel<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span>THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span>is doing its own Chuck Norris
impersonation with the time travel charts on Amazon. You can find her on<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></i><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://twitter.com/jennleblanc" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Twitter</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="http://facebook.com/illustratedromance" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Facebook</span></a></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">sharing eye candy and being a total rock star.</span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>NAE: What valuable lesson have you learned from one of your
critiquers/beta-readers?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Jenn:</b> <span style="color: #222222;">One of
the most important lessons I've learned from my beta readers and critiquers is
that everyone comes from a different place and brings something with them to
your work. Nobody is objective. Parts of my first novel deal with very
difficult situations and getting opinions from others about how these things affected
them was paramount to the process of building a character that was terribly
misused and damaged, as well as creating the healing process and making sure
that she was cared for properly by the people around her (most importantly the
hero). In all of it, it's important to keep your voice, but just as important
to understand how your words might affect someone. No you can't make everyone
happy, that isn't the point, but building characters that are true to
themselves and to their situations makes them accessible to your readers. They
will fall for your people, love them even more, if they can relate and identify
with them properly.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">NAE: What is one of the worst mistakes a critiquer
can make? <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Jenn: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">I believe the worst possible mistake a critiquer can
make is to make it personal. It's a very delicate operation, critiquing. You
are looking at someone's heart, their very soul in some cases, and you have to
treat it as such. You have to be true to the process and discuss the problems
or issues as you see them with the manuscript while at the same time not
attacking the writer, or the work in a personal way. It really isn't easy, and
the person you are critiquing needs to be just as open and prepared for the process
as the critiquer is.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">NAE: What is your general process when you critique
someone’s work?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Jenn: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">I like to read through and make general observations.
However, if the work is in need of a great deal of help with technical issues
that sometimes isn't possible, and I will work on those first. But I like to
read the work, get the general idea and feel for the voice and pacing of the ms
before digging in and attempting to find any issues that are keeping it from
being the strongest possible work it can be.<span class="apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">NAE: Is there one specific thing that you gravitate
toward while critiquing?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Jenn: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">I tend to gravitate toward emotion and
characterization. I adore pushing the emotion in a scene, ensuring the scene
has reached its fullest potential. I want to feel it in my bones, whatever
emotion it is, I need to feel it in my bones. I look for description and dialog
that is well balanced and brings the reader on the journey. Language that shows
instead of tells, words that describe without being passive or obtrusive.</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222;">Crits for Water Quickfires: And, go.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></i></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">Oxford comma? </span></b><i><span style="color: #222222;">Yes.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></i></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">Should “I like him too” have a comma before “too”? </span></b><i><span style="color: #222222;">Yes</span></i><span style="color: #222222;">.<b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></i></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">Italicize or underline? </span></b><i><span style="color: #222222;">Italicize.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></i></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">How do you separate scenes: #, ***, or line break? </span></b><i><span style="color: #222222;">***<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #222222;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></i></b><b><span style="color: #222222;">What is your favorite verb? </span></b><i><span style="color: #222222;">Want.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></i></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">The first part of Jenn’s
THE RAKE AND THE RECLUSE, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/FREEDOM-Recluse-travel-romance-ebook/dp/B006O4XZO4/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1333973977&sr=1-2">FREEDOM
is available on kindle</a> for free.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ipLGDbLguqFMQNXryfkIHoaASL5CbzpoPHWUrvT8-nhFVRTW8SzfSDHUV9U2UaLLMRRKD5c61J7Er6iprFgFrUplEJMEFCX6ceVjlcFmGklWfvSQ8WmaXvJLLLNEMba1A1n0ekgmYqNP/s1600/Rake+Recluse+Freedom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ipLGDbLguqFMQNXryfkIHoaASL5CbzpoPHWUrvT8-nhFVRTW8SzfSDHUV9U2UaLLMRRKD5c61J7Er6iprFgFrUplEJMEFCX6ceVjlcFmGklWfvSQ8WmaXvJLLLNEMba1A1n0ekgmYqNP/s1600/Rake+Recluse+Freedom.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;">For a chance to ensure everyone
feels your MC’s emotions in their bones,
follow the instructions for Jenn’s first chapter critique <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/26/pledge-critique-of-20-pages-by-author-jenn-leblanc/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-34780202494399628292012-04-24T16:41:00.001-05:002012-04-26T07:58:17.572-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Author Elise Rome<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Or,
Can’t Help Marking Things)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A charity
water fact: </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">The 2012 Crits for
Water campaign has raised over <b>$2,000</b>
so far, which gives 100 people water for 20 years. Our goal is to help another
400 people.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">And
romance author Elise Rome is on board, helping out for the second year in a row
(see her 2011 interview: <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/05/critiquerly-interview-with-author_10.html">Tempering
Your Overprotective Muse</a>). She’s got a 50-page critique up for auction <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/25/auction-critique-of-50-pages-by-author-elise-rome/" target="_blank">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Meet super-mommy slash author, Elise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjozjS_c5GmQEENtAg5xzyMmPuXuz54kSMpiV8sQpufA9KkaDdaegtvqr1tJWd6l1OiDuPrF3znUdoqaAUz_UQayj1iQYEMsDRUMgLtD662xn96mn3C8jxGZVoKki4e9SS7wGxbzuXfPK/s1600/Ashley+March.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjozjS_c5GmQEENtAg5xzyMmPuXuz54kSMpiV8sQpufA9KkaDdaegtvqr1tJWd6l1OiDuPrF3znUdoqaAUz_UQayj1iQYEMsDRUMgLtD662xn96mn3C8jxGZVoKki4e9SS7wGxbzuXfPK/s1600/Ashley+March.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: #181818; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><a href="http://www.eliserome.com/">Elise Rome</a> has never
forgiven Margaret Mitchell for making her fall in love with Scarlett and Rhett
in Gone with the Wind and then not giving them a happy ending. She likes to
think that she makes up for this injustice with each romance novel she writes.
When she isn't telling stories about sexy, headstrong heroes and intelligent,
independent heroines, Elise stays busy chasing after her two young daughters,
semi-attempting to do housework, and hiking in the beautiful foothills of
Colorado.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
What is your favorite thing about receiving a critique back?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elise:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I really appreciate having another set of eyes looking over
my work. I usually edit as I write and then go back to edit even more, but I
know that there are things that my critique partners catch that I never would
by myself. And when I do something right, I love getting that confirmation from
a critique partner that it worked for them as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
Why is critiquing important?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elise:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I see critiques as feedback from the author's first
readers. Yes, they probably read more slowly and analyze more than normal
readers do, but they're still readers when it comes down to it. If I don't have
a strong opening, my CPs will tell me. If they don't like my hero, my CPs will
tell me. They're not just there to correct my spelling or grammar or tell when
a sentence doesn't work; they're invaluable in making all aspects of the book
as good as it can be before it's actually published, and my writing would
definitely not be as strong without them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
Your critique style is like which of the following: Red Pen Editor, Overall
Commenter, Supportive Critic, You’ll Know It If I Catch It? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elise:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Red Pen Editor. Even when people just ask for me to beta
read, I can't help marking things when I see them. Unless something really
strikes me while I'm doing line edits, I'll save all the good stuff for my
summary at the end. My marks and comments in the actual manuscript are for me
to tell the author what I think needs worked on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
Name one of your favorite 2012 books (coming out or already released), and why.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Elise:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> MARIANA by Susanna Kearsley just blew me away. This is the
first book of hers I've read, and I can't wait to get time to read other books
in her backlist. It's not really a romance novel as much as a mainstream time
travel with romantic elements, but I still loved everything about it. She has
such a fluid, easy way of writing that pulls you in with each sentence, and
although the pace was never gripping as it might be in suspense novels, I
couldn't stop turning the pages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Crits
for Water Quickfires – And, go:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1.
Oxford comma?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Yes!
Leaving it out drives me crazy.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2.
Should "I like him too" have a comma before "too"?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Yes.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3.
Italicize or underline? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Italicize</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4.
How do you separate scenes: #, ***, line break?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>***</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5.
What's your favorite verb?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>To
love. ;)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thank
you, Elise! Elise’s novella, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13186914-the-sinning-hour">The Sinning
Hour</a>, is scheduled to be released soon. And it looks fabulous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13186914-the-sinning-hour" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnS3SSnQ83WoNZuu9ThRftiefit0OXUiTsDKaURgrurf03BsOfCXqdJbhLY4z7hYySyBGe3t60k3HF4By78vS8QWSpsXgA4lNbIhEmq9JO3_kIR8PRpmztqScklHhijoETGCh7YD4eT25/s1600/The+Sinning+Hour+final+for+web+72+dpi.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">A man accustomed to
getting whatever he wishes and a woman whose wishes have never come true: at
night, all they need is one another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"><b>~~~</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For
those who’d like to see the types of things Elise can’t help marking in a
critique, take a stab at her 50-page critique <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/25/auction-critique-of-50-pages-by-author-elise-rome/" target="_blank">here</a>, and save lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-73195182405579340282012-04-24T07:26:00.001-05:002012-04-24T07:55:14.706-05:00Crits for Water Interview with YA Author Brigid Kemmerer<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Or,
Taking Things by STORM)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
<b>charity water</b> fact: </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">300 children die per hour from water-related diseases.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Which
is why author Brigid Kemmerer is spending the release day of her novel STORM
doing something charitable. She’s donated a </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/24/pledge-critique-of-20-pages-by-author-brigid-kemmerer-for-two-winners/" target="_blank">20-page critique</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> to the 2012
Crits for Water campaign. I won her critique last year, and let me tell you—she’s
awesome!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Meet
Brigid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuZ-HtFZDcd32caZiX5CMyl39Voa4-I38qe9sS6VgR3oG7qhzlOBFjViGEOv3FdAj_NzVxj6wa6-R6sVynnPnW5vfC0BhvXXgCsQw0c53R80N2Zdi84B1cHteK18PLZbW9GHX-Vgw_Fss/s1600/brigid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieuZ-HtFZDcd32caZiX5CMyl39Voa4-I38qe9sS6VgR3oG7qhzlOBFjViGEOv3FdAj_NzVxj6wa6-R6sVynnPnW5vfC0BhvXXgCsQw0c53R80N2Zdi84B1cHteK18PLZbW9GHX-Vgw_Fss/s1600/brigid.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Brigid Kemmerer was
born in Omaha, Nebraska, though her parents quickly moved her all over <br />
the United States, from the desert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to the lakeside
in Cleveland, <br />
Ohio, and several stops in between. Brigid started writing in high school, and
her first real “novel <br />
was about four vampire brothers causing a ruckus in the suburbs. Those four
brothers are the <br />
same boys living in the pages of </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Storm-Elemental-Brigid-Kemmerer/dp/0758272812/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1335131469&sr=8-2"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The Elemental Series</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">, so Brigid likes to
say she’s had four teenage <br />
boys taking up space in her head for the last seventeen years. (Though
sometimes that just makes <br />
her sound nuts.) Check out her </span><a href="http://www.brigidkemmerer.com/"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">blog</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> and find her on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/BrigidKemmerer"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
What is your favorite thing about writing a critique?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brigid:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I'm not great at writing an overall critique. One of my
crit partners (hi, Bobbie!) is exceptional at qualifying what works in a scene
on many levels, and can send me paragraphs outlining my characters'
motivations. I'm honestly convinced she knows my characters better than I do. I
prefer to go through a manuscript and make comments as I go -- and there will
be several.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
What is your favorite thing about receiving a critique back?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brigid:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I love receiving critiques on my work! I'm a perfectionist,
and I love hearing what's not working -- so I can fix it. I used to get the
knee-jerk reaction of, "Don't criticize my work!" just like everyone
does when they're first starting out, but once I learned that people are
genuinely trying to help me improve, I stopped feeling that way. Now I look at
every criticism as an opportunity. I'm also secure enough in my own work to
reject a change if I don't feel it's working -- as well as to admit I'm wrong
if something is genuinely crap.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
Why is critiquing important?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brigid:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Critiquing work for others is the best way to develop your
own editorial eye. While writing workshops are great places to hone your craft,
they can be expensive. I could never afford to do one, so I critiqued as many
manuscripts as I could. It's a quick (and FREE) way to learn what works, and
what doesn't.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
Your critique style is like which of the following: Red Pen Editor, Overall
Commenter, Supportive Critic, You’ll Know It If I Catch It? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brigid:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I'm a combination of the Red Pen Editor and the Supportive
Critic. I'm going to mark obvious errors, but I'm also going to put reasoning
behind my bigger picture changes and explain why I think a change is necessary.
I also try to look for places where something is working WELL, because I think
it's easy for writers to fall into the habit of only looking for the bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
Name one of your favorite 2012 books (coming out or already released), and why.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brigid:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> So far I've loved UNDER THE NEVER SKY by Veronica Rossi and
I'VE GOT YOUR NUMBER by Sophie Kinsella.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Crits for Water Quickfires – And,
Go. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1.
Oxford comma? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Absolutely</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2.
Should "I like him too" have a comma before "too"?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Yes. And if it shouldn't, my copy editor
will catch it. :-) <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3.
Italicize or underline?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Italicize!
<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4.
How do you separate scenes: #, ***, line break?</span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
I use three pound signs: ### </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5.
What's your favorite verb<i>? </i></span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I have no idea. I like the word
"saturnine," but that's an adjective. </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Because
this is her second year participating in Crits for Water, you can check out her
previous thoughts about critiques here: </span><a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/06/critiquerly-interview-with-author.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Critique
Until it’s Automatic</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If
you want to see if your writing has the elements of a great work-in-progress,
take a look at Brigid’s 2,500-word critique </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/24/pledge-critique-of-20-pages-by-author-brigid-kemmerer-for-two-winners/" target="_blank">here</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. In
the meantime, check out her debut release, STORM.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOomLgarIjfMJ38G7IXL3gH119C-QVhAE3ZFp99XGTb6Cv7S2U5nMzqC4jp1t0u8QiXNWZWkSmBx3qMnSt1FsmQbQwHwNapmxyWuuqh9dIoNjzPADWyH2onKFNZm0UnAsXzEp0w01KcaV_/s1600/storm+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOomLgarIjfMJ38G7IXL3gH119C-QVhAE3ZFp99XGTb6Cv7S2U5nMzqC4jp1t0u8QiXNWZWkSmBx3qMnSt1FsmQbQwHwNapmxyWuuqh9dIoNjzPADWyH2onKFNZm0UnAsXzEp0w01KcaV_/s1600/storm+cover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Becca Chandler is suddenly getting all the guys-- the ones she<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>doesn't</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>want. Ever since her<br />
ex-boyfriend spread those lies about her.Then she saves Chris Merrick from a
beating in the <br />
school parking lot. Chris is different. Way different: he can control water--just
like his brothers<br />
can control fire, wind, and earth.
They're powerful. Dangerous. Marked for death. And now <br />
that she knows the truth, so is Becca. Secrets are hard to keep when your
life's at stake. When <br />
Hunter, the mysterious new kid around school, turns up with a talent for being
in the wrong place <br />
at the right time, Becca thinks she can trust him. But then Hunter goes
head-to-head with Chris, <br />
and Becca wonders who's hiding the most dangerous truth of all. The storm is
coming. . .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thanks,
Brigid, and happy release day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-13873748799166295612012-04-22T12:46:00.001-05:002012-04-22T23:09:07.265-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Agent Suzie Townsend<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Or,
Following Great Characters Anywhere)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
<b>charity water</b> fact: </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Unsafe drinking water results in diseases like dysentery,
parasitic infections, and typhoid fever, killing 10,000 people per day.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Suzie
Townsend is painfully aware of this statistic, which is why she jumped at the
chance to donate to the 2012 Crits for Water campaign. And her donation is <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/23/auction-critique-of-a-full-ms-by-agent-suzie-townsend/" target="_blank">huge</a>: a full manuscript critique with a two-page write-up AND a follow-up phone
call. Bid early and often. We’ve got a lot of lives
to save.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Meet
Suzie, and read what she’s revealed about critiques.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_qprcQklsJ5IiC4Fb7pNZh3jPOMIalA7fAqxwFLZX2QapPkgh4PUvmzhg2bHndfwNGNdYQP6iS-__Hjp8ILNaf7cSMitJE8pHuBsrGjZymhHrTlB8t5zVrOaclZaMAebJbRnKdCX-4Vd/s1600/Suzie+townsend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_qprcQklsJ5IiC4Fb7pNZh3jPOMIalA7fAqxwFLZX2QapPkgh4PUvmzhg2bHndfwNGNdYQP6iS-__Hjp8ILNaf7cSMitJE8pHuBsrGjZymhHrTlB8t5zVrOaclZaMAebJbRnKdCX-4Vd/s1600/Suzie+townsend.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">After teaching high
school English for several years, Suzie Townsend is now an agent at
<a href="http://nancycoffeyliterary.com/agents.cfm?id=104" target="_blank">Nancy Coffey Literary</a> actively looking to build her list. She’s an
active member of AAR, RWA, and SCBWI.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Suzie is specifically
looking for adult romance (historical and paranormal) and fantasy (urban,
science fiction, steam punk, and epic fantasy). In children’s books she loves
Young Adult (all subgenres) and is dying to find great Middle Grade projects
(especially something akin to the recent movie SUPER 8).<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">She drinks too much
diet orange soda, has a Starbucks problem (those soy chai lattes are
addictive), and lives in Brooklyn with two dogs who know that chewing on shoes
is okay but chewing on books is not.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Check out Suzie's
Publisher's Marketplace page <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/sztownsend81/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #446c99; text-decoration: none;">here</span></b></a>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">She also keeps a <a href="http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #446c99; text-decoration: none;">blog</span></b></a>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">And you can follow her
on Twitter <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/sztownsend81" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #446c99; text-decoration: none;">here</span></b></a>.</span></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
After a writer gets back an in-depth critique, what would you recommend in terms
of a review/revise process?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Suzie:
</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">My first recommendation would be to
read all of the notes--just read them. I would even go as far to say that
sometimes the best revisions come after reading the notes, thinking about them
for a few days, and then devising a plan of attack. This works especially when
there's a lot of work to do. I always recommend to my clients that they attack
the easiest revisions first, that way they can build up to the harder notes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Really though, I think it's important for every writer (and
reviser!) to remember that they need to find the the best method for them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
What’s one of the worst mistakes a critiquer can make?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Suzie:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Making it about them. It's important for every critiquer to
approach a manuscript with the idea that this is about the book and about
readers. When you're doing a critique, you're not writing a review or your
opinions. You have to focus on aspects of the writing and the storytelling that
don't seem to be working as well as they could be, explaining why, and offering
suggestions on how to make it work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
When you critique someone’s work, what is your general process? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Suzie:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> It depends. I approach each project differently. Usually I
read through the manuscript once and jot down thoughts about overarching
aspects like characters, worldbuilding, plot, pacing, etc. At the end of that
read, if I have a lot of thoughts, I'll reread and type up and editorial
letter. In contrast if all of my thoughts are minor, then I'll reread and do
some line edits. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE:
Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Suzie:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> My first concern is always the characters. Readers will
follow great characters anywhere. The stakes are high when you love the
characters because you care about what they care about whether they're trying
to stop a terrorist attack or just graduate high school. But for me I always
start out looking at the big ideas: characters, worldbuilding, pacing, and
plot. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Crits
for Water Quickfires – And, go:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1.
Oxford comma?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Whatever. I'm not particular as long as I'm
not confused</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2.
Should "I like him too" have a comma before "too"?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>It
depends how it should be read</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3.
Italicize or underline?</span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Italicize</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4.
How do you separate scenes: #, ***, line break?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Whatever</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5.
What's your favorite verb?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Acquiesce</i>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thanks for the interview, Suzie, and for such
a great donation to the campaign!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Okay, everyone. If you’d like to see if you’ve
created a great character that Suzie would follow anywhere, bid on her full
manuscript and follow-up call<a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/23/auction-critique-of-a-full-ms-by-agent-suzie-townsend/" target="_blank"> here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-65717957101219909922012-04-19T16:43:00.000-05:002012-04-20T18:56:33.894-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Author Anna Randol<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">(Or, Consistent
Characters: Vital)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A
<b>charity water</b> fact: </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">A trip to find water takes up to 6 hours for women and
children to collect. Disease-ridden water.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Because
some people don’t have any choice. But historical romance author Anna Randol is working on giving
these people more choices, because she’s donated a <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/20/pledge-critique-of-25-pages-and-query-by-author-anna-randol/" target="_blank">25-page plus query critique</a> in
the 2012 Crits for Water campaign. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Please help me welcome Anna.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6_EA7QGfVVMG0P85iwNgxNiug8K86jXb18yAp5oPk_UDgr_aTBfMX7nrr9apJrjODHD38mlBx1uFUrE8c904FB-JUyNI8bhAJz_Mc515LXpZ0OnnLieAOBAeMnysg0pnJQQcR6oNvP26/s1600/Anna+Randol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm6_EA7QGfVVMG0P85iwNgxNiug8K86jXb18yAp5oPk_UDgr_aTBfMX7nrr9apJrjODHD38mlBx1uFUrE8c904FB-JUyNI8bhAJz_Mc515LXpZ0OnnLieAOBAeMnysg0pnJQQcR6oNvP26/s1600/Anna+Randol.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Anna lives with her family in Southern
California. She writes sultry, adventurous Regency romances<br /> for Avon. Her debut
novel, <i>A Secret In Her Kiss</i>, is set in Constantinople and earned a
starred review <br />from <i>Publisher’s Weekly,</i> who called it a
“...masterful debut…[that] spins a tale replete with mystery, <br />espionage, and memorable romance.” When she’s not
plotting fun, sexy storylines, Anna’s usually<br /> eating dark chocolate, having
wild dance parties with her kids in the living room, or remodeling her <br />house one ill-planned project at a time. She loves hearing
from readers at her <a href="http://www.annarandol.com/">website</a> or on <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/search/anna%20randol">Twitter</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: After a writer gets back an in-depth
critique, what would you recommend in terms of a review/revise process?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Anna:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> This is the process that I find works for me. First, get a
large amount of chocolate and soft, non-breakable objects. Then with eyes
closed, click the button to open the critique. After you’ve built up your
courage, eat some chocolate, then open your eyes. (After all, I’ve never heard
of anyone having a mental breakdown while eating chocolate). Read the critique
through once. Throw convenient, nearby, soft objects at your computer. Eat more
chocolate. Step away from the computer. Take a moment to actually ponder what
the critique said. Read the suggestions again. Realize the critique giver
actually had a few—okay, lots—of good suggestions. Incorporate the edits that
resonate with you.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: What is the one piece of advice you can
give to someone trying to develop his or her critique skills?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Anna:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Read a lot! And read a lot out of your comfort zone. For
instance, I have a weak spot for <i>Beauty and the Beast</i> retellings,
but if all I read are those stories, how will I be able to give useful feedback
to a my crit partner’s gritty, post-apocalyptic zombie mystery? I’m not saying
you have to be an expert in all genres to be a good critiquer, but I think it
helps to understand there can be a difference between what <i>I</i> personally
like and what is good or workable. It’s important to remember you are trying to
make the work you’re critiquing the best it can be, not rewrite it to be the
book you would write.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: When you critique someone’s work, what is your general
process?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Anna: </span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I read through once and try to get a feel for the characters and
pacing. I’ll only make notes if my hand becomes possessed and I have no choice
(or it’s some little thing I’m afraid I’ll overlook later). Then I sit back and
think about the book—sometimes even over several days—and consider what stuck
with me (the good: e.g. great heroine, fast plot, funny dialogue) and what is
nagging at me (The things I’ll suggest changes in: e.g. plot holes,
inconsistent motivation etc.). After that, I will go back and do line edits and
mark the good and the bad and, hopefully, be able to explain why for both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward
while critiquing?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Anna:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Not grammar. Seriously, I can read right over the worst
mistakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">But plot and character
consistency are vitally important to me, as is making sure every character has
strong motivation for their actions. If I don’t know or believe why your
heroine is going down into the dark basement, there will be many scribbled
notes from me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Crits for Water Quickfires: And, go.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1. Oxford comma?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
<i>Always. Can’t have strange items
unintentionally pairing up.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2. Should "I like him too" have a comma before
"too"?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Yep. (Although I always forget to add it.)</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3. Italicize or underline?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
<i>Italicize.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4. How do you separate scenes: #, ***, line break? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Umm…can
I combine answers? I do ###.</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5. What's your favorite verb?</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> <i>Quash.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thanks,
Anna. Love that: <a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quash">quash</a>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Anna’s
debut novel, A Secret in Her Kiss, is available <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Her-Kiss-Anna-Randol/dp/0062025805/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334870878&sr=1-1">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMcEYAz-zkdd_S53_FzSE3vzWl8yL6Kil-jwPnQdCEReiTx4IXU1SCUl4zLIBgaP5GHXkMchQESrxYApwrRuMVQUGaPpvX3Rv25m80YiVxjN5HROI9xaPHnMxBNSiUh5pyoZnEDDewdfg/s1600/Anna+Randol+Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMcEYAz-zkdd_S53_FzSE3vzWl8yL6Kil-jwPnQdCEReiTx4IXU1SCUl4zLIBgaP5GHXkMchQESrxYApwrRuMVQUGaPpvX3Rv25m80YiVxjN5HROI9xaPHnMxBNSiUh5pyoZnEDDewdfg/s320/Anna+Randol+Cover.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">A rare beauty, raised in the exotic heart of the mysterious East,
Mari Sinclair knows it’s time to end her </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">career as a British spy when she narrowly avoids a brush with death. Unfortunately, there are those
<br />who think otherwise—and they are not above using blackmail to keep Mari in the game.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Saddled with a handsome, duty-obsessed "minder" to
ensure that she completes—and survives—one <br />last mission, Mari is incensed . . . for her guardian, Major Bennett Prestwood, is simply <i>too</i> dedicated, <i>too</i><br />unbending,
and <i>too</i> disarmingly attractive. But in the face of dark
secrets and deadly treacheries, as the true peril<br /> to Mari is slowly revealed,
loyal soldier Bennett realizes that to save and win this extraordinary woman, he will<br /> have to
do the unthinkable and break the rules—rules that passion and desire have suddenly, irrevocably changed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b> ~~~</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">If
you’d like to find out if your characters have that vital consistency, check
out Anna’s Crits for Water 25-page plus query auction <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/20/pledge-critique-of-25-pages-and-query-by-author-anna-randol/" target="_blank">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-58314871732735650042012-04-17T16:03:00.000-05:002012-04-18T10:44:17.543-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Intern Brent Taylor<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">(Or, You Can Call Me <i>Critiquer</i>)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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A <b>charity water</b>
fact: <i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Every
day, women miss work and children miss school just to find water. Filthy water.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Intern and freelance critiquer Brent Taylor would rather
these women able to work and their children in school. He'd also like to provide them with <i>clean </i>water, which is why he’s
helping the 2012 Crits for Water campaign. He’s donated a <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/18/auction-critique-of-50-pages-by-intern-brent-taylor/" target="_blank">50-page critique</a> of a young
adult or middle grade manuscript (available Wednesday, April 18<sup>th</sup>).
Two things about him: he’s super nice and he’s got style.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Say hello to Brent.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHYjfqQFvtoW1re8R3nA7aJxQrD5vqNhIx6FmVCyk8nURptKstgGOiUbT55a5rVPcetBgu1fRr9jT2iYqVk5p_ZFj2rI6ul5fo32Q9PDdz0SZIqx9_P_eQ3FvOEn6QWkMbNoYjGice3ai/s1600/Brent+Taylor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHYjfqQFvtoW1re8R3nA7aJxQrD5vqNhIx6FmVCyk8nURptKstgGOiUbT55a5rVPcetBgu1fRr9jT2iYqVk5p_ZFj2rI6ul5fo32Q9PDdz0SZIqx9_P_eQ3FvOEn6QWkMbNoYjGice3ai/s1600/Brent+Taylor.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Brent Taylor, former gymnast and definite Kelly Cutrone <3er, loves kids' books and coffee, <br />and he interns for a literary agent. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">He also </span><a href="http://naughtybrent.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">blogs</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> about books and </span><a href="http://www.lambdaliterary.org/author/brent-taylor/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank">occasionally writes</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">NAE: What valuable lesson have you learned from one of
your critiquers/beta-readers (feel free to share who it was)?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brent:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I have to
give a shout-out to my friend J.H. Trumble, author of DON’T LET ME GO, who has
graciously critiqued every piece of writing of mine since the day we met. J.H.
has ripped apart every essay, every research paper, and really taught me
precision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">NAE: What’s one of the worst mistakes a critiquer can
make?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brent:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> A big
mistake I think is seeing a plot point, or an emotional arc in a story, and
mistaking a simple dislike for a weakness. As far as tastes go, we’re all
completely different, and every person has a different idea of the perfect
story. However, I witness a lot of critiquers pointing out something they
didn’t like and illustrating it to the writer as a weakness, when really it’s
not—it’s a difference in taste.<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: When
you critique someone’s work, what is your general process?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brent:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> I do
whatever the writer asks me to do, so it is case by case, but generally I line
edit as I go along, and then I look at the manuscript as a whole and think
about all the weaknesses I can pick up.<br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: Is
there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing (e.g.,
plot, grammar, characters, emotions, etc.)?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brent:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Definitely
characters and their emotions, but I’d like to think I have a good eye for
plotting as well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">NAE: <i>Is the process for critiquing different age
groups and genres different?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Brent:</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> Why yes,
Mary, it is. If I’m reading a YA, I’m more focused on the characters and their
emotions. With Middle Grade I’m more hard on the voice and the concept. If I’m
reading a, say, adult mystery, I’ll be more hard on the plotting and tension-building.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Crits for Water Quickfires: And, go.<br />
<br />
<br />
</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">1.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Oxford comma? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Yes, yes, yes. A million times yes.<br />
<br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">2.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Should “I like him too” have a comma before “too”? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Depends
on personal preference. When I’m texting and in a hurry, the comma goes flying
out the window. When I’m all Fitzgerald-y, commas adorn every other word</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.<br />
<br />
</span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">3.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Italicize or underline? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Italicize, because the Modern Language
Association tells us so.<br />
<br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">4.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">How do you separate scenes: #, ***, or line break? </span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Three
asterisks centered is industry standard</span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.<br />
<br />
</span><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">5.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></b><b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">What is your favorite verb?
</span></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">SHOPPING. READING. EATING. All
fantastic verbs that hold </span></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">mightily<i>
dear places in my young heart.</i></span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: .25in; mso-add-space: auto; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">~~~<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Thanks,
Brent! If you’re wondering if the first 50 pages of your YA/MG manuscript has
the beginnings of an emotional arc, take a stab at his Crits for Water critique
<a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/18/auction-critique-of-50-pages-by-intern-brent-taylor/" target="_blank">here </a>(on Wednesday, April 18<sup>th</sup>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-48947132878411985872012-04-15T14:28:00.000-05:002012-04-16T06:19:41.680-05:00Crits for Water Interview with Agent Sara Megibow<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">(Or,
Speak to Me)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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A <b>charity
water</b> fact: <i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1
in 4 children in Africa die by the age of five from water-related disease.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Sara Megibow wants to save the lives
of these children during the 2012 Crits for Water campaign (run by her <a href="http://katbrauer.com/">client</a>) with the help of the online writing
community (read: you). Sara told me that she’s excited to help, so much so that
she’s donated a <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/16/auction-critique-of-30-pages-by-agent-sara-megibow/" target="_blank">30-page critique</a>
to the cause (up for bid starting now: Monday, April 16<sup>th</sup>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Meet Sara.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWrDWFfjgRhJ-p0aQjIl_NDIcjAMgPdFarepeWhe2DVr3GIpMDk3PY_wba0Jy-jMkpRaL7Rl46oiX8pTT9hJMD-MaJVUn7XjRTdcwIPvKpZctPTDtURUpA5i2xpR03MEVuA3-djjfRav7/s1600/Sara+megibow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgWrDWFfjgRhJ-p0aQjIl_NDIcjAMgPdFarepeWhe2DVr3GIpMDk3PY_wba0Jy-jMkpRaL7Rl46oiX8pTT9hJMD-MaJVUn7XjRTdcwIPvKpZctPTDtURUpA5i2xpR03MEVuA3-djjfRav7/s320/Sara+megibow.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">Sara
Megibow is an Associate Literary Agent at the <a href="http://www.nelsonagency.com/">Nelson Literary Agency</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The
Nelson Literary Agency specializes in representing young adult fiction,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">romance
(all genres except category and inspirational), science fiction and fantasy,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">commercial
and women’s fiction (including chick lit) and high concept literary fiction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">The
Nelson Literary Agency is a member of AAR, RWA, SFWA and SCBWI. Submission <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">guidelines
can be found <a href="http://www.nelsonagency.com/manuscript.html">here</a>. Visit
Sara’s <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/SaraMegibow">Publisher’s
Marketplace</a> site to learn more<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">about
her personal tastes and recent sales. You can also find her on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SaraMegibowNelsonAgency">facebook</a>, and on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/saramegibow">twitter</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NAE: What is your favorite thing about writing a critique?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sara:</b> As an agent, I choose manuscripts
from the slush pile when they really speak to me. Yes, I do offer editorial
services to my clients, but my mantra in general is that I'm looking for books
to sell, not books to edit. So, if I review a manuscript that's great, but not
sell-able as is, I don't offer a critique and I pass on representation. That's
one difference between an agent and a critique group. However, when I do fall
in love with a book and start working with an author, then we talk about the
manuscript and I love the process of digging in to see how we can make the work
stronger. For me, my favorite part about writing the critique is when the book
is speaking to me, I feel connected to it, and there is something obvious that
I see and can point out to the writer to make it stronger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NAE: Why is critiquing important? <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sara: </b>For me,
critiquing is important because I am hoping that an author presents to me a
polished manuscript. When that happens, then I can offer representation and we
can go on to sell books, make money and woo readers. I love it when clients
tell me they are part of a strong and helpful critique group - it's a wonderful
asset to a writing career!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;">
<b>NAE: </b><b>Your critique
style is like which of the following: Red Pen Editor, Overall Commenter,
Supportive Critic, You’ll Know It If I Catch It? <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sara: </b>Good question!
Hmmmm….I guess I'd call myself a supportive critic. I tell my clients that
their books are always their art. I may have suggestions, but ultimately it's
their work and they can veto my suggestions. If I'm working with an author
already, then I do a ton of cheerleading. Lots of "great work" and
"you can do it."<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NAE: </b><b>What do your
clients tell you they most appreciate about your agenting style?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sara: </b>I tend to be
pretty chatty with my clients. They receive an email from me at least once a week
- with sales numbers, submissions updates, subsidiary rights updates, marketing
ideas, contract updates, etc. Many authors say it takes forever to hear back
and that's true. It's not because agents and editors are drinking martinis all
day (I wish), but because we're insanely busy. So, I try to keep my client list
small and be as communicative as possible. That's the one thing I can add to
this journey called publishing that I feel my clients appreciate.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.0pt;">
<b>NAE: </b><b>Name one of your
favorite 2012 books that is coming out or already released.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sara: </b>I read an
advanced reader copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Keeping-The-Castle-Patrice-Kindl/dp/0670014389/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1334343800&sr=8-1" target="_blank">KEEPING THE CASTLE</a> by Patrice Kindl. It was absolutely
hilarious, very smart and one of the best books I've read in years! It's
basically a satire of a regency historical romance in which a young woman must
marry well in order to support her family, but the mysterious stranger acting
as her business liaison keeps getting in the way. I can't say enough good
things about this book - if you've ever read an historical romance novel or
want a truly unique and literary novel, this is it.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NAE:</b><b> What specific
type/style of manuscript is on your Must Have list this season?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Sara: </b>Excellent question! The answer isn't an easy
one though, so here we go...<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Anything unique
and well-written. I know that feels like a cop-out, but it's the truth. I would
sign 10 more urban fantasy authors if the best manuscripts I saw this year were
urban fantasy. I don't shop by genre or sub-genre, but rather by quality of
writing. If I open a submission and fall head over heels in love, then that's
the book for me. I rep science fiction and fantasy of all sub-genres and for
all reading ages (except picture book or chapter book). I rep romance (all sub
genres except category and inspirational). And I rep young adult and middle
grade fiction. So, if it's in one of those categories, I will read the query
with relish. After the query stage, my decision is based on quality of writing.
This is why critiques help so much - the manuscript must be 99% polished in
order for me to offer representation. It's my job then to take it to 100%
polished before sending it to editors. Then, the editor will spend just as much
(if not more) time making it 101% polished so it can compete in the
marketplace.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because Sara is so committed to the Crits for
Water campaign, this is her second year of participating. Check out her interview from the 2011 Crits for Water campaign <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/06/critiquerly-interview-with-agent-sara.html">here</a>. Thank you, Sara, for this interview and for your dedication to this wonderful cause.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Do you think you have a unique,
well-written project to send Sara? Bid on her <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/16/auction-critique-of-30-pages-by-agent-sara-megibow/" target="_blank">30-page critique</a> on Monday the
16<sup>th</sup> to see how much your work speaks to her. Good luck!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-78174158220070342822012-04-10T15:30:00.000-05:002012-04-11T06:20:26.811-05:00Crits for Water Interview: Author/Agent Lucienne Diver<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">(Or,
Enhance the Vision) <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b> </b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On your marks, critiquers/writers. My
friend <a href="file:///C:/Users/Mary/Documents/Not%20an%20Editor/katbrauer.com">Kat Brauer</a> means to raise $10,000 this year
for <b>charity water</b>, and she’s rounded
up a <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/">wave of authors and agents</a>
who’ve offered critiques. That’s right, my comrades-in-ink. You’ll have bucketsful of chances to bid on coveted critiques, while also helping people who will never
be able to thank you. Every $20 earned for the campaign provides water for an individual for 20 years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, <i>thank you</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As part of the campaign, check back here
for critiquerly interviews with the donating authors/agents. I’ve pledged to
help spray the news everywhere. And hear this: these people are fantastic. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Ready, set, go.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A <b>charity
water </b>fact:<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <i>Over a billion people
lack safe water. That accounts for one-sixth of the world's population.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That’s why author/agent Lucienne
Diver has donated a <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/11/auction-critique-of-20-pages-by-agent-lucienne-diver/" target="_blank">20-pagecritique</a> to the 2012 Crits for Water campaign (available now, April 11-12). This woman does it all, and
one lucky <b>Crits for Water</b>
participant will win Lucienne’s full attention.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdUQkQTWrzgyDLAGcYstRpIGUQ46NF3zL6z1veWritMVxEh8cL1IuT2bcrmqiWej0T6-uJQIzW_Nc0F9j5oPV95nVgjQJJs5i5_ROrM8lwsCcVwIFaD58505Im3dedPvIdF6nUFObirsH/s1600/agent+me+small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqdUQkQTWrzgyDLAGcYstRpIGUQ46NF3zL6z1veWritMVxEh8cL1IuT2bcrmqiWej0T6-uJQIzW_Nc0F9j5oPV95nVgjQJJs5i5_ROrM8lwsCcVwIFaD58505Im3dedPvIdF6nUFObirsH/s320/agent+me+small.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #222222;">Lucienne Diver is a
literary agent with The Knight Agency.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">She
has over eighteen years experience in the areas of fantasy/science fiction,
mystery, suspense, romance and young adult fiction.</span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">She writes the Agent Anonymous articles for the SFWA
Bulletin, as well as the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>Vamped</i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span>young adult series for Flux Books and
the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><i style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">Latter-Day
Olympians</i><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span>series
for Samhain Publishing, beginning with<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"><i>Bad Blood</i></b><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">Further information is available on The Knight
Agency website:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.knightagency.net/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.knightagency.net</span></a><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;">,
her author site:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.luciennediver.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">www.luciennediver.com</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222;">and her blog:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="http://luciennediver.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://luciennediver.<wbr></wbr>wordpress.com</span></a></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>NAE: After a
writer receives an in-depth critique, what do you recommend in terms of a
review/revise process?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Lucienne:</b> <span style="color: #222222;">I recommend waiting a few days after reading the critique
to even begin the revision process. Let the comments sink in, give your
back-brain a chance to work on the solutions. Also, this gives you the
distance to react practically rather than emotionally to comments. We all
want to hear that our work is truly wonderful, and hopefully your critiquer
will let you know where things have succeeded as well as where they've
failed. But the real benefit of a critique is discovering weak points so
that they can be corrected before they become a reason for rejection.
Review and revision gives the writer a chance to make the work all it can
be. Once you've gone through the revision, read the whole work over again
to make sure that you didn't introduce any inconsistencies or redundancies or
skip over anything that might have been too overwhelming to tackle the first
time through. You'll be amazed at how many errors remain no matter how
many times you've read a work. The more read-throughs you do, the more
you'll catch.<br /></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">NAE:
What is one of the worst mistakes a critiquer can make? <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">Lucienne: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">There are two types of
editors or critiquers: those who help the writer enhance his or her vision and
those who try to impose their own. Don't be the latter. Remember, it's
not about how =you= would write the work.<br /></span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">NAE:
What is your general process when you critique someone’s work?<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">Lucienne: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">Because I represent over
forty authors, many of whom write multiple books a year, I don't often get the
chance to do a second read before critiquing. This means that I read
once, but very carefully, making notes as I go about inconsistencies, problems,
sections that happened too quickly or two slowly and all off that sort of
thing. My approach is different depending on whether I'm reading material
that's about to go out on submission or a manuscript that's already under
contract. In the case of the former, I do line and copyedit as I catch
things, because I don't want anything at all to distract an editor from the
quality of the writing. On the former, I know that the editor,
copyeditor, etc. will sweat the small stuff, and I mostly make comments about bigger
issues.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: #222222;">~~~<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;">Thanks, Lucienne. If you’d like Lucienne to <i>enhance your work’s vision</i> with a
20-page critique, <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/2012/04/11/auction-critique-of-20-pages-by-agent-lucienne-diver/" target="_blank">follow thedirections here </a>(available April 11th). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222;">Good luck, save lives, and thank you again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-69116091256950938402012-04-01T12:19:00.001-05:002012-04-09T11:59:43.149-05:00Got Critique?<b>(Or, Crits for Water: Open for Business) </b><br />
<br />
Hello <waves>. It's been a while since my last post, and I've missed youse guys. I've been busy working on lots of things, mostly raising money for an <a href="http://drewapawlooza.com/">autism service dog</a> for my son. His safety is top on my list of priorities. The good news: it looks like we're getting his dog in October. <cue celebratory music><br />
<br />
But that's not what I wanted to talk about in this post. There's something urgent going on right now in the world, where lots of kids are not safe because of one basic need. Water.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/DEnlrE4iMBU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
Which is why I hold young adult author <a href="http://katbrauer.com/" target="_blank">Kat Brauer </a>in the highest esteem as she opens her 2012 Crits for Water Campaign with a new goal: $10,000. You might remember <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/04/special-saturday-interview-with.html">last year</a> when I interviewed some of the authors and agents who donated critiques. Kat has outdone herself this year, and her cast of critiquers begins now and continues through June.<br />
<br />
Well, they're back, eager to critique your projects. It's a win-win situation. Donate to save lives and receive valuable feedback on your work.<br />
<br />
Check out the <a href="http://critsforwater.katbrauer.com/guest-critiques/">schedule of critiquerly offerings</a> and decide which one you'd like. Go on. Save a life or two.Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-41702595983151217072011-10-25T09:25:00.000-05:002011-10-25T09:25:32.332-05:00And THE PLOT WHISPERER Book Goes To<b>(Or, Newest Member of the Plotting Club)</b><br />
<br />
Congratulations to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;">JUDY KOHNEN</span>, winner of <a href="http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/">Martha Alderson</a>'s <b><i>The Plot Whisperer</i></b>.<br />
<br />
Judy, please send your address to me at mkaley3 (at) gmail (dot) com. You are SO lucky to get this copy. Cue the standing ovation. Thanks, Martha, for the <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/10/critiquerly-interview-with-martha.html#comments">interview </a>and for all the comments to the readers.<br />
<br />
And, a few drums are rolling for our informal survey (using the NAE <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/03/ninja-science-first-announcements-later.html">Ninja Science methodology</a>, of course). The question was, are you a Plotter or are you a Pantser. The results:<br />
<br />
Plotters: 37.9%<br />
Pantsers: 34.5%<br />
Combo PlotPantsers: 27.6%<br />
<br />
Which can only mean one thing. 62% of us really need Martha's book. And the 38% who are plotters? They also crave this book. It's true. Read the <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/10/critiquerly-interview-with-martha.html#comments">comments</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Eh-jbsgrK8TFy2DuKCUjKDF87qzxSzbv1GuBwLZ1eAI2OCvhuZguDAHvP__Rgx_PzsgdRw_xQBPZqQ9ute06pQszw2ON2SkW11wtYsClH5oqZxCX1UbKoDCUUto5qo44PLMUUg7xN6bV/s1600/Plot+Whisperer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Eh-jbsgrK8TFy2DuKCUjKDF87qzxSzbv1GuBwLZ1eAI2OCvhuZguDAHvP__Rgx_PzsgdRw_xQBPZqQ9ute06pQszw2ON2SkW11wtYsClH5oqZxCX1UbKoDCUUto5qo44PLMUUg7xN6bV/s1600/Plot+Whisperer.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Thanks to everyone for participating. *blows kisses*Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-9195028387955916142011-10-20T09:58:00.001-05:002011-10-25T09:40:31.119-05:00Critiquerly Interview with Martha Alderson<div class="MsoNormal"><b>(Or, Whisper Me a Plot and Win a Book)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In my <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/10/how-tos-getting-your-full-wip-critiqued.html">last post</a>, I alluded to the possibility of a Personal Change of Being. I may have just morphed, my fine, fine, writerly friends, from being a pantser to a plot planner. I’ve ripped open the seams of my current WiP, and started to sew a plot structure for not one, but two future WiPs.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And I’m going to share my big secret with you. It’s Martha Alderson, otherwise known as The Plot Whisperer.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">I think I first came to know about Martha through a twitter link that took me to her vlog series. I watched the entire series in a day (all 27 of them), and within the next few weeks, I had my entire online critique group involved in a <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/09/online-group-workshops.html">workshop</a> centered around her videos. Some of us are fixing plot problems in current WiPs, and others are getting ready for nanowrimo.<br />
<br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is why I’m falling over with a general stokedness today. Because Martha is here. On Not an Editor. With her thoughts about critiquing. And? She’s got some thought-provoking answers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pDZnf9ZpyKHspG-hM_Udrr0yhTlqWcolVx0lxLsyLUt_wdGIKOXzNJwXdQ2F1yBuwdwqMVVtPseYAu_i4fO7znXeAOwQWaXYvu5HiNsaVcD784NlqKq1ONepL27YteohdYgKekBwtbbR/s1600/Martha+Alderson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pDZnf9ZpyKHspG-hM_Udrr0yhTlqWcolVx0lxLsyLUt_wdGIKOXzNJwXdQ2F1yBuwdwqMVVtPseYAu_i4fO7znXeAOwQWaXYvu5HiNsaVcD784NlqKq1ONepL27YteohdYgKekBwtbbR/s1600/Martha+Alderson.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;">Martha Alderson </span></b></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;">has worked with hundreds of writers in sold-out plot workshops, retreats, and plot consultations </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">for more than fifteen years. Her clients include bestselling authors, New York editors, and Hollywood movie directors. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9pt;">She lives in Santa Cruz, CA. Follow her </span><a href="http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/" style="font-size: 9pt;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc;">blog</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9pt;">, </span><a href="http://www.blockbusterplots.com/" style="font-size: 9pt;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc;">workshops</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9pt;">,</span></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/marthaalderson" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc;">vlog</span></a>, or follow her on <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/plotwhisperer" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc;">twitter</span></a></span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;">and</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;"> </span></span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-size: 9pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Plot-Whisperer/129253400461923?ref=ts" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0000cc;">faceboook</span></a>.</span></span></span></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>~~~<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>NAE: After a writer gets back an in-depth critique, what would you recommend in terms of a review/revise process?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">MA: I suggest that the writer sit with the input for a few days and let the information sink in and feel the effects of the feedback emotionally. Then, based on what the in-depth critique reveals, I suggest that the writer pull out a fresh piece of banner paper and re-plot the entire story on a new Plot Planner, incorporating the feedback that feels valid to her. Then, she can stand back and, minus the words, view her story as a whole and assess how the energy of the story rises and falls.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>NAE: </i></b><b><i> What is the one piece of advice you can give to someone trying to develop his or her critique skills?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">MA: Let me answer your question this way, I believe one of the best things a critiquer can do is always to separate the story from the writer. The story is the beginning and middle and end as a whole that involves characters and mostly one character as she is confronted with challenges and undergoes a meaningful transformation. The story is always whole and complete. The writer, on the other hand, in attempting to translate wisps of inspiration to the page is only as good as her current developmental skill level of writing.</div><div class="MsoNormal">When something is not working, it's not the story that is problematic, it is the writer as she continues to grow and study and reach for mastery over the story-telling process.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>NAE: When you critique someone’s work, what is your general process?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">MA: I never critique writers' work. I have found as a plot consultant to writers that I cannot see the forest (plot and structure) for the trees (words). Plot consultations focus exclusively on the master plot, which is made up of the action, character and thematic plot lines or, in other words, the form and structure. Writers are asked to have on hand a list of scenes from their projects and an idea of the message they are hoping their story will convey.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By pushing aside the words, I am better able to see the deeper structure of the story and assess what is working and what needs work.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>NAE: Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing?<br />
<br />
<o:p></o:p></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal">MA: I am most interested in how the dramatic action of the story affects the protagonist and how she transforms overtime and what that means overall. Minus the luster of words and phrases is the structure or form of the writer’s expression. Mysteries and depth are hiding in the stories right now. It is in the interlocking plotlines that they reveal themselves.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b>~~~<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks, Martha, for including us in your new <a href="http://plotwhisperer.blogspot.com/2011/10/2-week-nanowrimo-themed-blog-book-tour.html">book release blog tour</a>, which gives me one last exciting announcement. I have a copy of <b><i>The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master</i></b>, and I’m ready to send it to one lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment below. If you’d like to tweet about this contest, I’ll smile sweetly and say thanks. Mr. Random Generator will pick our winner, to be announced next Tuesday. Of course, now that you’ve met Martha, you may not be able to wait to get her book. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Whisperer-Secrets-Structure-Writer/dp/1440525889/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319121624&sr=8-1">You. Want. This. Book</a>.*</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFiHZg0Kh_8p7OhbVzeImidPxuJbqRfL60YGgS_YLFsRnOfrT3tfZ0DL7gNn1PDjqq3kJKkEzgrlPtuNlpAmNqZudZkhXiTtKvLhgarWjH2sEOKc_rPWkTRUDNZKrVEvjv1tpPirzGtGg/s1600/Plot+Whisperer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmFiHZg0Kh_8p7OhbVzeImidPxuJbqRfL60YGgS_YLFsRnOfrT3tfZ0DL7gNn1PDjqq3kJKkEzgrlPtuNlpAmNqZudZkhXiTtKvLhgarWjH2sEOKc_rPWkTRUDNZKrVEvjv1tpPirzGtGg/s1600/Plot+Whisperer.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br />
</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">And here’s something I’d like to know in your comments today: Are you a pantser or a planner?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">*Seriously. You do, you want this book. I’ve kept it by my side when I writer and critique ever since it’s found its way into my hands a few weeks ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com51tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-82930846193864652622011-10-18T10:14:00.000-05:002011-10-18T10:14:35.203-05:00How-tos: Getting Your Full WiP Critiqued<div class="MsoNormal"><b>(Or, Network, Plan, and Wait)<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Okay. Yes, I know. I’ve been a smidge absent lately. I’m back in the saddle, reading everyone’s blog entries (so many fab ones!), critiquing for my writerly friends, and editing my own writing. I may even get back to Twitter soon (I heart my goat posse!). I’ve been a bit busy with a <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/08/autism-service-dog-fundraiser.html">stuff going on in my real life</a>, and also writing stuff. Writerly speaking, there’s something that has grabbed my attention and forced me to take a new look at the plots in my WiP, and (cue the shock) the plots of my upcoming WiPs. Now, I’ve been a total Pantser (vs. Planner) when it comes to writing. But I might just transform into a Planner, and I’ll tell you why. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But not until Thursday. I’m interviewing the person who has caused this shift in me, the change that’s gotten me soaked in the Planner mode over the past two weeks. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And? I’m going to give away her awesome writerly advice book on Thursday, too. Don’t. Miss. It. You want this book.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But that’s not the subject of this post. I want to dive into full critiques, since I’m doing a lot of them lately. We’ve already discussed <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/09/chapter-by-chapter-critique-tips.html">chapter-by-chapter critiques</a>, and now it’s time to talk about beta reads. Not the usual <i>how-do-you-critique</i> in beta reads, since I have a couple of posts coming up that will address this, but how to handle the process when your own WiP is ready for betas. If you are an experienced beta critiquer, please (please!) feel free to add and share. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWNdaOts3vV0gCKz9HI2DjDBAih0LR-1gLvLsw5m_nJqkbwaX9tSGo0-yOFiwAtRD8FzVfu4GWO95hQ-YsW4OcI-GHNcSkZ_2ZHgF8xbLws0rl_0R7Z-ccsdcQuPXj0My1h8v3MsIjsZk/s1600/chocolate+eating+lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpWNdaOts3vV0gCKz9HI2DjDBAih0LR-1gLvLsw5m_nJqkbwaX9tSGo0-yOFiwAtRD8FzVfu4GWO95hQ-YsW4OcI-GHNcSkZ_2ZHgF8xbLws0rl_0R7Z-ccsdcQuPXj0My1h8v3MsIjsZk/s1600/chocolate+eating+lady.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Celebrate.</b> You’ve completed your first draft. Put it away and order a pizza or pour yourself a mug of your best wine. Eat some chocolate (my current fave: Fanny May mint chocolate squares), taking tiny bites and savoring the delicious melting euphoria that only chocolate can offer. Go dancing, sky diving, or some other adequately spirit-bolstering activity. Forget about your draft for at least a week, maybe two. You’re in celebration mode. If you must write, begin a new story.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Read your WiP again.</b> Of course, this step comes after the celebratory step with the week’s worth of wait in between. The best draft to send out to betas is a to-your-knowledge-perfect draft. Or, almost perfect. There might be things that you think can improve, but you can’t put your finger on how to fix it. That’s okay—that’s what critiquerly friends are for But, sentences that are missing words or 987 occurrences of the word <i>very</i> in your text? This is not what you want to burn your beta readers on. You’d like them to focus on those things that you can’t see or fix for yourself. You owe yourself one more read-through.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Network</b>. Hopefully, you’ve been working on your writerly contacts all along. You’ve visited writer’s group websites, blogs, attended conferences, and you know a group of people who you respect, who like you, and who’d love to work with you. In fact, you’d love (love!) to work with them, too. Even if your WiP isn’t quite ready, you can establish relationships and read/comment on other writers’ completed WiPs. It’s time consuming and a whole chunk of work, but the benefits way, way outweigh the drawbacks. Because now? You’ve got your group of serious-minded writers who adore you.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Keep in Touch</b>. When you’ve networked and you’ve done your part in critiquing other WiPs, make sure you keep in touch with these wonderful writerly people until your WiP is ready for them. Let them know every so often where you are with your efforts, and when you think you might need them to beta read/critique. <br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Plan</b>. As you get to know your critiquerly partners (CPs), you’ll get a general sense of their strengths. You’ll want your <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/03/sampling-of-critiquers.html">critiquerly pie</a> well represented. Some CPs might be better with plot, some with character development. Touch all bases with your betas, and try to do so in logical sequence. Maybe you send your WiP to one or two betas to start, so the next set of betas can focus their specific efforts on a cleaner WiP.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Ask for what you’d like</b>. CP #1 is great with emotions and character depth, so tell her how much you appreciate her talent, and ask her to pay special attention to this in your WiP. Maybe you think you need extra focus on characters X and Z. Ask her. She’ll be happy to give feedback, especially with the green light you’ve flashed her. <br />
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<!--[endif]--></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Wait. Patiently.</b> It’s a good idea to let your CPs know your overall timeline if you have one, especially if you’re sending beta reads out to phased groups. However, you can’t control what is going on in everyone’s lives. If you haven’t heard from a CP in a long while, check in to make sure they’ve received it without pressuring them to finish. Once you’ve gotten your feedback, wait again before you revise. Let the ideas sink in. The solutions may be utterly obvious, but maybe not. Maybe you’ll come up with a better solution if you let it stew. Put your critiques in the slow cooker and let the ideas waft a while.<br />
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<!--[endif]--></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span><span>8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Drool with profuse amounts of gratitude</b>. Your fantastic CPs have just read your 50,000-or-so-maybe-more word WiP, have focused as hard as they could on open opportunities in the pages, loved your characters almost as much as you do, and have taken the time to write up their thoughts. It’s a hard thing to do, and it takes skill. Love them for it, and then let them know how much you love them for it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What else do you do when you send your WiP out for beta reads? I’d love to hear your experiences.</div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-91018341099500958792011-09-28T10:20:00.000-05:002011-09-28T10:20:00.377-05:00Critiques for Log Lines<b>(Or, Let the Log Lines Roll)</b><br />
<br />
If you haven't already heard, Authoress is putting a whole bunch of log lines up today for critique on her blog, <a href="http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/">Miss Snark's First Victim</a>. Authoress recently talked about crit styles in her very own <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/09/critiquerly-interview-with-authoress.html">critiquerly interview</a>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKhEH_3xnY8bPvXMXwxxl0RGq2-H12TyTB9BwKvpJFAcRGOJQ_VX4pS3fgJi2gfyQ9aAU1iv2iv_RKyvWD0CKbKQeTiysfApXeu74-gSswzhYAseX52JfhIVRp5qUjeAW64qDyw_r_GIi/s1600/log+rolling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrKhEH_3xnY8bPvXMXwxxl0RGq2-H12TyTB9BwKvpJFAcRGOJQ_VX4pS3fgJi2gfyQ9aAU1iv2iv_RKyvWD0CKbKQeTiysfApXeu74-gSswzhYAseX52JfhIVRp5qUjeAW64qDyw_r_GIi/s1600/log+rolling.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<br />
What's a <a href="http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/2010/10/writing-your-log-line.html">log line</a>? It's a brief description of your WiP. An elevator pitch version. Authoress is hosting this log line critique session in preparation for her Baker's Dozen Agent Auction.<br />
<br />
What's the Bakers Dozen? It's where some lucky blog readers get their log line plus the first page of their WiP read by agents. Not just one or two agents. A dozen or so participate. And then they bid for the entries that they want. For example, an agent might bid to see the first three chapters, or even the entire WiP. <i>*cue rays of sun and cherubic music*</i><br />
<br />
Why is this good from a Not an Editor standpoint? Because you can see how people critique. It's always good to take note of different critiquing styles. There's a whole lotta them. And you can also practice some critiquing skills.<br />
<br />
And? It's just a bakery full of excitement and chocolaty awesome sauce. With sprinkles on top.Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-85977656845306515342011-09-20T08:48:00.001-05:002011-09-20T13:19:55.193-05:00Online Workshops with Crit Groups<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><b>(Or, Extra Benefits of Crit Groups) </b><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">A million pardons for repeating myself, but I lurve my online critique group at Write Stuff Extreme. We're a smaller bunch—a boutique group, as they told me when I first joined—with membership always at fifty or so writers.<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-fMl73Jgj1P5A1jE9FQObVqje35qfi7CySsbSmGCK4-n9Q1uVMbcY7mP8zWelaDBIczztabQ7dsNDObCN9hVtuSNtlCV6VpDj7Wznwk2SID27YAIFWktRXsH6PamMxP6rTsjy9_nC1I7/s1600/spring+study+group.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr-fMl73Jgj1P5A1jE9FQObVqje35qfi7CySsbSmGCK4-n9Q1uVMbcY7mP8zWelaDBIczztabQ7dsNDObCN9hVtuSNtlCV6VpDj7Wznwk2SID27YAIFWktRXsH6PamMxP6rTsjy9_nC1I7/s320/spring+study+group.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">About once a year, though, our group offers a workshop. Last year, the worshop centered on <em>finding your voice</em>. The one before that went into flash fiction, how it works, and how to write it. Right now? We're doing a <em>plot-your-WiP</em> workshop. <a href="http://marewolf.blogspot.com/2011/09/goal-and-flaw-and-plotting-master-of.html">So fun</a>. Some of our participants are plotting new WiPs as they gaze longingly at November for nanowrimo. Other participants have WiPs already written, and they are analyzing these projects based on universal plot principles to see if any improvements scream out to them as we go along.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">And yes, there's been a bit of screaming. In a good way. I guess Oprah would call these AHA moments.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">Do you have an online group that might want to workshop together on plotting before nanowrimo? We're using Martha Alderson's <a href="http://jillcorcoran.blogspot.com/2011/06/before-you-query-me-watch-these-free.html">The Plot Whisperer</a> video series, sharing the results of assignments with each other. Consider suggesting some sort of workshop with your group. The results can be phenomenal. <br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">What other things do you do with your critique groups? Have you workshopped something together? </span>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-23320344822371233002011-09-15T11:05:00.000-05:002011-09-15T11:05:38.683-05:00Why Writing/Critiquing is Like Online Games<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><strong>(Or, A Hugely Overdue Meme) <br />
</strong></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span>I know that many of my blogging buddies completed the <em>why writing is like *fill in the blank*</em> meme months ago. Yes, maybe I was tagged, and yes, maybe I fell a tad short in completing the meme. A thousand apologies.<br />
<br />
<span xmlns="">Since this blog is about critiquing, I have to throw that aspect into the meme. You know me—always breaking the rules. I'd apologize for that, too, except I don't want to give the impression that I'm going to try <em>not</em> to break rules in the future. Ahem. Bygones.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><strong>Why Writing/Critiquing is Like Online Games<br />
</strong></span><br />
<span xmlns="">About a year ago, I watched a video clip where Jane McGonigal (<-Harry Potterish last name. So cool.) gave a lecture about saving the world through video games. Jane uses World of Warcraft as one of her main talking points. Seriously. Her organization has already created some games centered on real-world issues, and I think they're onto something. I hope it works. </span>While watching it, I realized that my gaming son is actually in training to be the ultimate save-the-world virtuoso someday. Jane is amazingly entertaining in this video clip. If you haven't seen it, block out some time to watch it. You'll get the gist of her philosophy after a few minutes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/dE1DuBesGYM?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">One of my favorite concepts that Jane describes is how these online games provide participants with an epic goal (we <em>must</em> do this great thing!), create optimism (we <em>can</em> do this great thing!), constitute a social fabric (our <em>cooperation</em> brings success!), and result in blissful hours of productivity (we <em>like</em> achieving epic goals!).<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">Maybe you're already formulating in your mind how these four things relate to the writing/critiquing community. Here's my take.<br />
</span><br />
<ol><li><span xmlns="">Writing/Critiquing provides us with an Epic Goal. Our goal? To create stories that show the best of our abilities, submerge people in another world, and hopefully make them feel something. Yes, maybe we're all writing our own epicness, but it's a common goal.<br />
</span></li>
<span xmlns="">
<li>Writing/Critiquing creates Optimism. Writers are fantastic when it comes to optimism (until they get stuck), but when we're writing, we typically believe that we can achieve what we set out to do. We can reach our Epic Goal.<br />
</li>
<li>Writing/Critiquing generates a Social Fabric. Look at the number of blogs about writing, the online writing communities, and the conferences we have available to us. Furthermore, our critique partners are enormously helpful with the optimism and motivation behind our writing. When we're stuck and our optimism falters (e.g., stuck), our CPs are there to help us through. This bond is wonderful, deep, and so important to our Epic Goal.<br />
</li>
<li>Writing/Critiquing results in Blissful Productivity. Holy schmoly, writerly/critiquerly friends. How many hours have we spent typing away on our projects? Or reading and critiquing someone else's projects? And we still can't get enough. We forget to eat. We forget to sleep. We like achieving our Epic Goals!<br />
</li>
</span></ol><span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">There you have it. Now, go save the world.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-48121458832097847372011-09-12T04:55:00.001-05:002011-09-12T23:00:47.909-05:00Chapter-by-Chapter Critique Tips<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><b>(Or, Writing with the Door Open)</b><br />
</span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns="">Stephen King advocates writing first drafts "with the door closed." He'd say that the first draft belongs only to the writer. Everyone has her own preferences, but because I participate in an online critique group with a place to post individual chapters for review, I've seen writers go pretty far with the door open.<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iEy0-L1mZfYtmltZnw4kwLHANmIKptpteUF8A2rp9utpeQHYHlBT1CFH-LRttOXGXquxCMjkJyd2Y8evzsyO0MlD0ih9aHOJZdG29rGGoRcNDcfAhjGDru1SRwP6VW9g3QArQZ58JlmQ/s1600/Door+Open.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1iEy0-L1mZfYtmltZnw4kwLHANmIKptpteUF8A2rp9utpeQHYHlBT1CFH-LRttOXGXquxCMjkJyd2Y8evzsyO0MlD0ih9aHOJZdG29rGGoRcNDcfAhjGDru1SRwP6VW9g3QArQZ58JlmQ/s1600/Door+Open.jpg" /></a></div><span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">Are there flaws in a process like this? Of course. For one, it's tough for critiquers to get an overall picture of the WiP. The flow that they would normally get by having the full work isn't there. In fact, if the chapters go up too slowly, then critiquers have a tendency to forget details from previous chapters. And for the writer, the temptation to go back and fix things rather than completing the project can be smothering.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">However, I've also witnessed the benefits of this process in avoiding re-work and providing motivation. I like to get about 10,000-20,000 words into a WiP before posting anything, so I'm a part-closed, part-opened mix. But I like to post chapters pre-completion at this point for several reasons.<br />
</span><br />
<ul><li><span xmlns=""><strong>Huge Plot Holes</strong>: The process provides early feedback which helps avoid re-work later. It's overwhelming to have a completed WiP and then find out that a Huge Plot Hole exists, and will require tons of patching, reworking, and reshaping in order to pull it off. In fact, I've known some writers who completely give up on a WiP at this point.<br />
</span></li>
<span xmlns="">
<li><strong>Get General Thumbs Up</strong>: I like to know whether my characters are compelling, if the point of view works, and whether the story garners interest. Again, this helps me to avoid re-work later on. Or maybe, I have to abandon an idea until I come up with a way to fix it. But at least I'm not so far into it that I feel stuck.<br />
</li>
<li><strong>Staying Connected</strong>: Posting as I go keeps me connected with my writing community. When I'm in my writing zone, I totally go into bear cave mode and not come up for air. Except if I take a few minutes to post a chapter here or there, critique someone else's chapter here or there, I stay connected. <br />
</li>
<li><strong>Keeping Motivated</strong>: Staying connected also keeps me motivated. Is my critique group waiting for the next chapter? Why yes, yes they are, and they told me so after my last post. How lovely. And this? Helps me finish sooner.<br />
</li>
</span></ul><span xmlns="">Critiquing chapter-to-chapter posts, therefore, might have a different feel than critiquing full projects.* So, what can the critiquer do to ensure they are helping the writer get the biggest bang for her buck?<br />
</span><br />
<ol><li><span xmlns="">Focus on helping the writer to avoid re-work. Find out where the writer has the most difficulty with first drafts, and help her when she's falling off her wagon. Is the <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/04/3-critiquing-points-for-beginners.html">plot faltering? Characters flat</a>? <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/08/part-3-on-critique-pointers.html">Scenes</a> unnecessary? Does something completely <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/05/critiquing-pointers-part-deux.html">pull you out of the story</a>?<br />
</span></li>
<span xmlns="">
<li>Don't worry about the perfect diction or polish. This is her first draft, so she won't need to know every comma misplacement or every participle that dangles. Save those suggestions for the final edit. However, if there is a glaring grammar infraction that happens again and again, then go ahead and let her know. It's easier to fix a repetitive issue before it happens rather than to go back and fix each and every one of the infractions later. This goes back to the number one, saving the writer work later on.<br />
</li>
<li>Try to keep past details straight, which is more challenging because of the passage of time between chapters. If you're not sure if something was mentioned earlier, take a quick peek. Even if this detail was mentioned, if it doesn't "do the job," let the writer know.<br />
</li>
<li>As always, take a minute to say what you liked to help keep the in-progress writer motivated, even if you simply write the word <em>LIKE</em> in the margin at the end of a fantastic line. Those tiny compliments always work for me.<br />
</li>
</span></ol><span xmlns="">Again, chapter-by-chapter critiques are not for everyone, and that's okay. Can you think of anything else I've missed for chapter-by-chapter, in-progress critiquing? Let me know.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><em>*Some people post chapter-to-chapter but have the whole WiP completed before they start. The chapters usually go up faster, and this type of critique works more like a full WiP critique. Therefore, the above suggestions may not apply.<br />
</em></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-1296710226755479762011-09-08T05:00:00.002-05:002011-09-08T07:24:28.384-05:00Critiquerly Interview with YA Author Beth Revis<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>(Or, Critiquing = Developing as a Writer) </strong></span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><br />
If you read Authoress's critiquerly interview, you'll know that she has raved about today's guest. However, you may not know how <em>frexing</em> excited I am to have the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Across-Universe-Beth-Revis/dp/1595143971/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315450530&sr=8-1">ACROSS THE UNIVERSE</a></span></span><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"> because I love the sky (see above—I mean at the top of my blog, silly), and it's hard to imagine never seeing it again. Anyone who can make me think of this fact months after I've read her book ranks way up there (no—I mean figuratively).</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><br />
Not to mention that it took me about two months to stop saying <em>frexing</em> as an expletive. Okay, okay. Maybe I still use it. Especially when driving.</span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">As I hinted at last week, please welcome Beth Revis. (*cue the squeefulness*)<br />
</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkpf-WPpKUlzjQmM-O-EogDDZUchhKTIf9Ux5N42oiMcSUxg2bWtmr6ddk4bjx5zK6mRPP2OU5c5eYuXmdZivhuIt35o16YJrsZ9K6B14XoL3WIUEenp6K9tT7j8LCirhyphenhyphendmSD6HG_BF0/s1600/Beth+Revis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkpf-WPpKUlzjQmM-O-EogDDZUchhKTIf9Ux5N42oiMcSUxg2bWtmr6ddk4bjx5zK6mRPP2OU5c5eYuXmdZivhuIt35o16YJrsZ9K6B14XoL3WIUEenp6K9tT7j8LCirhyphenhyphendmSD6HG_BF0/s1600/Beth+Revis.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><a href="http://www.bethrevis.com/"><span style="font-size: 9pt;">Beth Revis's</span></a><span style="font-size: 9pt;"> debut novel, <a href="http://acrosstheuniversebook.com/">Across the Universe</a>, came out from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Across-Universe-Beth-Revis/dp/1595143971/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287180653&sr=8-1">Razorbill/Penguin</a> in January 2011. <br />
A former high school English teacher, Beth can't help but blog about writing, grammar, and <br />
publishing at <a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/">Writing it Out</a>. She is the founder of the newly popular dystopian blog, the <br />
<a href="http://leaguewriters.blogspot.com/">League of Extraordinary Writers</a>, and blows off steam by trying to come up with something <br />
witty in <a href="http://twitter.com/bethrevis">140 characters</a> or less, lusting after books on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2192858">GoodReads</a>, or wasting time on <a href="http://facebook.com/authorbethrevis">Facebook</a>. <br />
Beth is represented by Merrilee Heifetz at <a href="http://www.writershouse.com/">Writers House</a>.<br />
</span></span></div><span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>~~~<br />
</strong></span></span></div><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong><em>NAE: From whom, as one of your critiquers/beta-readers, have you learned the most, and what did you learn from him/her?<br />
</em></strong></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">BR: I didn't learn this from any one critiquer, but from years of working with crit partners and beta readers, and it's this: when you critique someone else's work, you become a better writer. It's so much easier to see the fault in other people's work than in your own--so reading others' works with an eye for looking for fault will help you see it in your own and naturally develop you as a writer.</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong><em>NAE. What is the one piece of advice you can give to someone trying to develop his or her critique skills?</em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">BR: Whenever possible, phrase your comment as a question. Questions are naturally non-aggressive, and by phrasing your comment as a question, you are more likely to help the person see the crux of the problem rather than get defensive. For example: which would you rather see in a crit:</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">1. This character is boring--you should cut his whole storyline.<br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">or<br />
</span></span></div><div style="margin-left: 36pt;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">2. Do you absolutely need this character? Is he essential to the main plot of the novel?<br />
</span></span></div><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">I'm not saying to treat people with kid gloves--you can go on to explain your question and be brutally honest--but by opening with a question, you're leading the writer to come up with a solution that works.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong><em>NAE: When you critique someone's work, what is your general process?</em></strong></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><br />
BR: line-edit as I go, but when I have a larger comment, I'll make a number in the document, then add a longer note in another document. Then at the end, I add overall comments about the main things: plot, characters, pacing, etc. So, if you get a critique from me, you get two things back: a line edit, and a longer (often around 10 page) letter that deals with broader issues.</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong><em>NAE: Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing?</em></strong></span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">I mostly just keep notes of anything that makes me want to put the book down. It can be grammar, it can be characters, or plot, or whatever.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;"><strong>~~~<br />
</strong></span></span></div><span xmlns=""><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">Thank you so much for stopping by, Beth. It's been a pleasure. I'm loving your response to the first question—so true. So the reason for this blog.</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial;">If you're a YA fan and haven't had a chance to read <a href="http://acrosstheuniversebook.com/">ACROSS THE UNIVERSE</a>, and even if you're not a SF/F type of person, pick up a copy. We're talking serious must-read. But hurry, because <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Million-Suns-Across-Universe-Novel/dp/159514398X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315451783&sr=1-1">A MILLION SUNS</a>, the sequel, releases on January 10, 2012. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/vVEaYz4-LdE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span xmlns=""><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEekyPyiWjEqDc2WUnPmHnpkONCZBsSuCqcv0S58fSEvkhVTO8nCoSFgiq9ZtTcuYiaKmVQvjZyUcvJNxhcfxELHNZ3cq2fQnXZpBrg1CTxfUaOksm19LepyPXPrL1T4IXOZLU1Oe08Lf8/s1600/million+suns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEekyPyiWjEqDc2WUnPmHnpkONCZBsSuCqcv0S58fSEvkhVTO8nCoSFgiq9ZtTcuYiaKmVQvjZyUcvJNxhcfxELHNZ3cq2fQnXZpBrg1CTxfUaOksm19LepyPXPrL1T4IXOZLU1Oe08Lf8/s320/million+suns.jpg" width="206" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">January 2012</td></tr>
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</span>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-47519362342728724372011-09-06T04:30:00.000-05:002011-09-06T04:30:00.686-05:00Managing Feedback that Hurts<span xmlns=""></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><strong>(Or, Extra-Snarky Review? Bygones.)<br />
</strong></span><br />
<span xmlns="">In 1997, I had a favorite show, Ally McBeal. It was one of those lawyer/trial shows meets Sex in the City meets an adult version of Glee. Both ridiculous and serious. Loved. It. Unisex bathroom and all. Anywho, one of the partners of the law firm, Richard Fish, went around verbally cutting down his subordinates at every conceivable juncture. But the only apology from him was one word: <i>Bygones</i>. And it was rendered right after the verbal slaying.<br />
</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/pQN1COeI75E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">When I worked in the Corporately World, I dealt with about a hundred e-mails a day. *cue the shuddering* I worked in a global company and because of the differences in time zones, e-mails were the only way to communicate efficiently, and these messages served as black-and-white proof of "conversations/agreements." Sometimes, though, in the fast-paced, get-it-done environment, I had to deal with some pretty snarky messages. In fact, they smarted enough for me to wince at times, especially when the snarkiness centered around something I'd done, that I put my name on and took pride in.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns="">These emails left me with a What Do You Mean You Hate It Are You Stoopit reaction. I wasn't alone. My co-workers also received like-worded emails, and we'd collectively commiserate on the misfortune of working with Corporately Stoopitness. However, snarky emails flew like autumnal flocks, and after a while I came up with a strategy. <br />
</span><br />
<ol><li><span xmlns="">Never respond to a snarky email right after reading it. Have a cup of (*insert favorite work beverage here, diet coke works for me*). Or wait until after lunch. Sleep on it if necessary (though not during work hours). But here's the magic I'd discovered: the email doesn't sting quite so much after giving it some time to settle.<br />
</span></li>
<span xmlns="">
<li>After an appropriate amount of time has passed, re-read the message while imagining a non-snarky tone. Use Elmo's voice if necessary. Consider whether Stoopit had just been careless on the delivery, and didn't really mean to snark all over your day. Sometimes the snark turned out to be a self-inflicted figment of my imagination.<br />
</li>
<li>Go back and do some investigation. Maybe my work was not as perfect as I thought I was, or maybe my initial conversation/email was abrupt. If whatever I'd done had been at all unclear, incomplete, or otherwise misunderstandable, then I'd fix it. Pure and simple. Boom.<br />
</li>
<li>If there was something in the snarky email that was unclear, that perhaps could go snarky or not, I'd follow up (taking care not to set off an email war). To do this, I used questions. <em>Do you mean this or that? <br />
</em></li>
<li>Sometimes, the person was being snarky just to be snarky. But maybe she had a bad day. Perhaps she hated me. Or. Maybe I'd just pick up the phone and talk it out. (I actually made more career-long comrades this way than I can count. Usually, the person was having a hellish moment and lashed out, and she needed someone, AKA me, to talk to about it.*)<br />
</li>
<li>Rarely, when no reasonable resolution to the issue could be found, I had to accept Snarky Emailer as my arch rival and try to avoid her in future corporately dealings. Bygones.<br />
</li>
</span></ol><span xmlns="">Receiving a snarky critique on my writing, I must admit, stings thrice as badly as an average, snarky corporately email. Sure, I want feedback and I'd like to improve and all, but I don't want to feel Stoopit. Or sad. Or like I'm wasting my time on writerly efforts. It can hit my Achilles heel more acutely when it's on a public forum. Because now? Every can see that Snarky Reviewer thinks I'm stoopit, and how-o-how does one recover from such humiliation? Well, everyone has their own way of dealing with things, but taking from my corporately experience (I just knew it would come in handy—erm—eventually), here's a few ideas.<br />
</span><br />
<ol><li><span xmlns=""><strong>Don't respond to it right away</strong>. It's always nice to <a href="http://metahypnosis.blogspot.com/2011/08/thank-you-for-your-critique-template.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+jessicalei+%28Jessica+Lei%29">get back to the critiquer and thank them</a>, but sometimes, it's not possible at the first pass. Especially when the comments feel unnecessarily snarky. So have a cup of (*insert favorite writerly beverage here*). Eat a meal. Sleep on it. Listen to Mozart. Dance a jig or two.<br />
</span></li>
<span xmlns="">
<li><strong>Re-read the critique to see if the snarkiness is self-inflicted</strong>. It's hard to know what the true tone of the writer is behind the review without telepathy (which has always been an issue for yours truly), so try to read it in a simple, calm tone.<br />
</li>
<li><strong>Go back and see if there is anything valid in the feedback</strong>. The critiquer read your work and put some thoughts together. They may be way off, or they may be right on. Figure out which it is and revise as appropriate.<br />
</li>
<li><strong>Maybe she didn't mean it?</strong> Sometimes the critiquer left off in the middle of a thought, so a statement came across the wrong way (I've done that!), or maybe they meant to be funny but it came across as mean-spirited. Follow up with her. It might be worth your while.<br />
</li>
<li><strong>Maybe you like her</strong>. For a critiquer you've known for a while and with whom you'd rather maintain a writerly relationship than not, you could approach her and find out what is behind the comments. Maybe it reminded her of something difficult from her past. Or maybe she was especially crabby that day for other reasons.* Maybe she didn't take the time to re-read her comments before sending them off, and didn't realize how it affected you.<br />
</li>
<li><strong>Maybe she's bad news. </strong>Some critiquers leave people skills behind during reviews, who are Snarky For The Sake of Snark. When this is the case, it's best to just part ways. And that's okay. What you need for your work is constructive, thoughtful feedback. Take the high road, thank them for their time, and then pursue other critiquing relationships.<br />
</li>
</span></ol><span xmlns="">Spending too much time and energy on the Snarky For The Sake of Snark reviewers is a waste of your talent, time, and energy that could be better spent on your writing craft. Move on and don't look back. </span><br />
<span xmlns=""><i><br />
</i></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><i>Bygones</i>.<br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><br />
</span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: 9pt;">*Not that I condone displaced snarkiness.</span></span>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-1071409460844178532011-09-01T04:06:00.002-05:002011-09-01T07:46:24.874-05:00Critiquerly Interview with Authoress<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>(Or, Giving Your CP Homework)<br />
</b></span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">She loves cashews, organic chocolate, and looks fabulous in a red hat. I'm sure many of my readers are familiar with today's interview guest from her <a href="http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/">blog</a>, which happens to be one of the best hand-on critique blogs I've come across. I love her wit and energy, and that she loves to celebrate (if not create) success stories when aspiring authors find their perfect agent. To give you an idea on how wonderful she is, here is an excerpt from her <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a> profile: "<i>I want to bring out the best in others as well as myself</i>."</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Gah! Such a sweetie. And a large portion of the aspiring author world recently celebrated with her when she landed agent Josh Getzler (so funny how she appears in his <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/jgetzler/">leading client list</a> with her anonymous name). I threw confetti. And ate a cashew (well, we were out of cashews, so I ate a peanut while imagining it was a cashew).</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Did you guess yet (I mean, without looking at the title of this post)? That's right. We have the quintessential madam of anonymity and class here today: Authoress.<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzU4R3z-JlYFk_5TqBJhUSpL153uYALDapRLpMuUsJK_sj6OTRKpk1Otx02s3qVE5YiP08l1XewccCXEOdKShZ-iqqlGelat4U8DLfYqwgcjWGow3_qXwjZzyheEJuCmidOL46d2o5kUu/s1600/authoress+and+jodi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipzU4R3z-JlYFk_5TqBJhUSpL153uYALDapRLpMuUsJK_sj6OTRKpk1Otx02s3qVE5YiP08l1XewccCXEOdKShZ-iqqlGelat4U8DLfYqwgcjWGow3_qXwjZzyheEJuCmidOL46d2o5kUu/s1600/authoress+and+jodi.jpg" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Authoress and Jodi Meadows</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Authoress writes MG and YA fantasy and science fiction. She has an adoring husband<br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">and a stash of organic chocolate that keeps disappearing. (The chocolate, not the adoring<br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">husband.) She is also a classical pianist, a trained soprano, and an unabashed foodie, and<br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">is represented by Josh Getzler of Hannigan, Salky, Getzler.<br />
</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">You can find her at <a href="http://misssnarksfirstvictim.blogspot.com/">Miss Snark's First Victim</a>, and follow her on <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter.</a><br />
</span></span></div><span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>~~~<br />
</b></span></div><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>NAE: Who, as a critiquer/beta-reader, have you learned the most from, and what did you learn from him/her?<br />
</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">A: I've got two answers to this question!<br />
</span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">First and foremost, above and beyond, I have learned the most from <a href="http://jmeadows.livejournal.com/">Jodi Meadows</a>. (I probably sound like the president of some rabid Jodi Meadows Fan Club, but her influence on my writing has been immeasurable.) She took an early draft of my YA dystopian and showed me pretty much everything I had done wrong, from a preponderance of unnecessary prepositional phrases to the fact that, during the climactic scene, it was completely unclear what my protagonist was actually <i>doing</i>. (That was probably because I wasn't quite sure myself.) She is also the Mistress of Worldbuilding, and she pushed me to create a believable world with rules that didn't break themselves.<br />
</span> <span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">(She has been known to send me "writing assignments." Oh, yes. Like, "Send me 500 words about the history of your world." This gal is <i>tough</i>!)</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">So, truly, as I expanded my critique circle, I began to incorporate Jodi's methods while developing my personal critique style. As well as, yanno, applying what I'd learned to my own storytelling.</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">My second answer is <a href="http://bethrevis.blogspot.com/">Beth Revis</a>. Beth's a gifted critiquer/editor. In fact, if she weren't already a bestselling author, I'd say she ought to <i>be</i> an editor. She's just THAT GOOD. And I'm including her here for a very specific reason: Back when my dystopian had garnered what felt like a thousand "you're a great writer BUT" rejections, Beth did a detailed critique that showed me, for the first time, HOW my story was broken. It takes a keen eye and a special talent to pick out what a gaggle of agents claim they "just can't put their finger on."</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">So from Beth I have achieved a heightened awareness of story arc and what makes a plot work. I'm totally not where she is, but one can always aspire!<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>NAE: What is the one piece of advice you can give to someone trying to develop his or her critique skills?<br />
</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">A: Read good critiques! Naturally my blog is an excellent way to do that. But it's important to get good critique on your own work from someone you trust, too. I've received, on numerous occasions, emails from people asking for help finding critique partners. Thing is, that's like asking help finding a spouse. You've got to click on both a personal and artistic level before you can critique each other's work. And that's a relationship that takes time to develop.</span><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">So, yes. Invest time into finding someone with whom you resonate on both levels. Don't just throw your work out there to strangers (e.g. critique sites, which can be very good, but can also be detrimental, because the relationship aspect can be missing).<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>NAE: When you critique someone's work, what is your process?</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">It depends what each person wants, and what stage the manuscript's at. One thing's for sure--I never go through twice. I prefer to work as I go, so if I'm giving a detailed line edit, I add my comments/corrections right in with the text, usually in red (I hate track changes--I mean, HATE--so I usually don't use it). When I'm finished with the line edits, I write an editorial letter outlining my main impressions. I don't go into a lot of detail in the letter, since that's what the line edits are for.<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>NAE: Is there one specific thing that you gravitate toward while critiquing?<br />
</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I am admittedly a grammar nazi, so grammatical errors JUMP at my eyeballs. I don't focus on them, though. I pay attention to things like believable dialogue, clean sentences, and pacing. Plot arc is not my strength, so I'm more likely to comment on the believability--or necessity--of given scenes. As a critter, my strength is definitely the WRITING CRAFT over the story craft. (Which is why it's important to always have more than one person critique your work.)<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>Question Added by A: Where should your blog readers send their gifts of artisan chocolate and pedicure spas?</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">A: To <a href="http://www.jodimeadows.com/">Jodi Meadows</a>, of course. She knows my address. *grin*<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><b>~~~<br />
</b></span></span></div><br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">Thanks, Authoress! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;">I love how Authoress brought up Jodi Meadows, whose critiquerly interview can be found <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/04/critiquerly-interview-author-jodi.html">here</a>. You can read them both side by side to see how each critiquer compliments the other. And Beth Revis, too, whose critiquerly interview can be found, er, well. Wait for it. It's coming sooner than you think.<br />
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">As Authoress would say, *grin*.</span><br />
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span> </span>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-63601789691397455752011-08-30T06:56:00.043-05:002011-08-30T09:59:41.683-05:00Part 3 on Critique Pointers<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> <w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">(Or, Newbie Tips for Critiques with Badda Bing) </span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">There are a few ways for new critiquers to begin their beta-reading, advice-hurling, critiquerly journey. One way is to read critiques that other people do (highly recommended). <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/05/critiquing-pointers-part-deux.html">This post</a> gives some ideas on critiquing dialogue, emotion, and areas where the reader might be pulled out of the story. <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/04/3-critiquing-points-for-beginners.html">This one</a> contains some tips on critiquing characters, plot, and sensory details. And now? We’ll go in for the kill. The badda bing. We’ll talk about world building, pacing, and <a href="http://notaneditor.blogspot.com/2011/03/critiquerly-interview-first-intern.html">Intern</a>’s favorite topic: scenes.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fuhgeddaboutit-Badda-Boom-Inner-Mobster/dp/0743204719"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawMW6m5T8cj6mAsoCNWZPeKVBSJStEpGGsdAcrW08dWhnf9oo6wyzo6pG4De7XQ9wLbfoDFDNoa1R2W2W8gUSuZ4gnpuktcElqGxM4TFLTVzXeGu4n6esh_caQK6ZyraMYrbJd5rltepN/s1600/fuhgeddaboutit.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">Find your inner mobster.* <b><br />
Note</b>: the best definition of <i>badda boom, badda bing</i> left in the comments wins…my undying respect.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span>1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">World Building: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Whether the setting is imaginary/alternate universe, historical, contemporary/realistic, there is a specific time and place where the MC resides, and it sets the tone for the entire story. To help your crit partner with this part of story craft, ask yourself the following.<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">~Do you find yourself drowning in descriptions and metaphors or wishing for more?<br />
~Can you see the setting/world in your mind?<br />
~Do you have enough background to understand the rules of the world, especially when rules are broken?<br />
~Have you entered the world and do you feel like the story is possible within that reality?<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span>2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Pacing:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> This part of story craft is difficult to explain, but pacing can be seen as the manipulation of time in a story to maximize the impact; or, the rhythm/beat of tension (<i>badda bing</i>), actions, and emotions. Your crit partner may benefit if you ask yourself these questions.<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">~Do the short, tense moments take up more space than longer, not-as-tense spots? (They should.)<br />
~Is high tension paired with SHOWING, while less tension is paired with TELLING (yes, it’s okay to tell in these places)?<br />
~Do they have spots of tension that appears at regular intervals (e.g., new information/realization, change or deepening of emotion, action/reaction)?<br />
~Do you, as the reader, always want to know what happens next?<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.25in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span>3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Scenes:</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> It is the sequence of scenes that lead to the rise of tension, climax, and resolution of the plot. Every one must be essential. Consider these questions (also see INTERN’s <a href="http://internspills.blogspot.com/2011/04/top-ten-reasons-you-should-rewrite-that.html">10 reasons to rewrite a scene</a>).<br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">~Does their scene move the plot forward or keep it at a standstill?<br />
~Does their scene reveal something about the character(s) that cannot be revealed in a different place/scene?<br />
~If the writer is forced to give up the scene, would it leave a huge hole in the story/plot?<br />
~Does their scene strengthen the theme or introduce a crucial symbol in a way that no other scene can?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Remember that the more you critique for specific things, like world building, pacing, and scenes, the easier it is for you to find opportunities to improve your own work. Happy critiquing, writerly friends!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Upcoming post: Thursday’s critiquerly interview is a full scene of awesome sauce. Bring chocolate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 9pt;">*Posting this image does not constitute a book recommendation. And we should all take care not to kill our CP’s writerly spirit.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7927342525988890809.post-28309967798484711692011-08-23T21:06:00.000-05:002011-08-23T21:06:01.045-05:00What Do You Share with Crit Buddies?<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>(Or, All I Need is a Laptop. And Maybe Some Wine.) </strong></span></span><br />
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong></strong></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiXhRCkXZhtsqvqyk3l0tLbeIe1RQn5JsytFvNmGTkxTkaTdMOQ_0hmst_hOWGwKIwI6tA5k4XFcthLWIsmYqjKsVYAz0KlH28X1Gr8UrFARWTd_xoP1CineY9M01zj_u5A0eva0gl7jO/s1600/laptop+with+a+side+of+wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiXhRCkXZhtsqvqyk3l0tLbeIe1RQn5JsytFvNmGTkxTkaTdMOQ_0hmst_hOWGwKIwI6tA5k4XFcthLWIsmYqjKsVYAz0KlH28X1Gr8UrFARWTd_xoP1CineY9M01zj_u5A0eva0gl7jO/s1600/laptop+with+a+side+of+wine.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<span xmlns=""><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My laptop has issues. It's already three and a half years old, and I use it every day. The left mouse key (or, is it a touchpad key?) is in dire need of a new spring, and I've actually switched the left and right button functions since the "click" function is kind of important in my writing efforts. And sometimes? The certain letters act up every once in a while. By acting up, I mean "don't work," not unless you press on it several times, and then you might get a whole row of that letter. At times it's just the letter J, but other times, it's the letter S. The battery doesn't stay charged anymore. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I'm not complaining. Because I love my laptop. Lots. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because my laptop is how I connect with the writerly/critiquerly buddies. There's just something about a group of people who are as dedicated to the art of writing that fulfills me in a way I don't get anywhere else. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And they get me, my writerly/critiquerly friends. They see my worst writing and my best. So I tend to—you know—share things with them. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like today when I posted a new chapter on my online critique group board? I also posted an image of the </span><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Panorama_of_the_Fountain_of_Time.JPG"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fountain of Time</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> from Chicago's Washington Park, where this chapter takes place. Oh, and the poem by </span><a href="http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-paradox-of-time-2/"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Henry Austin Dobson</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> that inspired the monument. These two things aren't really well known, but they meant a lot to me when I wrote the scene. And I love how much my crit group appreciates the reference.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is just one more thing that is so great about online crit buddies.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What have you shared with your writerly pals that you knew they'd get like no one else?</span></span>Marybkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12013291291298167627noreply@blogger.com7