View From My Bedroom Window
Hello, I'm so cold today, I'm not even in my office. I'm sitting in my bed with the electric blanket on high. The wind is howling out my window, but the world is white and sunny. I love snow mixed with sun because it makes my world bright, and really what I think I hate most about winter is not the cold, or even the shorter days, but the brown and gray. If I could have snow all winter, I would be a happier camper. Now if I could have beach and sun and 75, well I would be in Nirvana!
So two days ago I finished the last of the edits from my husband, daughter and my pseudo-son-in-law on a novel I've been working on for a long time. Yes, my dear family in VA spent two of their snow days earlier this week reading my manuscript one more time to find the tiny problems like bus, spelled bust, and two as in more than one, spelled too. It happens, no matter how hard I try. And then found tons of such mistakes. I know I would never write a book, never probably even post this blog (which I do not have anyone critique--so please forgive typos) without my dear close writing friends and family's help. My younger daughter a, journalist, showed me how to put in links, see above. You can find out what Nirvana means in case you don't know, because she showed me how to put in the link. She also showed me how to link my blog entries, so if you want to find out about writer's tips, you can find them, and if you want to see an author interview you can find that. Isn't that cool? And aren't I lucky to have such supportive family?
I guess what I'm trying to say here is it takes a village to write a book or post a blog.
Even though writing is something you do alone--getting published is not something you do alone.
I don't know a single writer who doesn't have trusted friends who edit their writing, to find the small things like two and too and the bigger things, like "this whole chapter is boring" (which is what my husband said to me last week about one of my chapters, when I thought I was almost done with my novel and ready to send it in!).
I love these words from a popular song, "You are the wind beneath my wings." And that's what I think of all my family, and friends who help me get published. I couldn't fly without their wind. I couldn't write without their edits.
And so here's my writer's tip. Woods I Walk In
Find two or three maybe even four people you really trust, and let them help you, and critique your writing.But never, never, let 10 or 20 people all give you feedback that you actually take.
A few trusted friends' edits can help your writing. Too many people who don't know you that well can actually ruin your writing. In one of my first attempts at writing, I did that, I let everyone and anyone read my story and took every piece of advice and I lost the heart of my story. My story became a hodgepodge of other people's words and edits--as was only worth throwing in the garbage. Only we the writer's know what we want to say at the core, at the heart, from our soul. It is true that we may not always be able to get it out right, so we need people who we trust to help us perform that miracle, but they should be people who trust your soul, trust your story, and aren't going to rewrite it into their own story.
Accepting a writing critique is something one should do with grace and dignity. Even if someone totally rips apart your story. Thank them. But then go home, and trust your own gut. I know advice is good when it rings a bell inside of me, when I can see that doing this will make my story better. But if it feels like someone just put a big X through the heart of my story, I smile, say thank you and then go home and throw, rip, toss the critique away.
Do not let anyone take away your heart, your soul, your passion. Ever!!!!!!!!!
That's my two cents.
And so today on this day of days when my novel is finished (at least for the moment--I know there will be rewrites ahead) I want to thank those in my life, who trust my story, who believe in me as a writer, and are still willing to tell me, this chapter is boring! To you, the wind beneath my wings. I say thank you!
* Be the first to leave a comment below or email me at beckieweinheimer@gmail.com and
1)Define--Nirvana
2)Define--Hodgepodge
3) Tell me who composed (2) The Wind Beneath My Wings
and you'll win a critique of two poems or ten pages of your writing.
(As long as you haven't won in the past two months.)
Very well said, Beckie. It is so important to know which comments to take and which critiquers to trust. Sometimes someone who is a great help on one work, is not the right person for another work, so you have to be careful whose help you seek.
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