tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post4453021274881919482..comments2024-03-08T09:28:10.145-05:00Comments on The Faux Fountain Pen: Book Realizations, Part OneSarah Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09481750127533816819noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-77354438564086493032014-09-19T18:20:35.203-04:002014-09-19T18:20:35.203-04:00Sometimes it's best to ignore the reasoning gi...Sometimes it's best to ignore the reasoning given for rejecting a book or even rejecting the writer. It really does help to develop a strong jaw and serious select adjective that begins with f attitude when it comes to writing.<br /><br />Yes, not everyone is going to like your book (I wrote an erotic fantasy that various people have labeled as porn over the years), but it does not mean that you should take whatever is said about it to heart.<br /><br /><a href="http://gbmjrflashy.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Father Nature's Corner</a>G. B. Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09783331838434598963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-84075148489146265372014-09-17T19:45:31.693-04:002014-09-17T19:45:31.693-04:00want a constructive 1st chapter crit? i am curious...want a constructive 1st chapter crit? i am curious why so many were put off by it - it cant be all that bad! something seems very off for that pitch wars... email me and let me know - and i'm glad you have the right attitude, that you just need to find the right fit because we cant please everyone!Tara Tylerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07587802105993889515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-58297530812489846612014-09-17T14:23:42.722-04:002014-09-17T14:23:42.722-04:00That really sucks about the feedback and how cruel...That really sucks about the feedback and how cruel it was. I'm going to start off with saying I'm glad you're not going to scrap your story. I sympathize with you, especially with the part about them hating Jordan. When I finished my first draft of Thanmir War, I handed it over to my sis-in-law's friend, someone who is very honest, and wasn't close enough to me to know me personally. She got back to me, had a sit-down, and the first words out of her mouth were, "I don't like Derek." She explained he was shallow, a jerk, and his relationship was based solely on lust. She had said it with apology in her voice, and went on to talk about other facets she didn't like. <br /><br />Derek didn't change, but the parts of him I showed did. I added a scene toward the beginning, my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Save-Last-Book-Screenwriting-Youll/dp/1932907009" rel="nofollow">Save-The-Cat</a> scene. It showed he cared about children, and through that, it helped my beta reader care about him. If you've seen Guardians of the Galaxy, it's the heartbreaking scene at the very start with Peter and his mother. If you don't have one of those scenes, try playing with one. It might help people like him more, without changing who he is. Loni Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126958230703180761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-61025120084345324462014-09-17T12:07:57.816-04:002014-09-17T12:07:57.816-04:00Some mentors shouldn't be. I've experience...Some mentors shouldn't be. I've experienced that with a bimbo who didn't want to mentor but wanted to get back to her own book. I complained to the organization (a national writing group) and was reassigned to a great mentor who was fantastic. Too bad some people are 'too full of themselves'. Egos do abound in all professions.D.G. Hudsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06213237734772028645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-1856680040089409802014-09-17T11:10:01.853-04:002014-09-17T11:10:01.853-04:00It really sucks when that happens. I got a lot of ...It really sucks when that happens. I got a lot of constructive feedback from the judges when I did Query Kombat, but there were one or two where I thought, "Wow, did you really need to say it that way?" They were just jerks. I think they forgot what it was like to just start out, and it's a shame.<br /><br />Now, anecdote. Terri Bruce's Hereafter. I read the first edition, and I was tweeting her as I read it about how I couldn't STAND her main character Irene. She's just an unlikeable person, but her experience kept me reading, and I loved her supporting character Jonah, and by the end of the book, I loved Irene. People forget that maybe, JUST MAYBE, there's this thing called a character arc, and PERHAPS you're not SUPPOSED to like the main character right off the bat. They could be a totally different person by the end of the book, and you were supposed to grow to like the main character while reading.<br /><br />But, again, that's just maybe. ;)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-13972338843065256242014-09-17T10:09:28.784-04:002014-09-17T10:09:28.784-04:00Sorry this happened, Sarah! But it sounds like you...Sorry this happened, Sarah! But it sounds like you let yourself be down for awhile(sometimes we need that) and then picked yourself back up. So go you! You'll get your book where you want it. I have faith. *fist bump*Leandra Wallacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00381034024025750992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-30571539693051787762014-09-17T09:57:55.399-04:002014-09-17T09:57:55.399-04:00It totally sucks when you get feedback that makes ...It totally sucks when you get feedback that makes you questions your validity as an author, but despite some people's lack of professionalism, every negative statement can also help. If people thought Jordan was shallow, perhaps it was just because they didn't get to see into his heart like you do, and now the challenge is to open up the bits you love so much about him for the rest of the world to see. <br /><br />Don't be discouraged. I know it stinks, but you're going to come through this and the sun will be shining, and there will be cheese, and people will pat you on the back and laugh about how you ever debated the story's worth.Crystal Collierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03912469552483168148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-19247746245013464902014-09-17T09:29:31.427-04:002014-09-17T09:29:31.427-04:00As I was reading your post, I kept thinking, "...As I was reading your post, I kept thinking, "Don't scrap it!!! Don't do that." When I got to the point where you said you wouldn't, I was so relieved! As you yourself realized. these are the opinions of two people. Just two. In no way do they constitute the reading public. <br /><br />It's so hard when we get feedback that a character is unlikable. I got that from an editor and an agent (separately), so even though they didn't really give me much constructive ideas to fix the issue, I knew I had to pay attention. And I realized that the reason my MC was coming off as unsympathetic was purely because I'd overwritten her. There was just WAY TOO MUCH internal struggle on the pages. I cut a ton of it out, and it's much better now.<br /><br />So I'd say take some space from this crappy experience, and when you can, come back to your novel and try to see why these people might have felt the way they did. There might be valuable feedback hidden inside there....and there might not, but it's worth a look. Liz Blockerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16160510626027597666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8203719610395611719.post-43366042157644071422014-09-17T07:38:03.652-04:002014-09-17T07:38:03.652-04:00I tell ya, some people in things such as Pitch War...I tell ya, some people in things such as Pitch Wars seem to think that gives them the right to be outright nasty. I'm not saying everyone is like that, but some for sure take it as a green light to hurl abuse at a writer who has worked hard.<br /><br />Don't sweat it. Send it out to more people, get more feedback and re-assess. You'll get your story where you want it to be - don't give up! Kyra Lennonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13853462182450429660noreply@blogger.com