How to Help Authors: Write Reviews

Periodically, I'll get to spend time with readers or developing writers. I absolutely love it. There's something so fun about rediscovering books through the eyes of a book club. Or to talk about why they want to write with new writers. Often it will come up that they'd like to help and encourage their favorite authors, but they don't always know how.

One super easy way is to write a review. It can be as easy as leaving a 5 star mark on Amazon or as detailed as telling people why you liked a book.

Writing a review can be intimidating but it doesn't need to be. I’m always glad to help people feel more comfortable spreading the word about books they love. I love to tell everyone about books that I love…and now that I’m an author, I know just how much a well written review — even if it’s a few sentences (or stars) can help authors.

Many readers use the number of reviews as one way to decide whether or not to try a book or a new to them author. It’s really easy to write reviews! Really.

I’ve never taken a course on book reviews, and actually fell into writing them almost by accident.

Love books? Want to review, but don’t know how? @Cara_Putman shares 4 easy paragraphs to a #review. http://www.thewritersalleyblog.com/2015/04/how-to-help-authors-write-reviews.html

CLICK TO TWEET

So after I started a blog more years ago than I want to think about, it made sense to have books be a large part of that blog.

About the same time I joined ACFW. Through it’s e-loop, I got to know many authors. Often they ask for influencers — people who will read a book and if they like it tell people about it. I love to connect people. If you’ve read The Tipping Point, I fall clearly into that category. I am enthusiastic about anything I can do to connect people with a person or product I love.

That’s how I started, and now I can’t imagine not doing it. So, here’s a review I wrote recently and I’m going to insert explanation throughout to explain why I wrote what I did….

1) First Paragraph: A quick summary: Happy, happy sigh. This reader was swept away by Courtney Walsh‘s delightful Paper Hearts. It is one of those sweet romances that just has it all! (This is a way to quickly introduce the book and tell a bit about the book in general. Now on to the meat.)

2) Second Paragraph: set the stage. Abigail Pressman has a dream to expand her bookstore set in a tourist town in the Colorado mountains. All she needs to do is scrape together the funds to buy the building. Before she can do that a new doctor swings into town with the cash to buy her building. Before she really meets him, she knows he could threaten her future plans and happiness…not to mention her livelihood. Jacob didn’t intend to destroy her life, he just wanted to create a new one for himself and his daughter. Think You’ve Got Mail. But then the Valentine Volunteers get involved — think a Greek Chorus ala Letters to Juliet, and all kinds of shenanigans happen. (Now I’m telling a little about the characters and the plot. What resonated with me? Why might someone else like these elements? My goal is to give enough to intrigue and give a sense of the story…but never, ever, ever giveaway plot points! Those are sacred for the reader to discover on their own.)

3) Third Paragraph: Dive deeper into themes. This book is rich with secondary characters who beg to have books of their own, yet keep from stealing the show. Abigail is the kind of heroine I would love to sit down with and share cups of her special Love Peak brew. And the paper hearts are an excellent reminder to keep an eye on my personal romance and ways to keep it alive through good and bad times. (Sometimes if there’s a strong spiritual thread that resonated with me, I will include that here. This book has great themes, but the charm of it for me is the characters and the paper hearts. So that’s where I focused. But I always try to dig deeper than a plot summary. You can get that from the about the book section of most online retailers. What’s key here is to give the readers peeks into what makes this book special, memorable, perfect for them.)

4) Fourth Paragraph: the perfect summary and reader. This is a romance perfect for those who love a contemporary story filled with heart, characters you’ll adore, and a romance laced with enough angst and ahhhs to keep you reading. (I always try to summarize really quickly who the book is perfect for. I read very broadly, so all books I like aren’t for all readers. So I describe the reader who will like this type of book. )

Now here’s an older review:

ADAM by Ted Dekker

1) Setting the stage: I signed up – reluctantly – to read Ted Dekker. You see, I enjoyed some of his earlier books, then hit a point where they just weren’t my thing. Plenty of other people love them, but I had more than enough other books to invest my time in. (This beginning was important to me — I wanted to let readers understand that I used to like Dekker and then stopped. His plots became the same in a way that was important to me. I think knowing my frame of mind when I started reading the book lends credibility to what I will say about it next) Then ADAM arrived in yesterday’s mail. 8 hours later, I had consumed the book after some careful ribbing from my husband. That’s okay, he’ll consume it just as quickly on his next flight. (How much does a book grip me? Is it easy to put down? Do I read it almost obsessively? There are many books I enjoy, but can read over a week or more. Then there are others that I HAVE to read. If you read enough of my reviews, you quickly get a sense which category a book falls into)

2) Setting the Stage: Daniel Clark is a FBI behavioral scientist who is famous for his well-reasoned arguments that religion is one of society’s greatest antagonists. He’s killed by a serial killer but resuscitated. He and a fellow FBI agent go to extremes to try to recapture his memories of the moments prior to death. (These two short paragraphs give a sneak look at the plot. Especially with suspense, I am EXTREMELY careful not to give away key plots. I try to use the synopsis as a teaser…here’s a bit about the main character and the plot…do you want to know more?)

3) What I like about the book: The book has marvelous pacing – I literally couldn’t put it down. The only good news was I didn’t have anything else I had to get done last night! And the characters have great conflict. The plot is filled with twists that I didn’t anticipate, yet fit the classic Dekker book mold.(This sentence lets current Dekker readers know he hasn’t changed his stripes, ala John Grisham. But it also lets you know that it kept me, a suspense writer, guessing.)

Dekker uses magazine articles interspersed between chapters to fill in the gaps and make the serial killer more than a shadow. From page one you are learning the tragedy of his early years. It reminded me of the technique Brandilyn Collins used extremely well in her Kanner Lake series. (This is a unique plot device that is showing up more often in books. Some use it very well. Others not so much. This let’s readers know that it’s there — so if it really bugs you, this book may not be for you. But it also compares it to another author who uses this technique very effectively.)

The book also deals with the reality of the supernatural realm and the American viewpoint that it doesn’t really exist. The Catholic church is the main religion highlighted, and it is handled in a positive light. (Because it branches into some controversial religious topics I highlight them quickly without giving away the take and twists. I usually highlight the spiritual or some other aspect of growth in the characters.)

4) Perfect Audience: While I wouldn’t recommend this book for young teens, due to content, if you like a thriller with plenty of supernatural twists thrown in, then you will enjoy this book. (I included this because I think it is my duty to let others know if there is a reason I wouldn’t want someone to unknowingly hand it to a young person. I very rarely put caveats like this on a book, but I want people to trust my reviews. For example, right now I don’t think I would let A read this when she’s 14. She’s 7 now. But that may change. Other young teens may be able to handle the material, but parents need to know it could be an issue.)

So that’s how I write book reviews. What do you like to see in reviews? What makes them helpful for you?

Cara Putman

An award-winning author of twenty books, Cara is a lecturer on business and employment law to graduate students at Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management. Putman also practices law and is a second-generation homeschooling mom. She lives with her husband and four children in Indiana.

Writing In the Zone: How the Science of "Flow" Can Increase Our Creative Output

Do you know any video gamers? Food, sleep, and even bathroom breaks are foregone by a teenager who is in the "zone" of the game. Caught in its vortex, chores and homework are forgotten for the evening.They enter a "flow" of activity that is so self-consuming, self-immersion to the point that nothing else exists.

Why are so many teens so hooked on gaming?

Flow. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote a groundbreaking psychology book on the topic that has been discussed in TED Talks and has implications for the workplace and universities.

How can plugging into "the zone" like video gamers do improve our creativity?

Flow is the "state when people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to make matter." The task is enjoyable just for the pure sake of doing it.

Is that what writing is for you? Or has it become a means to an end? Are you so completely absorbed in your writing that nothing else exists?

The best video gamers enter a trance where they play but pay no attention to the details of the game. Do we become hyperfocused on word choice, sentence structure, etc and begin to lose that flow?

Good gamers are skilled and like to increase the level of challenges. Video game designers up the ante by creating entertainment that is self-motivating. You are intrinsically motivated to hit the next level, then the next. You keep upping the ante for yourself, there is always a new level to be achieved, a new monster to be killed, more in-game rewards.

Don't we all love those days when the words fly off the tip of our keyboard and nothing but our storyworld exists? 

Mihaly lists three conditions for creating flow in the workplace, which can also benefit our writing lives.

1) To achieve flow, goals must be clear.

Have you forgotten why you truly write? 

First of all I think we must recognize that we need to write for the pure love of it.

What is your next goal? Not  your dream.

Remember goals must be concrete and definable, able to be broken down.

2) We must be able to obtain immediate feedback.

At some jobs this is easier than others. This is where the online community can come in handy. It is a virtual realm where we can find the feedback of other writers at all times. If we don't know how we're doing, we won't grow.

3) A balance must exist between opportunity and capacity.

If you truly believe you can't achieve your goals, you won't be able to stay in the "zone" of creativity. Yet you need to keep the challenge level high.

Know what to do.

Practicing rituals related to our writing day may help. For instance, a cup of coffee in your snoopy mug, a particular spot for writing, physical surroundings such as photos of loved ones. These things center you in your goals.

Know how to do it.

Read craft books in your own time, but don't bring these to mind during your writing time. Read good books in your genre and absorb all they can teach you. You don't need to specifically focus on techniques, the things you've learned will flow out.

Knowing how well you are doing.

Here again is the value of using critique partners, feedback groups and accountability friends. Seek feedback on a continuous basis. Listen and grow from it. But don't let thinking about these evaluations hold you back during your writing time.

High perceived challenges.

What was your writing goal yesterday? Take it up a notch. Add 100 words today. Did you write a magazine article this week? Next week, shoot for two. How can you up the challenge of your career goals?

High perceived skills.

Challenges without skills equals discouragement. If God is calling you to write, He will equip you with the skills you need. Your writing time is not the time to beast yourself up over your stilted dialogue or flat characters. You will edit and improve on these things later. For now, stay in your zone. Be confident in the calling God has given you.

Freedom from distractions.

I think we all know how quickly we can allow these simple things to pull us away from flow. Some may need music, others silence. Some of us work best in a crowd, others need a quiet corner. What energizes you? Spend some time thinking about it and think of ways to fight those specific distractions. Find your best time of day and devote it to your creative pursuits.



What is distracting you from writing in the zone? Let's brainstorm here together!

  Julia is a writer and reviewer for Library Journal, as well as a contributor to the site Wonderfully Woven. She lives in the Richmond, Virginia area with her husband, two children, and three ragdoll cats.

Get It Done or Get It Right?

In college, I was one of those weird architecture students who would stay up til 4 in the morning at

www.freedigitalphotos.net by toa55

the studio, grab some breakfast at IHOP, take a quick two hour nap at my apartment, then get back up to the studio to present my baby--a project slaved over until the VERY. LAST. MINUTE.

Yep, I like to think that my architecture degree is good for something now--creating in me a work ethic of at least optimizing the wee morning hours for productivity. Eh.

Guess it helped when I was a new mother and those late night feedings.

Oh, and  it helps now, as I write this blog post at the VERY.LAST.MINUTE before it's to be published.

But in all seriousness, I have realized that my degree earned some decade and a half ago, might not be used as it was intended, but in hindsight, I've learned from it as I try and apply it now as a writer. It's not in a way that I would expect. Because I look back on those days and what I did WRONG is what I need to remember NOW to get my writing...RIGHT... 

www.freedigitalphotos.net by Stuart Miles

In that competitive studio atmosphere, it was always pretty exciting to come up with ideas and run with them. Yeah, think Cutthroat Kitchen with t-squares and vellum rolls. My classmates would still be brainstorming with chicken scratch and thoughtful conversation, while I'd whip up a first draft master plan within a day of the assignment. I'd get my final materials at Hobby Lobby, plop down at my desk, and start to work while my classmates were just nailing down their concepts.

You may wonder why I was working at the very last second before the project was due as I stated at first? 

It's the exact same reason I feel like many of my stories fall short. I crank out the story before I even let it mature. I pluck those first ideas from my brain and don't question the "insteads", "what ifs", "better thans", and "howevers".

Back then, I was so focused on getting the project complete, I didn't allow myself to grow the project along the way. So those last seconds of work were my frantic band-aiding the presentation to force maturation of a pre-mature idea. And many of my classmates had gone to that next level...even if it took them longer to get there. 

Finally, nine years later, my anxiety to crank the story out is shoved aside by GET IT RIGHT! And my definition of RIGHT in writing is: fully grown in style, depth, and especially intrigue where the only question asked is, "How can we even consider passing this up?"

www.freedigitalphotos.net by khunaspix

I never thought I would put the brakes on getting a project submitted before. But it doesn't seem so crazy now. Because, what's the point on whipping something up and getting it out there, when there are "insteads", "what ifs", and "better thans" begging to be asked?

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Angie Dicken is a full-time mom and lives in the Midwest with her Texas Aggie sweetheart. An ACFW member since 2010, she has written five Historical Romance novels, has a Historical underway, and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Angie also spends her time designing one-sheets, selling Jamberry, and drinking good coffee with great friends. Check out her author page at www.facebook.com/dicken.angie and her personal blog at angiedicken.blogspot.com 

The Blank Page Battle

Ask a writer to list the most daunting thing they have to face and I bet 9 out of 10 would say: the blank page.

It’s a screen of white and it’s filled with the possibility of everything that could go right.

It’s a screen of white and it’s filled with the possibility of everything that could go wrong.

It starts with Once upon a time…

And concludes with The End.

It induces panic.

It insights creativity.

It’s the most marvelous of beginnings and the most desperate of starts.

But it’s just a blank page.

And it’s only blank as long as there aren’t any words on the screen. Because once you put fingers to keyboard and type anything at all, that blank page is no longer blank. And one filled page spills over to become two and two becomes three and three becomes an entire novel.

What is writing? One blank page on top of another blank page, filled with words that string together 

to tell a story.

I don’t think it’s the first page that is the hardest for me to fill. To be honest, that one is easy, because the story is fresh and new, bubbling forth with excitement and climax of words pushing for release.

It’s the middle of the story when the blank pages still to be filled overwhelm me. Doubts start to surface and I don’t think I can reach THE END. I don’t think that I can squeeze more one word from my parched mind as it struggles to put these characters through their paces.

This is where doubt and fear begin to have their way in my heart and my fingers freeze on the keyboard. Lies bombard my mind telling me no matter what I write, its trash. Only fit to be burned in the rubbish heap.

Lies.

Lies.

Lies

But as writers we too often believe them, instead of rebuking them in the name of Jesus.

It doesn’t matter how long you have been writing. It doesn’t matter how many books you have to your name—published or not. These lies are attacks straight from the enemy’s quiver.

Why? Because you are doing something that will have eternal impact for the kingdom of God. 

Whether your book is read by one person or ten thousand persons, God promises that His word cannot go out into this world and come back void.

And the enemy wants nothing to do this with promise. In fact, he wants to attack everything about this promise and completely thwart its forward progress.

And the easiest place he can start is you staring at the blank page.

Do you prepare yourself for battle when you sit down to write? If you have been called to write, you will feel this pressure. This fight. But in all things, all things God promises to strengthen us to do this task through the will of Christ Jesus.

Including filling that blank page.

Because it doesn’t matter how many times you have to rewrite. It doesn’t matter how many times you have to rethink and edit those words.

A blank page won’t impact a life. A blank page won’t fight a spiritual war. A blank page won’t change the outcome of your dream.

Only a filled page can and will. So don’t allow the lies of the evil one to crowd out this one, steadfast and honest truth: you. are. capable. 

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Casey Herringshaw is a homeschool graduate and has been writing since high school. She is a country girl now living in a metropolis of Denver, Colorado, employed as an a

Through All of It...

I'm an avid listener to Christian music through Christian radio (shout out to WAYfm and Klove) and there is a song playing right now that I L.O.V.E.

It's from Colton Dixon....

The chorus goes a little something like...

I have won
and I have lost
I got it right sometimes
But sometimes I did not
Life's been a journey
I've seen joy, I've seen regret
Oh and You have been my God
Through all of it

I was listening to this last night and thinking about the WRITING journey, and how appropriate this song is for both life as a whole and this crazy ride we are on.

We win some. We get that contract. Publish that book. Sign with that agent.

But we lose some too. That rejection. Lose an agent. Crummy book sales. Readers who aren't so fond of our books.

I KNOW I can say about my books that I've gotten it right on occasion, but man, sometimes my look at what I write and think, yeah, that's not it.

This WRITING life is a journey. You'll have joy, and I can promise you'll have regret. But here is the BEST part. God's still our God through all of it. He is walking beside us, through the good times and the frustrating ones. Through the times of crazy busyness like our sweet Pepper is experiencing right now, and times of disappointment and frustration, and times of waiting.

Sometimes it's good for me. To stop and remember that all this is normal. It's indicative of LIFE as a whole. And that regardless of it all, God is always my God. He loves me. He is God OVER all this "stuff."

It's such a simple truth yet so profound.

If you've never heard the song, I highly suggest it. Linking to the Youtube video below for you.

 When things are wild busy or frustratingly not... take a moment to sit and remember.

Through it all.... God is there.

He is present.

He is with you.

And that's enough.

How DOES A Walk Tattle-Tale Our True Thoughts?

Many children will aim straight for a puddle. What I find amazing about this photo is the little girl is not stomping to create a splash or kicking the water into the air. She is going somewhere and won't let anything get in her way. This young lady is determined and ready to tackle whatever is dealt.

I always knew when my mom was mad at my dad. She didn't need to say anything or even look at him. How then did I know?  Heavy placed steps boomed with a distinct rhythm throughout the house. Mom was actually walking from one room to another, but I knew that negative spirit thump without seeing or hearing her. I bolted to my room or slipped outside to play.

Our characters walk a lot in our stories.

They walk to the store, walk in the store, walk out of the store, walk to their car, from their car, in their house, to the kitchen, and at the end of the day they walk to their bed. Ho hum.

The word walk and some of its synonyms can drag the momentum of a story to a snail's pace. 

Walk is hardly descriptive other than to communicate a living creature moved from one location to another. What real benefit is that to move a story forward? 

Imagine treating this vague, nondescript, four-letter word as the diamond it's meant to be. A time to tattle-tale a person's emotion. Now we're talking.

Consider the devious thrill you, the author, will have when lighting a spark to a sentence by revealing the secret emotion behind the movement.

This topic popped in my mind when hubby and I toured Columbus, Ohio. Hubby and I waited at the light to cross the downtown street. A crowd of pedestrians from the other side stepped into the street when the light turned green and moved toward us. One young man, about college age, swayed side to side with his hands stuffed in his pockets. His baggy shirt covered the waist of his jeans which sagged lower than his hips. His shoulders took the lead, left, right, keeping a cool, tough, beat. He squinted, keeping his gaze forward. 

Then IT happened. Whoever he put this show on for must have passed. His eyes popped open to normal. His gait leveled as if strolling in the park. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and let them swing normally with his stride. I knew I had witnessed fodder for our characters. 

I had so many questions. Who did this young man want to impress? Why did he feel the Joe Cool walk would impress the person? Why did he change his gait after the person passed? See how this clarity of the young man's walk deepens our understanding and adds questions about him? 3-D material to the max!

Proviso: Getting wordy is not the answer. Purple prose, waxing eloquently, and pages of boring words do not help us understand a character. Being clear with our words is the answer. 

Think of killing two birds with one stone. So we invest a few extra words to communicate the manner in which a person moves and at the same time infuse what is conveyed by that style of movement. This could be a goldmine! 

Today I'm going to discuss a few styles of walk and see how we can help our characters show their emotion/thoughts in their movement.

Photo by Mary Vee

1. The cowboy walk. This phrase is used in many books today. What does this mean? After living in Montana, I've seen quite a variety of cowboy walks.

*We love to read about the handsome cowboy whose boots resonate on the floor, one step to every ten beats of our heart. Swoon. 
*What about the cowboy who walks off the arena after being thrown in a rodeo? His steps are wide to accommodate the chaps and planted firm in the dirt. The poor guy is embarrassed and hurtin'. 
*Consider the cowboy who found the missing calf tangled in brush and has to carry the injured animal to safety. The weight is heavy. His steps shorter. He is leaned back. His heart is filled with compassion. Sweat drips down his neck. 

The only thing all these cowboys have in common with their walk is their bowed legs.

Photo Courtesy

2. Maneuvering through a crowded area takes concentration.
Add to the mix: 
*A stroller. How many people's heals will be bumped? Space is a big issue. What if there is no elevator and your character has to tackle the escalator?
*Packages. 
*The slow moving person in the way when your character is in a hurry. Of course the slow mover slides in the exact direction your MC wants to go, compounding the problem.
 I haven't seen too many happy/bubbly people moving in a crowd like this.

Photo Courtesy

Slipping sandals off and strolling on a beach with your man is romantic. 
But, a sandy beach can be difficult to maneuver.
*An unexpected wave can send our female MC running to dry sand. To avoid getting her clothes wet, she crosses the foot in the water over the other before taking another step. She might trip. This doesn't upset her, though. She'll break out in laughter.
*Bare footed walkers curl their toes and tip somewhat to keep their balance. Calf and thigh muscles are strained. She is focused. Can be distracted from a conversation by a jelly fish, or stepping on a pebble.
*Beach walking is a workout and can cause her to become winded during conversations.
*Breaks are sometimes taken to watch ships, etc.
*Losing track of where one started is a common problem on the return stroll. 

Photo Courtesy

Walking is so much more than moving from one place to another. Our characters are using this action to communicate. 

*small steps are taken when concerned (ice, stilettos, obstacles, pacing)
*long strides are taken when angry, in a hurry, motivated
*one foot is placed in front of the other (like in the picture) when having fun or following an intentional path. Children walk on cracks. Adults follow colored stripes in hospitals.
*hips sway when female characters call attention to themselves, shoulders sway when male characters want attention. Think of models or when we parade a new outfit.
*slow steps are used when contemplating, relaxing, sad, lost, lonely, reflecting,
*hard steps with intention are used when confident, angry, in charge.   



Consider one of your scenes. Most likely someone is walking at some point. How can you demonstrate what the character is feeling, thinking, sensing, etc by their movement? Can you substitute some clarity where you have the word walk in this scene?


Photo Courtesy for top photo: MorgueFile.com by hotblack-photo modified for this use. 

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If you found any typos in today's post...sorry about that. 

Mary has moved to Michigan with her husband, closer to her three college kids. She misses the mountains of Montana, but loves seeing family more often. She writes young adult mystery/adventure Christian fiction, is honing marketing and writing skills, and loves to pen missionary and Bible adventure stories on her ministry blog, God Loves Kids.

Visit Mary at her website and her ministry blog to families: God Loves Kids. Or chat on Facebook or Twitter

How to Break Up With Your Book {with Special Guest Jaime Wright}

Hi, everyone! It's Laurie. I'm still on maternity leave, enjoying my nine-pound boy cub born on March 30. In the meantime, I'm thrilled to host my writing sister Jaime Wright to The Alley today. She is a historical romantic suspense writer, selfie queen, coffee aficionado, NEWLY CONTRACTED WITH BARBOUR (!!!!), and one of the people I'm most grateful to do life and writing with :) Please give her a warm welcome!

I went through a bad break-up a few years ago. It was the best decision of my life. I broke up with my novel. Ended it. I determined that while I still loved it, being in a relationship with it was not the wisest decision. Because I couldn’t see straight. My vision was blurry. And any criticism I received became super personal.

Ok. Maybe that’s a horrible analogy, but you writers get my drift? When it comes to criticism, negative or positive, it can become an attack. A rampage on our personal ability, on a character we bled over, on a plot we thought was layered and deep, on a word we chose for just that perfect emotion. And then the red ink that drips off the page…

Criticism can be difficult to accept. Especially when we are so in love with our work that it consumes us. Once, a critique partner, one of my dear writing sisters, hacked an entire chapter from my book. The remark came back with (moderate paraphrase): “This slows it down. It confuses me why it’s here. In fact, this is a completely pointless chapter.”

Another writing sister puts remarks in the comments section with: “Blah, blah, blah”, “Omigosh, MORE questions? Can’t this character think for herself?”, “Bored. So bored.”, and “You’re going to need to kill off a character to make me keep reading this drivel”.

Ouch.

Or is it ouch? When I was married to my work and thought it was oh–so-wonderful, that would have been painful. But now, I see my work as … imperfect. Flawed. And I need relationship counseling. To make this novel be the best it can be, to strengthen it, to hone it, to maximize on its potential, I need to be open to looking inside it and identifying its weakness.

This means three major implications:

Develop Relational Boundaries: My book does not define ME. When a critique partner, an agent, an editor, or God forbid, my DAD, points out a flaw or an area of opportunity, it is not a reflection on me. No one is pointing past the book to me and shouting “YOU STINK!” Ok. Maybe that one negative reviewer that should be banned from Amazon ‘cause they’re a complete jerk, but otherwise, most people tend to give honest feedback with the intent to help. That’s why it’s called feedback. They feed back to us information we can take, disseminate, and implement. All to create a novel that grows from its good foundation to a better foundation.

Accept the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: In any relationship, there are aspects that are good, some that are bad, and some that are downright horrendous. Like the Hunchback of Notre Dame, there’s that disability in our novel that screams “FIX ME” and yet sometimes we can’t see it. But others can. Unfortunately, we often want to focus on our vision on the good and maybe some bad, but going to that ugly means scraping off the scabs and causing us to bleed. But it’s necessary. Like cutting that boring chapter that put my critique partner to sleep. Best. Surgical procedure. Ever.

Embrace Change: Change is important in any relationship. In the writing world, that doesn’t necessarily mean jumping genres as much as it embraces the concept that as you exercise your writing vocal chops, your writing will change. And it should change. Change is a good thing and should be a welcome thing. When the editor asks you to change your heroine’s name, weigh it out on the scale of importance. Really. Is that name worth arguing over? When the critique partners suggest cutting several paragraphs of scene-setting descriptors, ask yourself: will this change positively affect the outcome? 

Too often, we bristle. Don’t they know how long it took me to research wallpaper in 1892 and the exact pattern that would have been popular in a New Jersey Victorian home? Instead of: Okay, so I enjoyed the research, but maybe three paragraphs of explanation regarding Victorian wallpaper is a tad too much.

Last but not least, it’s also important to remember that breaking-up with your novel doesn’t mean you can’t get back together. Sometimes the best relationships are forged through adversity. Not to mention, sometimes the best perspectives are formed by looking from the outside in. Fresh eyes, new ideas, and critical thinking can take a good book and make it a great book.

So, avoid that life-sucking relationship with your novel that keeps you from growth and pushes you toward the uncomfortable. It’s in the uncomfortable you sometimes find that masterpiece awaiting you.

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Professional coffee drinker Jaime Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing spirited and gritty turn-of-the-century romance stained with suspense. Her day job finds her a Director of Associate Sales, Development & Relations. She’s wife to a rock climbing, bow-hunting youth pastor, mom to a coffee-drinking little girl and a Sippy cup-drinking baby boy, and completes her persona by being an admitted Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Blogspot junkie.

Jaime is a member of ACFW, enjoys mentorship from a best-selling author, and has the best critique partners EVER! (Yes, that's an exclamation point.) She was a semifinalist in ACFW’s 2013 Genesis contest and that alone encouraged excessive celebration over extra espresso with hazelnut syrup.

In her "down time", Jaime reads voraciously, socializes incessantly, drinks coffee addictively, and overuses "-ly" words excessively.

Links:

Website: http://www.jaimewrightbooks.com

Group blog: http://coffeecupsandcamisoles.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaimewrightbooks

Twitter: Jaime_wright

Pinterest: jaimewright01