This week: I'd Like To Be Engaged - Without A Ring Edited by: Gaby  
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Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.
~ Henry Ford
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
The scientific method is about trying to remove our own bias and subjectivity, and be as objective as possible. But then you can put it back into context and you're allowed to be emotional and human about the way you engage with it.
~ Alice Roberts
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I'd Like To Be Engaged - Without A Ring
I am not the best reviewer on the site nor am I a dedicated one. It's just a fact. Anything I read - preferably long short stories - has to grab my attention from the start and it has to keep me engaged in it. I tend to read with editing in mind. Are there any errors? Minor mistakes? What takes unnecessary attention from the actual story I'm reading?
We are all here to share and improve our writing. Sort of, check out our competition of writers and see if we are better or if we can even compare. A learning curve. An interesting experience to be sure. I've said it many times, we cannot grow unless we're willing to learn and in order to do so we have to expand our horizons. That doesn't mean that you have to write like the next guy. You have your own style, your unique voice when it comes to words. It's almost impossible to do that unless you're learning to be a ghost writer.
This particular newsletter subject was prompted by strictly reading other people's work. As mentioned before, I'm not much of a reviewer, but I do try my best once I do review. Reading, to me, is like food. Otherwise, I feel deprived, hangry even, if I don't get my hands on some words. Then, when I find a story that's so complete and engaging, I feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
What makes a story good if not even great? The hook is your first thing. Something interesting, something others haven't thought of yet, that grabs a reader's attention and they want more. Mind you, you can't leave it at that. If your hook is great, the expectations of what's to come are even greater. You have to continue at the same pace. The conclusion of a story is important as well. Be it an actual ending or - my favorite! - cliffhanger, your job is to keep your reader focused on every word until that point.
Still. Is the story engaging? What is sidetracking the reader from it?
Editing isn't anyone's favorite thing to do. I don't mind it unless I have to truly change things up. My mind shuts down right away and refuses to cooperate. However, editing is important. It doesn't have to be done the second you receive a review. It can wait however long it takes for you to go back to that particular written piece. Believe it or not, it's important to your reviewer though. Explain your reasoning for lack of editing in that instant in your reply, because they need to know that their time and effort put into reading and reviewing is appreciated.
However, once you do find the time, I want you to remember a few things. You, the writer, are proud or should be proud of most of your writing. Not everything is a best seller but that's how you should look at it when giving it a second, third, or even a fiftieth look. Read it and be honest with yourself. Did you really give it your all when you wrote it? You need to give your written piece justice once editing. At times, it is what it is. It sits there untouched for years. So are all the reviews you've received. Go through them all. Pay attention to what your readers suggested and what advice they offered.
Here's a painful truth. Not everything we write is worth keeping nor saving. Some things are trash. I might be alone in this, who knows?! Either way, read your writing from a reader's perspective. Are you fully engaged in your own writing or are there things you see that need improving, editing, changing? Do it! When you find the time, do it. Edit and make yourself truly proud of what you wrote.
As I wrote before, some of our writing is simply a process of learning, perhaps even something completely unfamiliar to us. That's okay. There's always time to go back to it and consider your options - keep or delete. But if you're keeping it, then polish it to the best of your abilities, even if it is ten years from now. Do the best you can and be proud of yourself for being capable of writing something to completely engage the reader.
'til next time!
~ Gaby  |
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Comments to my previous " Newsletter (Spare)" :
Sum1's Home!  wrote:
Gaby,
I agree with you. I don't consider myself a novel writer, I say there's not a novel in me. Why do I say that? Because I've taken a writing class of any kind. Okay, I had to take Creative Writing in the 10th grade, but heck, that was back in 1969-70! I remember so little of that class. Maybe I can write one later after I retire. I also have no idea how to build a character, I think it shows in some of my longer short stories. One day I'll improve, but right now I focus more on work than anything else.
Ah, the wishful dream of writing a book once retired. That's my dream.  It's probably the reason why I'm hoping to retire early, knowing full well that retirement alone won't make me write it. Character development can be tough at times. I mean, we have to know them in and out in order to bring them to life for the next 70,000 words. Just the thought of it is tiring.  |
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Short Stories: October 18, 2023 Issue [#12221]
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