When to Get a Second Opinion
Last week I talked about giving Book 6 major surgery, and I'd like to continue the autopsy medical analogy into this week: when do you get a second opinion about a problem you're having?
It's a good question, mostly because I don't entirely know the answer. But it's something I've been giving a lot of thought to lately. Book 6 is an outlier in my case, because showing it to someone means showing them the end of the series. If this was another Alumita book, or even any other Ashes book, I would have less problem showing it to someone else and asking if it sucks the way I think it does, or if I found an entirely new way to do it.
In the case of beta readers, my criteria are twofold: is the book in what I would consider a publishable state? and am I sick of it? The latter sounds like a joke, but it's true. I distinctly remember having read Remember, November so many times that when I started what would ultimately be the last pass, the words literally didn't make any sense. (This is called 'semantic satiation' and usually only applies to single words or maybe a sentence. Not an entire novel.) That's when I gave up and sent it to new eyeballs.
Book 6 right now fails both criteria, because I know it needs more work, work I am happy to do. The simple fact is that Book 6 is so important to me that I'm afraid to f*ck it up. The second issue is that I've had the ending of the series in my head for so long that I genuinely don't know if I've done what I actually needed to do, or just what I wanted to do. And not just the series! I have been in my own head for too long that I don't know if the problems I think exist actually exist or not. It's a tricky thing, and usually the answer is 'no' once I get feedback. Problems I think are glaring and make my imposter syndrome point and laugh at me are more often than not nothing.
I know a lot of writers hate showing their work to other people, but I found that feeling goes away after a few books. When you're sending it to people you trust, who know what you're trying to do and are willing to give you honest, constructive feedback, it's invaluable. I get feeling embarrassed or insecure or whatever, but if the goal is to make the work as good as it can be you need, at the very least, objectivity. You, the author, simply cannot be objective about your own work after a certain point (like after you had the first idea and are convinced it's The Most Awesome Thing Ever), and not showing it to anyone before releasing it becomes detrimental.
Have I answered my own title question? Probably not. But I think some insight into the process as it spirals down intoflames a landing might be valuable for posterity. There will never be another series like From the Ashes of Victory, and I'm in a weird headspace about ending it.
And there will definitely be posts about that, let me tell you. This is only step 1 of my slow-rolling existential crisis, so buckle up!
It's a good question, mostly because I don't entirely know the answer. But it's something I've been giving a lot of thought to lately. Book 6 is an outlier in my case, because showing it to someone means showing them the end of the series. If this was another Alumita book, or even any other Ashes book, I would have less problem showing it to someone else and asking if it sucks the way I think it does, or if I found an entirely new way to do it.
In the case of beta readers, my criteria are twofold: is the book in what I would consider a publishable state? and am I sick of it? The latter sounds like a joke, but it's true. I distinctly remember having read Remember, November so many times that when I started what would ultimately be the last pass, the words literally didn't make any sense. (This is called 'semantic satiation' and usually only applies to single words or maybe a sentence. Not an entire novel.) That's when I gave up and sent it to new eyeballs.
Book 6 right now fails both criteria, because I know it needs more work, work I am happy to do. The simple fact is that Book 6 is so important to me that I'm afraid to f*ck it up. The second issue is that I've had the ending of the series in my head for so long that I genuinely don't know if I've done what I actually needed to do, or just what I wanted to do. And not just the series! I have been in my own head for too long that I don't know if the problems I think exist actually exist or not. It's a tricky thing, and usually the answer is 'no' once I get feedback. Problems I think are glaring and make my imposter syndrome point and laugh at me are more often than not nothing.
I know a lot of writers hate showing their work to other people, but I found that feeling goes away after a few books. When you're sending it to people you trust, who know what you're trying to do and are willing to give you honest, constructive feedback, it's invaluable. I get feeling embarrassed or insecure or whatever, but if the goal is to make the work as good as it can be you need, at the very least, objectivity. You, the author, simply cannot be objective about your own work after a certain point (like after you had the first idea and are convinced it's The Most Awesome Thing Ever), and not showing it to anyone before releasing it becomes detrimental.
Have I answered my own title question? Probably not. But I think some insight into the process as it spirals down into
And there will definitely be posts about that, let me tell you. This is only step 1 of my slow-rolling existential crisis, so buckle up!
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