You know it's going to be a pretty good Monday when it starts off the way mine did today. For those of you who don't remember this, I'm a librarian, and a fairly new one at that. The library director came to my office first thing and asked me to meet with a book vendor with her. So we sat for over an hour previewing and ordering books. Lots and lots of books. I was like a kid in a candy store. When I heard our total bill, I nearly fell over. The director had to remind me--this is what we're supposed to do! Do I have a great job or what?
I generally try to post pretty early on a Monday because I feel guilty for neglecting my blogging duties all weekend. But I decided to try something revolutionary tonight. I decided to--gasp!--work on my novel before my blog. I told myself I would only be allowed to blog after my 1000 words on my manuscript were done. I just checked my word count--1108. Yes!
It's funny how the accountability aspect of the blog keeps me more disciplined. When I started this site, I decided I would post three days a week minimum. When I'm late, I feel my readers drifting away and giving up on me. So I hurry on back. Last year, my agent had me on a deadline for the chick lit novel I was working on, so I mustered up some discipline and finished it in record time. On my current project I just haven't had enough accountability because, well...how do I put this delicately. No one cares but me. And sometimes I wonder about me.
I guess that's one reason people have critique groups and critique partners. It makes a difference if you know someone is waiting for you to produce something for them to read. I've never had luck finding a group or a partner. Of course, I haven't looked very hard. For one thing, my stories change so much in the first draft stage that I'm afraid no reader could keep up. Also, considering how hard it is for me to find time to write at all, I wonder if I could handle reading other people's work on a regular basis, too. It might be like the blog. I'd end up blogging and critiquing but doing even less writing of my own.
In the American Christian Fiction Writers Group I'm in, most folks seem to think that crit groups and partners are invaluable. Years ago I took part in a writing workshop led by Orson Scott Card, and he thought we all needed to be in a critique group.
So it surprised me to hear Stephen King say, in On Writing, that you should never let anyone read any part of your first draft. No one--not even the spouse that might be footing the bills to allow you to write. He held that questions and opinions would only confuse you in that early stage, and you'd veer off course and lose your vision.
What do you writers out there think? Do you have critique groups and partners? Do you workshop your novels even in the first draft? And how does it affect the time you have available for your own writing?
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I have a couple sort-of critique partners. They're writers who have said, "I'll be glad to crit whenever you need it." We don't do a scheduled exchange or anything like that. I just send stuff when I want to. Usually, it's a rough draft I've been over a couple times. I've been wondering about the idea of a blog though to help me get into the habit of writing more. Hmm. Have to think about that one through first.
ReplyDeleteHi, Robin. I met two of the three other members of my crit group at my first ACFW conference. We all write in different genres. They don't write as prolifically as I do, and I've only written one novel in the last year and a half. Therefore I don't spend that much time critting their stuff, since they don't submit that much! They help me so much by letting me know that they are "getting it." When my story is not coming across well, they let me know, or I ask them, "So how did you feel about it when Rupert did that? Do you like him? Because you're not supposed to like him!" That sort of thing. I ask them questions when I'm stuck or want to talk some aspect of the story over with someone.
ReplyDeleteAll of us are unpublished, in novel form, at least, so we may not know everything, but I feel they give me great feedback. It helps me keep writing and makes me feel good about my work-in-progress.
But my first draft doesn't change that much--in substance, anyway. With my last WIP, I changed almost every character's name at least once, but my crit partners still managed to keep up. I love those girls.
I TOTALLY agree with Stephen King on that one. My first drafts are very rough and unedited. They really are just upchucking on the page.
ReplyDeleteSo when that first draft is done, nasty as it is, I have something to work with, and invariably I rearrange scenes, cut scenes, realize I need to add scenes. So that first draft is nowhere near what even the second or third draft will look like.
To me, it's wasting my crit partners' time because they'll point out stuff like, "You need to move this scene, cut this scene, and add this scene," all stuff I'll know myself on my first read-through.
When it's more refined and closer to what I believe the finished product will be, then it's ready for my crit partners to look through because they'll catch things I didn't and tell me where it's confusing when I thought it was clear.
Hard to believe King and I agree on something! :D
And I'm so jealous of your book buying powers!
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