I’m just back from a Novel Revision Retreat in San Rafael, CA. What a great time. I always learn so much from other writers.

• My suite-mate wasn’t taking my class, but I watched her hunker down for a weekend of writing and learned that sometimes solitude is just as helpful as working in a group.



• I learned all over again, that critique groups can be more honest and more helpful than anyone expects.
• I learned that continuing a group after a retreat like this means commitment to common goals. We talked about how to extend those goals by creating rituals (For example, a Friday check-in to see how you did that week, as the Summer Revision Smackdown has done.)
• I learned that it is San Ra-FELL, not San RA-fey-ELL. And that is in ma-WREN County, not MARE-in County.
• I learned that young men liked to read Tom Sawyer because they fell in love with Becky Thatcher. (Thanks, Howie, for a great laugh!)
• I learned that we all need to do a better job of sharing information about advances. If you’ve sold a picture book in the last five years, I urge you to fill out Barbara’s Kanninen’s survey. If you do, she will send you a copy of the most recent results of that survey.

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Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

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How Many Times Do you Revise?

When do novel or picture book revisions ever end? I’m always a new person, with a bit more knowledge and a bit more life under my belt. I could always make changes to the story. When do you know it’s time to submit your baby?

• My Best. When I’ve done everything I can right now. I try to revise as many times as necessary to get it right. If I’m happy with the story as it is, and I can’t think of anything else to try. And when I do try, it seems to mess it up, then I quit. For me, there’s also an emphasis on RIGHT NOW. Ten years from now, I’d do the story different, but RIGHT NOW (which is the only time we really have), I’ve done my best.
• Cool off. When I’ve let it sit for a while and still can’t figure out anything to do. Now this? I’m not so good at letting it sit. I want it out and accepted and published! But rejections have forced me to get better about letting a mss cool off. Time sometimes shows you what you couldn’t see before and you’ll know exactly where to revise. It might even, if you’re lucky, give you the right approach to improve the mss.
• Critique Group. When my critique group agrees with me. Ha! That doesn’t happen often enough. Sometimes critique groups make me feel like I’m back in junior high gossiping. As my son says, I don’t like all the drama. BUT, for the sake of my mss, I not only put up with it, but I encourage it. I need it. After a gossip session, though, I go away and consider and process and then approach a revision my way. Sometimes, it incorporates ideas from others, but in a different way or with my own twist. If I’m wise, though, I wait until my critique group likes the novel or picture book mss and then I send it out.
• Never. Some old novels and picture book mss are still in my file drawer. They need massive rewrites, I know. But for various reasons, they’ll never get what they deserve: the impulse for the story is gone, the story isn’t marketable today, I’m bored with the characters/voice/setting/plot/whatever. OK, I’ll admit it. Some sit because some critiquer made a remark that stopped me cold. Some sit because I don’t believe myself capable of doing the story justice. Some sit because, well, just because. Not all stories are meant to be shared with the world.

Be brave! Submit.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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Submit, Then Revise

At our spring conference, Jen Rofe, literary agent at Andrea Brown Literary spoke about sending out manuscripts.

The one thing that surprised me was her attitude toward submission and revision. Rofe said she usually sends out a mss to about five editors. Then, depending on the feedback, she’ll often ask the writer to revise. She considers those “test submissions.”

Re-reading some of Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass, I noticed the same thing. He said that Parnall Hall had to revise a mystery:

A test round of submissions suggested that the points of view in A Clue for the Puzzle Lady were improperly weighted. Hall revised, and the second round hit the jackpot. p. 47

Interesting. If literary agents regularly use this approach of test submissions then revision, it’s something to think about.

THE CRITICAL EYE

Next time you send out your children’s picture book manuscript or your novel manuscript, target five publishers. If you get feedback, especially if it’s consistent in what it says, then revise before you send to five other editors.

Individual Critiques v. Group Critique

What if you don’t get personal letters from editors? I recently sent a picture book manuscript to about five different people and, without consultation with each other, four of the five mentioned a few items that needed work. Now, personally, I loved the fifth person’s comments! If she was an acquiring editor and bought the mss as is, no problem. But she’s not.

So, I have an overwhelmingly consistent opinion that something needs work.

Usually, I send to a critique group and everyone there sees the mss and it’s a group discussion. That always feels like a single opinion to me; here, I sent it privately and it’s five opinions. If those five had been in a group, the discussion may have progressed the same, but I would not be as likely to pay attention.

Will I always ask for separate critiques now? No. The group discussions are valuable. But I’m definitely adding this variation to my arsenal of revision strategies.

And yes, I’m working on revising the picture book manuscript, trying to do at least some of what these individuals asked for, while secretly hoping to find an editor who agreed with the other person!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

It’s well know that I don’t want an honest critique on my novels or picture books! But for some reason, people keep giving me exactly what I don’t want.

Conflicting Emotions of Receiving a Critique

Yesterday, when my local critique group talked about my latest picture book manuscript, three emotions held sway.

• Embarrassment. I am always embarrassed when someone reads one of my works-in-progress, because it’s, well, not perfect. I know it’s not finished, it’s a draft. I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed, that everyone has to go through drafts. Yet, every time, I just want to hide. I want to cry. I am totally and thoroughly embarrassed.
• Outrage. What? You don’t understand that part of my story? It’s perfectly clear! Did you even read it? Even while embarrassment reigns, I’m also outraged that the readers didn’t understand my story, didn’t agree with my wording, didn’t feel the emotion that I know I evoked. Yes, I’m mad. At myself, as much as you, but I channel all that outrage toward you.
• Working it Out. But even while I’m embarrassed and outraged, I’m rewriting in my head. Oh, if THAT is what bothers you, I could do this or that, or say it this way. I won’t let on, of course, that I’m doing that, because then you would be right (see above!). But I’m doing it. Absolutely. Every time. Because I know that I’m trying to communicate something and if you don’t get it, then my communication isn’t clear and I’ve GOT to fix it. The rational brain is there, behind the emotions, clearly, calmly trying to figure out how to communicate EXACTLY what I want. Not what you want me to communicate. But what I want to communicate.

Critique group, I love you. But don’t let it go to your heads. Because I’m still mad at you! BTW, for the next meeting, I’m bringing a revised version of that last story back for a fresh look.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

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I’ve written before about Different Styles of Critiques and When to Ask for a Critique. Today focuses on the different types of critique groups.

Different Critique Groups Meet Different Needs

I’m heading off today to my local critique groups and I realized I have several different types of critique groups, each one filling a different need.

Critique Ideas. Two years ago, I started the Friday Ideas group with the idea that we would only critique ideas. Too many of my manuscripts were rejected with this comment: “The writing is strong, but this just doesn’t stand out in today’s crowded market.” I wanted to get rid of that comment permanently, so we now critique ideas. Is this strong enough to compete? Is is original, or can I name something similar?

Critique in Person. Local groups allow me to get feedback in person. Often, these meetings are just sharing good news or bad news and are an encouragement group as much as anything. Yes, I need encouragement! Often! (You can leave me an encouraging comment below if you want! I need them a lot lately! Well, all the time, really.)

We also take in new people all the time, give them a taste of how we struggle to get things right and see a steady stream of people decide they don’t want to do the work needed to succeed. But there are a few who stick and they are a joy.

Critique Novels. Online, I have a critique group that only looks at completed novels. Writing one chapter is easy; writing a complete novel is much more complex and difficult. So, we only critique completed manuscripts. It’s a small group and we have agreed to read two novels from each participant, so a total of six novels per year. Very doable. It’s important to keep this group small.

Critique Groups for a Special Purpose. In my Novel Revision Retreats, I create special groups of four and within the group the writers exchange novels to be read before the retreat starts. This is a group created for a special event and often they dissolve after the retreat; but just as often, something sparks among the writers and they continue in some on-line fashion.

As I talk to people around the industry, I know there are many other types of critique groups formed, each filling a certain need for a certain season. Don’t be afraid to create one designed especially for you and your work!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

At what point do you let others read a draft?

First Drafts are $#@#

It’s an open secret that first drafts are awful and the best thing about a first draft is that it is finished. So, do you prefer that outside readers read this draft or wait for a more polished draft? Do you wait for the second or third draft?

Critiques can be helpful at all stages, if you know what your needs are and what you’d like your critiquer to look for. Of course, there are all kinds of critiquers and you should choose the right one, depending on your needs. Here are some things to consider as you decide at what stage to ask for a critique:

• Do you want feedback on the concept? The characters? The plot?
• Do you just want affirmation? (Hey, this is OK! Just make sure you get critiques that help you revise, too!)
• Do you have ideas for revision already, or are you totally stuck? You know it needs something, but you don’t know what?
• Do you want an overall, big-picture critique?
• Do you have weaknesses — spelling or grammar — and you know you need someone to check this?
• Do you want a chapter or scene read? Or do you need someone with the time and commitment to read an entire novel?

You’ll get a better critique is you have some idea of what you need at this point so you can get on with the needed revisions.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

I seem to be thinking a lot about critiques these days, probably because I’m getting critiques from a couple different sources.

The Strengths and Weaknesses of a Critiquers

In critique groups, I find that writers/readers have different styles of critiquing.

Grammar Witches: This person always finds the punctuation, spelling, and grammar mistakes; I’m grateful for them, because fixing what they notice is easy.

Line Editors: This person rewrites lines by omitting words, moving things around, or just rewriting a sentence here or there. I appreciate the efforts of this person, but I don’t always do what they suggest. I CONSIDER everything they suggest. But I also take into consideration the voice of the piece and sometimes, what the Line Editor has done is put the sentence into their voice, destroying the rhythms of my voice. Sometimes, their suggestion to omit a word is right on. Or, they’ve noticed that I’ve repeated “whirl” ten times in this chapter and they are right that I should drag out a thesaurus. Overall, my attitude towards them is one of caution.

Big Picture Critiquers: The hardest critiquers to find are those who can look at the shape of the overall story and see where there are holes in the story logic, where the pacing is off, where the characters are flat, where dialogue is boring, etc. But, for me, these are the most valued critiquers. This is why I always want my critiquers to read the entire story at one time, even if it’s a rather long novel.

Sometimes, this type critiquer is the quietest in the bunch and you have to listen carefully. For example, once a group went over my WIP with enthusiasm, but as I was leaving, one person said casually as we were walking out the door, “Really, though, I don’t think you’ll get it published until you resolve the parent-child relationship.”

Whoa! That was a great Big Picture Comment, but it was made casually, almost apologetically. Fortunately, I realized the importance of that comment–the most valuable comment of the hour’s critique. So–listen for the small voices.

Under-Confident Critiquer: This person looks at a published writer and says to themselves, “Oh, gee, I can’t say anything to them because they are published and they know everything.” Sorry, but publication of one book doesn’t mean you write the next one perfectly. Even writers with 100 books out need honest feedback from honest readers. I avoid these critiquers.

How to Respond When the Editor asks for Changes

When you get that editorial revision letter–instead of the phone call you really wanted, be careful. Probably 90% or more of revision letters like this never go anywhere. Why? Because you do exactly what the editor asked for.

In my experience, if you do exactly what the editor asked for, you’ll still get rejected.

Instead, you need to go to the heart of what the editor said and go deeper than the surface of what the editor has suggested. You will do what the editor didn’t know they wanted. For example, in my first picture book, The River Dragon, I had described the dragon’s voice as “the clink of copper coins.” And each time the dragon appeared, we heard him clinking along. The editor suggested a progression of sounds going from copper to silver to gold–with appropriate phrasing, of course.

I tried that and it didn’t work. Instead, I went toward baser metals: voice like the clink of copper coins, voice like the sound of a brass gong, voice ringing like a hammer on an iron anvil. This worked well because each step was a baser metal, a louder voice, and eventually, we wound up with the iron anvil, which harkened back to the main character’s job as a blacksmith.

I could have tried to force it into the more precious metals. The editor didn’t care about that, though. She was pointing out that a progression of sounds for the dragon’s voice had the potential to strengthen the story. I went to the heart of that comment and did a progression, and it pleased her.

That’s a very simple example of going to the heart of an editor’s comments, but it demonstrates how important it is to understand exactly what the editor is concerned about with their comments. Don’t hesitate to call and clarify the issues. If the editor took the time to write that letter, they won’t mind a call.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Wisdom, the Midway Albatross

by Darcy Pattison

Giveaway ends March 11, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win