Would you hand over your infant to just anyone without at least making sure they know how to correctly hold a baby?
Never!
Then why do so many writers feel compelled to share their newly-born work so freely, without any kind of due diligence? The wrong words, articulated by someone who doesn’t know a lot about what you’re trying to accomplish—or a lot about writing for that matter—can shut you down faster than a trap slamming down on a poor mouse. Even misplaced praise can do you in, discouraging you from going through your manuscript with that critical eye that’s so important once you’ve pounded out that first draft.
Of course it’s satisfying as all get out to have yet another friend or colleague tell you how great your book is. But it’s not helpful. Neither having your work chewed up and spit out by someone trying to show off their intellectual prowess. On the other hand, in all likelihood you need some feedback since you’ve probably gotten to the point where you can no longer tell what works in your manuscript and what still needs work.
In short, you need a professional manuscript critique. It won’t be the definitive truth about your work since writing and editing are so individual. But if you choose the right editor or writing coach to analyze your pages, you’ll regain the perspective you’ve lost as well as a sense of what still needs to be done. That’s what happened to Morri Stewart. Realizing that I’ve never blogged about my manuscript critiques, I asked her to share her experience. Since she’s now working as my part-time assistant, how could she say no?
Here’s Morri’s take on ordering up a Linden critique:
I have always had a soft spot for the written word. There is eloquence to a well-crafted story or the flow of poetry into something that permeates my brain with imagery. Even word choice entertains me. “Eloquence” and “permeates” sound much better than than their synonyms, “power” and “fills.” Fortunately, I married a man who loves the written word as much as I. So, when I wrote my first book, he was the obvious choice to read and critique it. Right?
Unbiased praise and ready for publishing.
I am not denying the importance of validation from loved ones and friends. Constructive criticism keeps you going back to the creative scratchboard. The process, in and of itself, is fascinating. But polish, true polish on a piece of literature needs a professional, and one can only hope, kind eye.
After several years of rewrites, and feeling like I finally had a book worthy of publishing, I bit the bullet and began researching copy editors. No wait, line editors. Um, no, perhaps I wanted a writing coach. Okay, whatever. What I was sure of was that I wanted someone with whom I could meet. Look me right in the eye and tell me I was on my way to the next great American novel. After a few tweaks. (Tweaks! Rhymes with weeks—the time it would take to polish my masterpiece. But I digress.)
My web search gave me numerous options, but most of the individuals were based out of a distant city, or vaguely located in the cloud somewhere. (I am still working on the cloud concept.) Remember, I wanted someone who could look me in the eye. Then, the search engine generated the name Linden Gross. I was drawn into her business website and the diversity of roles she offered in assisting writers and their projects. This lady had some cred! She lived lives in my hometown and, as I continued to peruse her site, I noticed a writer friend of mine had offered a whole-hearted thumbs up critique of her work with him. Serendipitous!
Fast forward. Here I am still working on that final draft. And, I am very close to the polished finish. Linden has helped me get there. We met and she really listened to what I thought I needed. She asked for the manuscript and after a month emailed me a critique. Not just a line here or there about my writing, but a 12-page critique starting with praise for the book (oh god, thank you for that) and a qualifying comment about subjectivity. The next 11 pages were broken down into sections covering organization, chapter flow, redundancy, passive and active sentences, action verbs, chapter flow, organization and, and, and phew! I nearly cried, but not from the angst of an unfinished manuscript not worthy for mass consumption., No!, S she had given me tangible points to fine tune. In other word, chewable tweaks.
And, she looked me in the eye when after she did it.
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