For me, writing is a solitary pursuit, but not lonely. I write every day and switching on my PC is entering my own world; to my left is a window overlooking a busy road and I watch the traffic and the people passing while I am thinking about what comes next, like I am doing now. I am retired and this is my working day which starts early and ends at about 6 pm when I go down for a glass of red wine, which always tastes better when the day has been productive, and it feels like a reward. I have been in this routine for about three years now and had a couple of short stories and a few flash fiction pieces published. I thought of these as a means of honing my craft, for my ambition was to write a novel. I managed to rattle one off in the first year and paid for a professional review from a literary agency. I thought it was pretty good but when the much-awaited appraisal arrived it was harsh and I was instantly deflated. There were a few positive and encouraging comments, but after all, I was a paying client, and I suppose they thought they had to try and find something good to say. The one thing that I held onto was the phrase "you can write," which was given almost grudgingly after a paragraph of negativity.
I looked back at the critique much later and although she had made some valid points my mistakes were mostly due to inexperience, over-ambition, and naivety about the presentation format, there were also some fairly inane comments about some aspects of the plot that she clearly did not understand. The book was sci-fi, and she kept making unjustified parallels, complete with double exclamation marks, about a similar aspect that had appeared in a film I had never seen. Has anybody else had a similar experience?
The main point of this missive is to express how happy I am to have found this site. I have no similar-minded friends to discuss the process of writing or to give advice. As a new member, I have already gained the information on how to get proof copies of my new manuscript at a small cost from KDP from others on this site and I have gone ahead with my order. Anything I have myself will be willingly shared and I recently posted an attachment about the grim reality of the slush pile. Thanks for having me.
I looked back at the critique much later and although she had made some valid points my mistakes were mostly due to inexperience, over-ambition, and naivety about the presentation format, there were also some fairly inane comments about some aspects of the plot that she clearly did not understand. The book was sci-fi, and she kept making unjustified parallels, complete with double exclamation marks, about a similar aspect that had appeared in a film I had never seen. Has anybody else had a similar experience?
The main point of this missive is to express how happy I am to have found this site. I have no similar-minded friends to discuss the process of writing or to give advice. As a new member, I have already gained the information on how to get proof copies of my new manuscript at a small cost from KDP from others on this site and I have gone ahead with my order. Anything I have myself will be willingly shared and I recently posted an attachment about the grim reality of the slush pile. Thanks for having me.