Tag: Feedback

“Be more constructive with your feedback, please.”

Sara Mazariegos

Hip and with-it people reference Flight of the Conchords, don’t they?

After switching tracks with my novel, I submitted a new query letter to the query letter critique group I’m in. They seem to think that, because the novel focuses on the growth of the main heroine that it’s not romance. They suggested common romance tropes (like enemies to lovers, forced proximity, etc) are what make a book romance instead of women’s fiction. I’d argue that a novel doesn’t have to conform to (I’m sorry) tired plot themes in order to be a part of a genre. Plenty of romance novels show heroines going through stuff and the hero helps her out of it.

I’ve decided that I might submit my query letter as women’s fiction sometimes, and romance other times, and see what happens.

But first I need to finish revising it AGAIN. Don’t let it ever be said that I’m not a people-pleaser.

Big think.

Sara Mazariegos

I’ve shared my query letter drafts with a few online groups as I struggle to describe my novel within only about three hundred words. It’s made me have a big think about what people’s reaction has been. Not friends or people in my social circle, just random strangers. After all, it would be random strangers who’d consider reading my novel once my devoted loved ones have read it.

It doesn’t feel great to be told that my lived experience of being a Millennial who graduated from college in 2009 and struggled to find a career for years after that isn’t realistic or interesting. I can’t tell if I need to really rework my selling points or the story itself.

So for this week, I’m mostly sad.

I’ve probably got a lot of revisions to do. Big, overhauly type ones. I hesitate to completely start over because I’ve worked on this story for the past three or so years. The query readers want more conflict, so short of introducing a monster in the third act, I have to come up with something more conflicting than being poor and practically frozen in time.

Being a writer is so isolating sometimes, isn’t it?

Beta Fish.

Sara Mazariegos

Like a lot of people, I have a love-hate relationship with feedback. A good critique can be so helpful, but it’s also stressful when I’m anticipating constructive criticism. What if they don’t like my writing? I’ve noticed that I’m brimming with confidence and excitement when I first finish drafting a novel, then I read through it and go from “Wow, this is great!” to “Maybe writing isn’t for me…” Which, I’ve learned, is totally normal!

Writers are interesting folks.

This is why feedback is such an important part of the process. I’ve read that many authors dislike the revision stage, but I find it rejuvenating. Starting from a blank document is way more intimidating to me than molding the words that are already there into something better. When my beta readers sent their feedback to me recently, I was thrilled.

I suppose it helps that several of their notes were about things that stuck out to me, too.

A fresh perspective has given me a creative burst, and I can see a positive change already. It feels like magic.

Back to the writing board!