5+ Things to Look for in Choosing Free Editors/Critiquers for Your Book

I don't know what it is about us writers, (maybe it's because most of us are poor) but we are constantly striving to find new and improved ways to get the writing work done without shelling out the dough.

Don't get me wrong. I think, because we are also creative types, that we feel as if we can do it all (or at the very least) feel as if we can get everyone else to do it for us for free.

And while this may be true in many respects, it's the word "respect" that I want to focus on today, for, although you may ask your best friend to help you edit and/or critique your latest novel, it may not be in your best interest to do so, at least not with this particular friend.

Let explain:

When it comes to editing a piece of work it's not enough for the reader to say, I liked it, or it was good, right? You need more concrete answers like, the plot seems to have some holes in it, and this is where I found them or, the main character didn't feel strong enough to me. It was almost like the secondary characters ran the novel.

While it is true that there are various editing styles, from the English teacher grammar generals to the general reader types, it's important to get just the right friends and acquaintances to look over your work.

Here are some guidelines I use when deciding who to have read my work:

1. I like them to be well-read in the genre in which I'm having them assist me. It's much harder to get clear answers when the individual is struggling to understand your fantasy world (having never before read a fantasy).

2. I like them to be honest with solutions. If they have a concern, I want to know what it is and WHY they have the concern. It doesn't work for me to have a person say, I didn't like this part, and leave it at that.

3. I like to have a combination of English teacher types and book reader types. Each type of reader focuses on different aspects of the book so I get a well-round list of ideas to improve my work.

4. Free editors/critiquers can be found online, but I would be wary of asking anyone in which you haven't yet learned more about. Most usually charge anyway. If someone wants to swap books with you for an edit, just make sure you swap with someone who has read your genre and vice versa.

5. If you've previously used someone to edit/critique your book and they were about as focused on getting it accomplished as a turtle, consider finding someone else. It's difficult for many readers to stay motivated (even if they like you) without pay, and you may find that another reader will be more prompt in returning your manuscript when you need it.

6. Be clear about your expectations especially when asking family to edit/critique your work. You want honest feedback, not some warm fuzzy drama about everything you've put on the paper.

All in all, free editors/critiquers are a bit like the icing on the cake. While there are some friends out there who like to help, and like reading enough to help you, not everyone will have the time or interest.

And that's good because you only want the best.

Handling Criticism

I don't know about you but handling criticism, whether it is filled with love or a scathing review is a bit like taking a bite out of that great looking cookie only to discover the chef accidentally used salt instead of sugar.

None of us like criticism; it's the next best thing to cleaning out the bathroom toilet. Still, once the criticism is looked at certain decisions about your work can be made for improvement.

1. The critique is right on the money. I'm going to make changes.
2. The critique is a nut job; or at best, just the personal opinion of the critiquer.
3. The critique is a manifestation of the critiquers own insecurities.

Looking at these various responses, they all feel the same to me in the beginning. I may feel somewhat insulted, somehow not understood, and suddenly I am either angry or feeling insecure about my work.

Years ago I entered a contest. The entries had been painstakingly worked on. When I didn't win a single award I looked at the judges comments. Some were helpful. Others were scathing and I wondered how the judge thought I'd ever write again if I based my opinion on my work from their review.

Fortunately, I didn't.

One of the hardest things to take in is unsolicited critiques; those that come to you without you even asking for them. But these, like the others, can be purposeful for your work if you let them.

Photo by: Arry_B, courtesy of Flickr

But you have to let them in.

My new book, Scrambled, is a cozy mystery but it doesn't run typically cozy. It has an amateur sleuth, a murder, even some quirky instances played out by the main character who knows nothing about solving a mystery. But it is more serious than the typical cozy. Susan not only has a back story, she lives in the real world where separation from a long-time marriage is possible. And so my cozy takes on a deeper level than some.

Is this okay, even if some readers think my story is more of a suspense novel?

I think so. Keeping things interesting in your writing, keeps the readership coming. And I can't help but think that a cozy can also create some great suspense--if you let it.

Receiving Writing Critiques

Today I'm thinking about critiques mainly because I'm still getting them.

The interesting thing about critiques is that you continue to get them, even when you believe your writing is, well, fairly established. And you can't let the critiques "get to you." In fact, if you use them as stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks, it's amazing how your writing can improve.

If someone tells you that you need to be more clear here, or shorten your sentences there; or even, "you need to follow the guidelines" you need to listen up and take action; yes, even when it hurts.

Photo By: jorgempf, courtesy of Flickr

I don't know what it is about critiques but they have a way of getting underneath our skin and seeping inside our hearts. Suddenly, we're not quite "good enough" our writing "sucks" or we find ourselves getting a bit miffed that the person reading our stuff somehow missed seeing us.

It's kind of like meeting someone for the first time and then seeing them again for the second time on the same night and they can't remember your name. It's sort of like writing your best stuff, at least, what you believe is your best stuff, and having someone else tell you it isn't your best stuff--you can do better.

And I guess that's the point about the best critiques. You learn how you can improve your writing, or not. If  the critique is specific enough in its explanation, you know where and what needs to be looked at. You have the courage to make changes.

Photo By: n0nick, courtesy of Flickr

If you don't agree with the person who critiqued your  work, that's fine, but if you can see past your own heart and skin, you may find that the "criticizer" was right.

Those writers with the greatest perseverance have the courage to LOOK.

Beginnings

It isn't always easy to come up with a winning first paragraph and even if we do that, it's tough to keep our winning words going through our entire book. But if we're trying to capture the attention of an editor, our critique partner or even our best friends' it's more than a good idea to get them interested early on.

Years ago I heard something like this: "An editor looks at only the first few paragraphs, the first page if you're lucky. If you don't capture his/her attention by then you never will."

Even though publishing is changing, (we are doing so much more online and self-publishing than ever before) a reader wants a good story, one that will make her think--and even, change her life.

Is your book such a creation?

New writers may find that it isn't until about their third chapter that things begin to get interesting. Even established writers find that they tend to cut out most of what they write early on. Why is that?

It takes some time to get the good stuff flowing.

Photo by redcargurl, courtesy of Flickr

I like to take my writing clients through various writing prompts that get them out of their head. In the beginning, they tend to write as if their offering doesn't really matter, that it's the facts that matter, or that their beginning is the next best thing to pizza. Everything they write is good even if it isn't. I work on getting them beyond that.

I want them to see that the best writing comes when you least expect it; when you're not trying so hard. When you're thinking and feeling about that experience with a boyfriend or a root canal, maybe in the same sentence. It's the expression called "heart" that really makes the difference, the use of symbolism, metaphor and the five senses. It's about being "real" when being real is difficult and makes the writer hurt.

The best beginnings take me into the story right away. The beginning isn't hindered by long stretches of set-up; you know, "let me tell you what happened first before I tell you the story." A great story gets me involved from the get-go, like this one:

"It was almost December, and Jonas was beginning to be frightened" (The Giver, by Lois Lowry).

Or this:

"In the shade of the house, in the sunshine on the river bank by the boats, in the shade of the sallow wood and the fig tree, Siddhartha, the handsome Brahmin's son, grew up with his friend Govinda" (Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse)."

Both of these beginning sentences are different but they capture the main character and the experience the character is dealing with--right now, at the very moment you've picked up the book. It's as if you are there to experience each of their lives with them.

And you are.

Today, go through your latest novel and find the line that speaks of the character and who they are. Cut out all the extraneous stuff (you can add it later if you want). Begin your story.