On to Chapters 3 & 4
ManuscriptsThe Wise Reader gave me positive feedback on the changes to the first two chapters. I must be heading in the right direction.
Chapters 3 & 4 of "Spellbound" did not need as much editing as the first two. I added a few paragraphs of interaction between Izabella and her siblings, which I had decided was necessary to show a bit more of their relationship before that relationship became important later on in the story. I also broke the end off of chapter 4 because it had gotten too long and unwieldy by far--and the part at the end truly needed to be its own chapter. I plan to expand it a little tomorrow.
I also did a few small edits that centered around objections that some of my various readers had.
I've been asked if I always change things to suit the readers who go over my manuscript. The answer is "it depends." Orson Scott Card asserts that the Wise Reader is always right... and he is, up to a point. The Wise Reader is always right about their reaction to your writing, but that reaction may or may not be correct in a generic sense, based on their background, favorite types of stories, or their emotional baggage on topics covered. For example, I really don't like the horror genre. Any review of mine of a story from that genre is going to be heavily colored by the fact that over the top violence and I just don't get along. Similarly, since becoming a mother, I just don't handle "children in jeopardy" stories very well. You might not want me to review those either. If I do read them, I try to stick to the basic "well written" issues: clarity, consistency, a good sense of timing, and such, but it will be a struggle to be objective.
Card told me at Boot Camp that he doesn't like stories with mermaids & vampires, and has become bored with SF (likely from reading it so much). From my own experience, he also has issues with stories about handicapped children (which I understand), boys who rebuild cars, and artists (which seriously surprised me). I still remember him telling the gentleman who wrote the story about the boys who rebuild cars (which had already gotten a fairly positive set of reviews from the other fifteen of us) that he felt as if he had read a different story than the rest of us had. In all likelihood, exactly so, based on his background. If you ever get an itch to go to Boot Camp yourself, you might want to stay away from those topics.
For that reason, I trust some opinions of my work more than others. Readers with far more experience reading in the genre or topic of my work are far more likely to get their objections taken seriously. It may also depend on the background of the reader. The protagonist of my trilogy manuscript loses her father early on, and I took the opinions of my friend who lost her father young far more seriously than others--at least about that section of the story.
Complaints that something is confusing, boring, or contradictory always get my attention. Complaints that a character is acting out of character always get a closer look. Objections to my world building, particularly if there is a parallel here in this world, not so much. Just because you wouldn't have made that choice in your writing does not mean that I can't make a different choice.
And then there is, of course, the matter of the majority rule. If several readers all tell me the same thing, there is probably something that needs to be corrected or adjusted there. I take those suggestions very seriously. And I am always grateful for any feedback, negative or positive. I appreciate everyone who has taken the time to read and comment on my stories. The time you took in helping me has been invaluable to my development as an author.
One of the great things about writing and reading is that it is so subjective. If you don't like a certain genre or style of writing, there are hundreds of others to entertain, enlighten, or inspire you. Just reading through the blogs of some of my favorite writers and agents, I can find opinions so diverse as to give me hope that eventually my little story will find a home.
What are your favorite kinds of stories?