Thursday, March 24, 2011

Integrating Feedback In Your Manuscript

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Alana Williams has a short (but succinct) piece on integrating critique suggestions and other editorial feedback into your manuscript over on Cheeky Reads - check it out HERE. (


Money quote:

Sometimes, it's helpful for me just to set a manuscript aside for awhile. Let it percolate. Read it some months later with a fresh eye. Sometimes, the project will not see the light of day. I take what I've learned and move on. Sometimes, I'll go forward with the project after time has passed.

And I think that it's also helpful to develop a small network of folks who are able to act as crit partners. People who will be honest, who understand my genre. Folks who aren't afraid to scribble in the margins: "What the hell is this platypus doing here? And when did he learn to play the kazoo?"
I've been part of Columbus Writeshop, a monthly writer's group, for several years. Everyone in our group had to audition to participate, and are either published authors, or are preparing manuscripts, month-in, month-out, for submission to publishers. Both my novels were critiqued by the group, and I got invaluable feedback as a result.

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2 comments:

Alayna Williams said...

Thanks for the shout-out, Matt. Feedback is a tricky thing. When it's good, it's very, very good. When it's bad...yeah. We've all been there when it goes rotten.

Like most things in life, there's a balance to be had.

Matt Cook said...

Heh... Well, that's why you don't have to actually *use* it... =)