Okay, so I’m getting ready to print out a few partial manuscripts to send to NY and I get an email from one of my critique partners. Literally as I was about hit print on my printer. I open the email, and there it is. Full up of advice and edits on the book I’m about to send. But the biggest thing I see, the comment that makes me close the print window as I decide to look at my book again is the ‘I love your characters, but I don’t really care about them’ line.
See, I’ve gotten this from a few people. Especially on this book. I wrote this book a year and a half ago, and it was before I knew about Deep POV and showing not telling. So really, I’ve just been going back and trying to add those thing in. But I think it shows. And it’s not necessarily ruining this book, because this book just won a contest. Yet at the same time, people want me to go deeper.
I’ve written several books since this one. And I think I’ve gotten better, but hands down that’s what I’m worst at. Getting deep into my heroine and hero. I have great dialogue, great storylines, but do I really make the reader care about my characters? I hope I’ve come far since then, and I think I have. But I still feel I could dig into a deeper level with my characters.
I have to wonder if I’m afraid to get that deep? Do I just not know how? Whatever the reason, it’s there. And I’m just not sure how to master it, or be able to recognize when I’ve gotten to that level. Is there a class or something?
So there it is, in all it’s ugly glory. My one weak spot in writing. So what’s yours? Are you brave enough to spill? What’s the one thing you know you could improve on? Even if you’re a NYT Best Selling author. There has to be something!
August 15th, 2006 at 7:00 pm
Okay, here’s something you might want to consider. Write in first person. At least in the rough draft.
Why? It forces you to get inside the character’s head. You’re writing from their perspective, so you have to get closer and know what they feel. There isn’t the same urgency when writing third — at least not for me.
So I’d give writing in first a try for a couple chapters and see how it works out. It’s not that difficult to switch first back to third, btw… just have to be careful of the pronouns, and your CPs should catch any mistakes.
August 15th, 2006 at 11:14 pm
You might also try channeling your character, digging in for some background. And do at least one paper edit. For whatever that’s worth.
My weakness? Description. I hate it. LOL
August 15th, 2006 at 11:31 pm
I’m VERY weak on descriptions and action stuff.
But my characters usually resemble someone I know. I mean, the feelings they have and the way they react. Some of it’s me. Some of it’s women I know. I use everything.
In my first ms (that is now in a drawer–never to see the light of day) I used my Dad’s funeral. Because it really touched me and I used those feelings to get into my heroine.
I get some of the same thing. Mostly about my heros.
August 16th, 2006 at 4:11 am
Hmm…beginning a sentence. Trying very hard to stay away from starting so many sentences with he and she…I work really hard to use more variety.
August 16th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
I’m with Lyric. My opening hooks are never that great.
And I also gree with Nonny’s advice. You should write in first person at least for the first draft. It really gets you inside the characters’ heads. Then you can leave in 1st or switch to 3rd, but it automatically gets you to go into deep pov.
August 16th, 2006 at 3:06 pm
I like the writing in 1st person advice - that would probably really help.
My weakness? Well, I have prob Lyric mentioned, and I also think I don’t give my characters enough conflict. Something I’ve been working on. Past attempts, crap still half finished on the hard drive, had the couple being kept apart by external stuff. Lame! Gotta give them more reason than the phone ringing to keep them apart.
I think I’ve come a long way since then, but it sometimes still trips me up.
August 16th, 2006 at 10:36 pm
I’m never good at this kind of thing. I’m not very wordy so I think my weakest point is probably setting/physical description. Even when I don’t skip that stuff when I read, I have my own vision of what characters/places etc look like. Usually I skip it reading though. I want action and dialogue and those are probably my strong areas.
August 17th, 2006 at 4:57 am
Plot. Plot is my weakness. I rock at description and characters and dialogue, but I struggle like mad with plot.