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Whose opinion do I trust
I wrote a novel a while back, been trying to get it published. I had a bunch of people beta-read it. Not people that have like deep insight in the technics of English language things, but just people that know a good story. They all gave my novel shining praise in that, asked questions and made comments when things needed clarifying, and I did what I could for what they brought up.
Recently, a friend who is a very technical person when it comes to literature read my first few chapters, and kinda ripped my book apart for its use of passive tense all the time, and several things. So far, no comment about the plot. And she asked me to stop submitting the book until she reads it all, and sees if there's more to rip apart and tell me.
Until just recently, I thought I was ready for publishing. Did my earlier readers lie to me? Were they just dumb? Is my current beta-reader being overly technical? Should I even keep bothering with writing if I can't even spot these technical things?
HELP!
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Whose opinion do you trust? Both.
Obviously, your novel is interesting and has a good story. That's one of the most important parts!
The technical stuff... well, that's what editors are for. It may seem like she's "ripping apart" your book, but really, it's just some technical stuff that likely nobody but literary nuts or publishing company staff would notice.
Both aspects are important. Who knows... the technical things that your friend is suggesting could be the difference between getting rejected or being published!
Keep dreaming, and keep writing! And don't let it get you down that you made some technical errors. You have a talent to be proud of.
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I used to eagerly beta-read and offer advice to all kinds of writers, but I've recently started to avoid it. I avoid it because I began to work with some lovely, talented professionals whose actual job it is to counsel, edit and offer dramaturgical advice to writers.
I’ve learned that although I can offer my own opinion and experience, I do NOT have any expert advice, and truly successful, communicative writing, requires expert advice.
I don’t mean to slight any of your other readers, but who are they exactly? Are they editors? Editorial assistants? Are they working on their masters in creative writing? Do they have jobs with a publishing company? Do they regularly read and offer feedback on unsolicited manuscripts? Are they published? Are they any of creative writing professionals or even academic writing professionals? Do they have ANY credentials at all besides being avid readers?
Avid reading might be a damn good place to start as a writer, but it certainly doesn’t make you a good writer, or a good editor, any more than watching a lot of movies makes you Spielberg.
If you weren’t going to professionals for advice, then you need to understand that in many cases you get what you pay for: Your book didn’t get edited, or even beta-read really, it just got perused by some literature-savvy friends of yours. Which is a good place to start, however, is woefully insufficient if you are aiming to be a professional writer.
Is this new friend of yours being technical? Yep. But she is also DEAD RIGHT. Passive voice, especially in the first chapters, is a very good way to get your unsolicited submission tossed into the reject pile. It grates editor’s nerves. I know that plainly enough, they bitch about it over drinks.
Now, I have a bias because I am staunch supporter of the school of thought of ‘well-made’ literature and writing, as perhaps your friend is as well. However, this school of thought is not necessarily evil and elitist. Many famous modern writers (Steven King and Anne Marie MacDonald come to mind) also teach and write about form, structure and the technical precision which lends strength to their writing.
So whose opinion should you trust? As an artist, I think you need to trust everyone’s and no one’s at all. Which is to say, listen carefully and put each opinion in its place: The opinion of a friend that don’t quite believe such and such a character is a useful one. The opinion of a technically skilled writer that you use far too much passive voice is certainly an important thing to consider. The opinion of an editor or someone with a masters in creative writing that chapter five lags, that you are blowing your load to soon, or not earning your conclusion, or mixing your messages or any other kind of crime you can commit, is obviously important.
I’m sure your friends didn’t lie to you earlier; I wouldn’t even call them dumb. I would simply say their area of expertise is limited to being readers, not to being editors or offering serious ‘big picture’ guidance to a writer.
So send the manuscript to this technically minded friend, then go one step further: Find someone who doesn’t know or like you, but who has an area of expertise you think you could use. Many creative writing Masters and PHD students will take a bit of cash from you and rip your writing apart and give you some great academic advice and new things to think about regarding your work.
Don’t get down on yourself. Just reach for new resources and if you want to be a professional, start approaching professionals, not peers.
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