Both my critique reader/writers have sent back their feedback, but like all feedback it requires evaluation before acting on it. We need to evaluate it objectively, in terms of what is best for our book, and that means loosening our attachment to our work as it stands. This process of evaluation has shown me that a writer’s perception of what they’ve written may not be the same as what they actually have written, and the only way you’ll learn that is through someone else’s eyes. Here’s a couple of examples. The issues are things that any YA author with a romantic element in their work could check in their ms. Among other things, Laurie said… ‘The one thing I’m having difficulty with is the Nick-Ariel relationship ... I think its overwritten  ...  the prose sometimes borders on Mills and Boon ... And the many repetitions of their eyes meeting for a moment and then the energy that passes between them that wore me down. Maybe it just ignites too soon and goes on too long.  Partly … [Read more...]