Stop Critting and Enjoy! (For Goodness Sake)

As much as I love OWW, it's a hard habit to break.

World Shaker is a hoot - it's my first foray into "Steampunk", and I'm engrossed by the setting, the characters, and the plot. I just can't stop critting it! I read it and I think "oh, you should use this word here" or "wouldn't it be better if you'd put this event here" or "the pace seems to be grinding a bit here". Then I have to thump myself hard on the forehead with said book (thankfully, it's not that big) to remind myself I'm supposed to be enjoying, not reviewing.

*Deep Breath*

It's not like there's much to crit. Here's a man who knows how to write. Take this example: "The main blast of Gillabeth's anger had passed, leaving only small gusts of contempt". If I wrote that line, I'd have it framed.

I don't normally go for the Dickensian, florid type language I've read in a few recent YA novels; there's a sense in which the authors are so in love with their own style and world that the story takes a back seat. This book has the balance right - an exciting, involving story coupled with humerous, rich language. Quite a gem!

Thankfully, Richard Harland is 22 years my senior. Plenty of time to catch up (cough).

OWW

I've now been using Online Writer's Workshop for a week, and I have to report - I love it. This is exactly what I've needed, and the benefits are flowing thick and fast.

So far I've only posted the first chapter of Ghost, and I've had five reviews - all very positive and all extremely helpful. All five readers "get" what I'm trying to do with the story and the world, which was one of my main concerns. They've also commented favourably on the plot, so I'm feeling a lot more confident about the direction this latest draft is taking.

Hopefully by the end of the week I can have chapter 2 and 3 posted too - but I'm giving them both substantial rewrites, not only to fit in with the new direction of the first chapter, but also to sharpen up the style a little, and make the story a bit more focused.

I've also enjoyed reading other people's submissions and writing a few reviews. Generally the quality is really good, and now and again I've struck an absolute gold nugget - chapters of books that will almost certainly end up in print. To have people of that calibre read my own stuff and make comments is very valuable.

I'd really like to start posting chapters of Weight of Souls too, but it's far from ready. I haven't done much on it in the last week, but I think it's at the 5000 word mark. On the bus last week I read over it (on my spanking new laptop) and I absolutely loved it - the relationship between the two main characters has gelled in a way I didn't expect, and I'm starting to feel like it may go somewhere. I still only have a vague notion of the overall plot, and it feels strange to be writing without a clear outline, but it never hurts to try something new.

Happy Happy Joy

Today I discovered the Online Writer's Workshop. I think Deborah Kalin mentioned it in her blog at some point in the distant past, but I'd filed it away in some obscure draw in my brain, and only decided this afternoon to google it and see what it had to offer.

Really glad I did. People post manuscript excerpts to the site and critique each other, you can't post your own work until you critique four others (unless you're a brand new member, then you get a freebee) so people are fairly keen to write reviews. If the submissions I looked at are any indication the standards are very high - it's not a fan-fiction type thing.

So, this evening I posted chapter 1 of Ghost, with one of the ideas for a plot change I'd been chewing over. It's great if I can add this kind of review alongside the valuable feedback I've had from friends - every comment helps. I guess it's also a good thing that the reviewers don't know you from Adam's left foot - they can say whatever they like (and probably will).

I just need to make sure I don't spend half my workday logged on, something I could easily have done today.