Happiness is Validation
From Jennifer Crusie’s blog: Happiness is Validation
What made me happy this week is that people liked Rocky Start. Every time I finish a book, I think it’s the end of my career. All I can see are the weaknesses, how far it is from the book I wanted it to be, the PERFECT BOOK. …every damn time I’m sure this one is a failure. So when people come back and say, “Hey, it was good,” the relief is intense. [NOTE: THIS IS NOT ME ASKING FOR COMPLIMENTS. I’M NEEDY BUT I’M NOT THAT NEEDY.]. Reading the reviews and comments for Rocky Start this week made me very happy.
Feel free to cross out “Rocky Start“ and put in “Rihasi.”
I mean, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I feel like every book is a failure. No. Sometimes I’ve very certain (VERY CERTAIN) that a book is good, possibly great, and that most readers will love it. I felt that way about Tasmakat and about Marag.
But I do often feel that a newly completed book may not necessarily be hitting the ball out of the ballpark. I do often feel, somewhat grimly, that a book is likely to get suggestions for serious revision. Rihasi was one of those books. I was like, “It’s too episodic, isn’t it? Characters come and go too much? I mean, I bring some of them back … at least in the epilogue … is this too episodic? It is, right?”
To sum up the responses from 100% of early readers: “No, it’s fine. It’s not too episodic. What are you even talking about? But, hey, can you do this totally trivial and easy thing?”
And that was such a relief! This is one major benefit to having multiple early readers. I honestly wasn’t worried at all about reader responses after getting back early responses. On the other hand, I didn’t necessarily expect it to still be sitting at 4.9 stars a month after release. I think that is its permanent star rating, and you know what? That makes me really happy! Because validation!
I do often worry about a new book as it goes live. Is Tano too intense and does enough happen, plotwise? Are readers going to like something that is a bit of a departure, like No Foreign Sky? Have I managed to handle difficult, iffy plot elements in a way that works at all in Invictus?
Well, Tano is sitting at 4.7 stars, No Foreign Sky at 4.6, Invictus I at 4.6 and Invictus II at 4.8. This is indeed validating, and you know what, validation does indeed equal happiness. Not quite as much as a warm puppy …
… but nevertheless, yes. I suppose that’s not surprising, actually, as the books are just as much my babies as the puppies.
I will add, I’m ALSO right there with Crusie when she adds [NOTE: THIS IS NOT ME ASKING FOR COMPLIMENTS. I’M NEEDY BUT I’M NOT THAT NEEDY.].
Please Feel Free to Share:
The post Happiness is Validation appeared first on Rachel Neumeier.
