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Printed from https://shop.writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/6372-Do-I-Really-Have-to-Address-that-Note.html
For Authors: June 11, 2014 Issue [#6372]

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For Authors


 This week: Do I Really Have to Address that Note?
  Edited by: Jeff Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter


"Some writers enjoy writing, I am told. Not me. I enjoy having written.
-- George R.R. Martin


Trivia of the Week: Jim Butcher, author of the bestselling urban fantasy/crime series The Dresden Files, eventually titled his first book in the series "Storm Front" but changed it from the original working title "Semiautomagic." It took him more than two years and an in-person meeting with an agent who previously turned him down to get it published. The first six books in the series were published straight to paperback, but by the seventh book no one could deny the popularity of the series. Book number 7 (Dead Beat) had an initial printing of 15,000 hardcover copies ... and sold out in three days. By the time book number 9 (White Night) was published just two years later, its initial printing was 100,000 copies.



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Letter from the editor


DO I REALLY HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT NOTE?


Feedback is an important part of our writing process. Whether it's from editors, alpha readers, friends, fans, or a random stranger on the internet, we all have our work reviewed and commented upon at one time or another; and - since writing is subjective - that feedback often comes with opinions on what works, what doesn't work, and sometimes even how to fix it. As an author, getting feedback can be overwhelming, especially for those of us who have even been lucky enough to receive conflicting suggestions from different readers.

When looking at the feedback provided by a reviewer, it's important to remember that - first and foremost - as the author, it's your writing and therefore ultimately your about how that writing appears on the page (or screen). It doesn't matter if the person giving you the advice is a published author, Senior Moderator, or even Stephen King... anyone's opinion is just that: an opinion. Something for you to consider, agree or disagree with, and proceed accordingly.

You are allowed to disagree with suggestions about your work.


But how do you decide which types of suggestions to address and which ones to ignore? For me, there are three basic types of suggestions that are presented in reviews or other analysis of your work:

         *Peno* Technical corrections
         *Peno* Technical suggestions
         *Peno* Creative suggestions

The difference between a "correction" and a "suggestion" is that the former is actually addressing something that's wrong, while a suggestion is merely a proposed alternative to what's already been done. There's no "creative correction" type because that would imply that the original author's creative decisions were objectively wrong and - while they often be improved or refined - they're never objectively wrong.

Technical corrections. This is the feedback that mentions specific mechanical problems with your work. Inadvertent change in point of view or tense, typos, punctuation issues, and other types of spelling or grammatical errors. In general, I think these are generally a good idea to address, as long as they're correcting actual errors and not stylistic choices. After all, your work only gets stronger when you address technical errors that could hinder readability.

Technical suggestions. There are a whole host of technical issues that people are largely undecided upon and argue over. For example, people differ in their opinion of whether you can begin a sentence with a conjunction ("and," "but," "so," etc.) so a review telling you to correct that issue when you fully intended to start a sentence that way is not the same thing as fixing a missing comma between clauses in a sentence. In general, technical suggestions are always worth considering, but it will ultimately be a matter of whether you stylistically want to have it one way or the other. Here is a short (and by no means exhaustive) list of grammar "don'ts" that are actually okay in certain stylistic situations:

         *Peno* Using passive voice.
         *Peno* Beginning a sentence with a conjunction ("and," "but," "so," etc.)
         *Peno* Ending a sentence with a preposition ("of," "up," "for," etc.)
         *Peno* Splitting infinitives ("to boldly go" rather than "to go," "to strongly disagree" rather than "to disagree," etc.)
         *Peno* Double negatives (can sometimes be used to avoid speaking plainly, e.g., "He's not unattractive.")
         *Peno* Using "they" or "them" to describe an individual (English has no gender-neutral pronoun to use)
         *Peno* Paragraphs must contain at least three sentences (one-sentence paragraphs are an acceptable stylistic choice)
         *Peno* Contractions are not acceptable in proper/formal writing (Spelling out, "Can't you help?" would require you to write "Can you not help?", putting the subject between the individual components since "Cannot you help?" doesn't make sense.)

With each of these issues, for every person who says, "No, never do that!" you can probably find someone who says, "Yes, that's fine!" The important thing is to consider the suggestion, then decide for yourself whether it's better one way or the other. Is spelling out a word rather than using a contraction a better choice there? Does the passive voice make for a less effective sentence than one written in active voice? Is the split infinitive adding an unnecessary adverb or does it serve a purpose? All of these decisions are subjective ones; you're not required to address them unless you're either correcting a clear error or stylistically prefer the suggestion someone made to your own way of doing it.

Creative suggestions. This is a huge category because the suggestions can include differences of opinion on anything from concept to story to character development to structure to dialogue to formatting. The most important thing to remember here is that you should be developing a personal style as a writer. Some writers are very lush in their description while others are sparse. Some are heavy with the metaphors and similes while others prefer to speak plainly. Some like to use a thesaurus to its full extent and talk in terms of crimsons and burgundies and scarlets while others will tend to just call it "red." These are subjective choices we make as writers and there is even less certainty here than there are for technical suggestions. Some of the creative choices that people may comment upon include (but again aren't by any means limited to):

         *Peno* Word choice
         *Peno* Structure of sentences, paragraphs, and/or chapters
         *Peno* Amount and/or type of sensory description/imagery included
         *Peno* Literal vs. metaphorical description
         *Peno* Choice of narration (point of view, tense, etc.)
         *Peno* Use and quantity of dialogue
         *Peno* Use of literary devices (alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, symbolism, etc.)
         *Peno* Pacing, amount of action, etc.

These can be the most difficult aspects to consider because there is no right answer, and there aren't any clearly defined options, like with technical suggestions. With a technical suggestion, you either like the way a sentence sounds with a preposition at the end of it, or you don't. One way works better for you than another, and it's simply a matter of choosing between defined options. With creative suggestions, though, it can be difficult to weigh the desirability of a particular word choice against all the other possible synonyms out there, and you can debate the merits of first person versus third person perspective from now until the end of time. At the end of the day, though, it's you - the author - who have to make a decision and stick with it. Reviewers may provide their thoughts or preferences that you can take into consideration... but if a reviewer says they wanted more sensory detail (smells, tastes, sounds, etc.) and you're a writer who primarily focus on visual description, you're not wrong just because someone else prefers it another way. Even if they gave you a low rating or you didn't place in a contest because of it, that creative choice is still your decision and one you should stand by if you believe in it.

In my opinion, reviewers should be very careful with these kinds of creative suggestions too. A review should be about what works and doesn't work for you as it's written... not an opportunity to tell them how you would write their story. There's nothing wrong with an offered suggestion or example of what you're talking about here and there, but make sure you're discussing how to improve the story that they've written rather than how to make it the story you'd have written. *Wink*

When someone takes the time to review your work, the least you can do is take the time to carefully consider each note you're given and thank the person for their time. After all, they're just trying to offer you suggestions (and sometimes technical corrections) that they think will make the writing better. But you're also the author, it's your work, and the final decision is up to you. Maybe after thinking it over, you decide you like the way you use onomatopoeia to keep your audience on its toes, or maybe you like the way your story begins with a strong line of dialogue. Or maybe you think your choice to limit your description to a minimal number of simple visual details is enough and you don't need to go on and on about the way the room smells or the way the battle sounds.

I listened to an old episode of the "Writing Excuses" podcast this morning in which Brandon Sanderson (prolific author of many series, including The Stormlight Archive and the final books of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series) discusses receiving feedback from his writing group, which consists of several other published authors. Even with other established, professional writers giving him feedback, he mentioned that he maybe takes 25% of the suggestions he's offered. That doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate the suggestions or understand where they're coming from; it's just that he doesn't rush to implement every suggestion he's given... he carefully considers each one and dismisses three out of every four because he either doesn't agree or it doesn't mesh with what he's trying to accomplish.

As authors, it's important to listen to other voices and opinions to understand how our work is landing with an audience. We're incredibly close to our own work, and it's not always to see the errors that someone else can easily spot when they're reading it for the first time. A second (or third or fourth or even fifth) set of eyes can tell you what needs to be clarified, what's too obvious, what works well, and what could use some refinement. But that doesn't mean you have to implement every single suggestion that's made.

Make sure you're giving proper weight and consideration (and respect) to every suggestion that's made, even if you don't agree with it. But at the same time, make sure you're writing the kind of story you want to write, the way you want to write it.

Until next time,

-- Jeff Author IconMail Icon


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Ask & Answer



Feedback on my last newsletter about the lie and importance of multitasking:


Joto-Kai Author Icon writes, "Consciously, we can only handle roughly seven details—barely enough for a simple, linear task. But that's okay because the rest of the brain functions massively parallel, dealing with thousands of data points. The key to success in any endeavor (if you're human) is to handle whatever the subconscious brings to your attention, and assume that it knows what to do with the rest. Or, so it would seem... "

It's amazing how much our brains handles that we're not even consciously aware of. A lot of people cite the "ten percent of our brains myth" as evidence of the potential for significantly increased mental capacity, but the truth is that remaining 90% of our brain is already handling so many of the processes we don't even think about but still need to get done. You know, like walking, breathing, etc. *Laugh*



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