>

Wednesday 29 February 2012

What I Learned From Rejection... And A Fortuitous Workshop!


As many of you know, last year HarperCollins Australia requested a partial of my book Deathhawk’s Betrayal. Alas, they have now declined to see the full manuscript. Given the ratio of acceptances, that’s unsurprising, but one can always hope. In fact, we should hope, because hope takes us many places. The editor was too busy to give me detailed feedback, but what she did say was she didn’t connect emotionally with the characters. 

Ouch!

I won’t say I went immediately to panic stations, but I was concerned. None of my previous test readers had indicated this as one of the many problems I had fixed (or attempted to fix...). Was there a problem with the writing or was this simply a case of one personal preference in a subjective world? One cannot, after all, please everyone. Not even editors. That’s why published authors often get many rejections before an acceptance.
 
A number of writers I know encouraged me not to leap into anything on this basis. One opinion is not enough to justify wholesale changes. And I agree.

So I sought out some beta readers who are part of my target audience and I’ve generously had a half dozen or more offers of assistance, for which I am very grateful. I am also grateful to Twitter, which has given me access to these amazing and wonderful people, something I didn’t have on the last round of critiques I received on Deathhawk’s Betrayal.

And then, satisfied with my day’s work, I went off to read Lesson 2 of the online workshop I am currently doing, Hunting the Elusive Hook. The lesson happened to be on the first chapter of your novel and how to hook the reader, including the most important elements of that chapter.

Oh. My. God.

I had a total epiphany. I looked at my first chapter and thought ‘This sucks!’.

OK, maybe not that extreme. All the right elements were there, but they were in the wrong places. In all fairness, I did write this in 2008 and I have studied the craft of writing a lot since then so it’s reasonable to assume my skills have improved. I had edited it since, but I seem to have some difficulty editing what’s there into something better without completely ditching it and starting afresh. It’s like my creativity is chained by the words already written. The moment of potential has passed, what could be has become what is, and I can’t take it back.  

So I decided to rewrite my opening chapter from scratch.

Because an editor said she didn’t connect emotionally with my characters? No, I don’t think so, that just happened to occur on the same day I read this lesson. The rejection may have just put me in the frame of mind where I was open to the notion that there was something not quite right with my opening chapter.

And when I say rewrote, I mean rewrote. I started from scratch, using the same key concepts, and rewrote that chapter with a completely different aspect. I referred to the original only occasionally to keep a key line here or there or to make sure I covered off all the important points. Otherwise, it is completely unrecognisable.

My husband, who is not a writer, also questioned my motives in rewriting the first chapter. In a quick test, I gave him the first page of the old version and the new version and told him to tell me which was more interesting. Grudgingly, then with increasing enthusiasm, he conceded the new version was much better. The old version he described as ‘cluttered’, which translated to writer speak would mean, I think, the pace was too slow and there was too much peripheral content.

So where to from here? I’m still going to send it out to my happy beta volunteers. I’ll even give them the old chapter one to compare to the new version. Who knows, they might get a laugh out of it. As a writer, I am here to entertain... right?

After that... it will depend on the feedback I get. There may be more revisions to make.

Then let the querying begin...

“He who cannot change the very fabric of his thought will never be able to change reality.”
 Anwar Sadat

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein

This Sunday I'll be sharing the new first sentences of Deathhawk's Betrayal as part of Six Sentence Sunday so be sure to stop by and let me know if you'd keep reading!


If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to check out my previous posts if you haven't already. If you're finding yourself here often, you might like to join as a member, sign up to the blog through RSS or email, or subscribe to my newsletter.

Don't forget to share the love and spread the word on Twitter, Facebook or StumbleUpon (or other social networking site of your choice) if you know other people who might also enjoy this. 
Thanks for stopping by and visiting with us!

22 comments:

Moody Writing said...

That was a very interesting post. I think accepting that something isn't working s well it might, and accepting the reason why are two separate things. The agent may or may not be right about the latter, but there's probably something not quite working. Finding it is the tricky part, although you seem to be on your way.

cheers for the great read,
mood

Janeisaac said...

Wow, Ciara! Very interesting piece. It never ceases to amaze me, how much we ongoing education helps us as writers. I wish you all the luck in the world with your submissions. Thanks for sharing and I'll be back on Sunday to your new first sentences:)

S.G. Rogers said...

Good luck, Ciara.  I think your analysis is an insightful one.  

Justin Bogdanovitch said...

Ciara, that is what writing is all about. Good on you. You recognized something key that stops a majority of writers: you have to keep going. Rewriting, whether you do so from a prod by an editor (who herself sounds emotionally distant), or because you are a different writer from the writer of 2008, is so important. I can't wait to read your book.

Christina Majaski said...

The fact that one of the big dogs requested a partial speaks well of your work, and as cliche as it sounds, you should be proud of that. (and also congrats on the rewrite. It isn't easy figuring out what's wrong with our own work.)

Deborah Korthof said...

I totally agree with what Christina and Justin have already said! I just wanted to add that I really appreciate your openness here about your experience, and I admire the way you are carrying on with your book.  

Misty Waters said...

I had the same exact reaction to that very same lesson. It's an amazing workshop:)

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 Absolutely, I agree 100%. The plan right now is to fix the bits I can see and then get some feedback from the betas on any other issues THEY see.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 Thanks Jane. I started learning to write just based on how authors I read write. Then I joined a crit group, and that started getting more technical, and there was a huge jump in my skills then (which was 2008) then I found I outgrew most members of the group (and some skilled members left) and the newer members couldn't help me as much, so last year I started doing a lot of technical online workshops. A lot of the stuff I've learned I was already doing, but in a hit and miss fashion, now I can be more conscious about what I'm doing and why to create the best outcome, so of course my skills have had a huge jump again in the last 12 months. It really is a constant learning experience.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 Thanks :-) Fingers crossed my betas agree!

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 Thank you. I like to share if I think it can help other people, and as a writer it's always important to remember we often can't see our own errors and we are always improving. No one is infallible - and contrary to popular mythology that includes me ;-)

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 Oh good! I'm not the only one then LOL. It was such a bizarre, eye-opening experience - but also, I found, a very energising one. I literally read the lesson at 2pm, realised what I'd done wrong, and decided how I could fix it. By 4pm I was leaving the office and rewriting.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 Thanks Justin. The problems I identified were different to the one the editor had an issue with, but way have fixed that concern as well - collateral bonus LOL. I've come too far to give up now! Besides, I've always like that picture of the stork being choked by the frog it's trying to eat with the caption 'Never ever give up'. Come to think of it I should have used it for this post.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 It may be cliched but it is true and I will be proud of that. Hey, you gotta take what you can get ;-) It's uber-hard working out what's wrong with your own work. A few months ago I would have told you that first chapter was great. In fact, I rewrote chapters 2-5 a few months ago, but not 1! You just get too close to your work. Thanks Christina!

Amberr Meadows said...

Ciara, I have no doubt you'll get there. I don't read enough high fantasy to beta, but I have faith in your talent.

Susi Holliday said...

Very interesting that you re-wrote, I would love to read the before and after versions of that chapter! :)

Goran said...

Thanks for sharing this experience. Establishing an emotional connection with the reader when your main character is morally questionable will always be difficult. I have the exact same issue with my work... there are times when I struggle to imagine why anyone would care about my protaganist.

I would love to see a before and after of your opening chapter (if you are willing to share) as I think it would provide a valuable insight into how you addressed such a response.

Great post Ciara, and good luck with the ongoing improvements to the WIP.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 Thanks Goran, happy to share. I have your email, I'll send you the two chapters so you can see the difference.

Ciara Ballintyne said...

Thanks, Susi, I'd be happy to show you the before and after versions. 

Ciara Ballintyne said...

 I appreciate your moral support :-)

Goran said...

Thanks... I'd really appreciate that. I'd love to see them :-)

Susi Holliday said...

Sorry for not responding, I only just saw this! Have left you my email at RD ;)

Total Pageviews

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...