Monday, March 28, 2011

I showed my first chapter to a crit group . . .

My first chapter of my fantasy novel Sons of Obsidian, that is. I had posted it here, but I removed it because the crit group made it clear that it needs work! I'm telling, not showing. One character seemed inconsistent. Oh, and the issue of slavery in my world building bothered one reader--but it's supposed to be troublesome, so I'm keeping that.

So, ow! And yet, I'm so grateful for these critiques. I talked over the chapter with my writing partner, Alexandra. I rethought the parts where I was telling instead of showing. I rethought the characters and their motivations. And you know what? The chapter is much stronger now.

One question remains: whether I'm going to keep going solo with Sons of Obsidian, or whether Alexandra will be writing and revising with me. (I've written a good deal of this book already. But I see so much room for improvement and I've already asked her to write certain scenes . . .) Well, we'll see how it goes. But I think she's going to end up as co-writer.

Meanwhile, I'll just thank G-d for the perceptive critiques!

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Purim Sameach!

Happy Purim to all who are celebrating!

Pssst! Want to know a secret?

Tomorrow I'm meeting up with my friend Alexandra to talk about working together on various writing projects. (I chose that picture of Frances Marion and Mary Pickford to represent our partnership. Not ideal, because only Frances Marion was a writer. But they combined Marion's talent for writing with Pickford's talent for acting, so they still made a great team.)

I'm so excited! I've never been a co-author before, and I'm thrilled to be working with Alex. Our writing styles, I think, are complimentary. Dialogue and world building are strengths for both of us. Alexandra is a master at creating tension and emotional depth; I know how to lighten the mood and find some humor even in really awful situations. Between the two of us, we should strike just the right note!

I'll be posting more soon about the joys and headaches of working with a partner . . .