Showcase YOUR writing - 6-7 July by Ruth Bonetti

Christian Authors Showcase Queensland is the ideal venue to launch this exciting anthology of local writers–on Saturday 6 July at 3pm. 

SHOWCASE (6 -7 July) will be packed with opportunities to connect with publishers, editors, designers and fellow authors. 

"More please! Next year?" feedback chorused in unison after CASQ launched in August 2023.

"Sure. In two years’ time." 

But ... then again ... WHY NOT ... NOW? 

Simply reinvent, streamline and enlarge the template into dual streams. 

There's enthusiasm, so many local authors keen to showcase their writing that panels are preferred to give voice to many. 

Similar to last year’s Showcase, it will be a time of fun, learning and worshipping. 

MEET PUBLISHERS

Take opportunities to meet with traditional publishers from Wombat-Rhiza, Armour Books and CHI-Books. The latter is the imprint of our keynote speaker Ben Gray, international publisher, local author, national prayer organiser, missions coordinator, pastor. And discuss paths and pitfalls with the many motivated, experienced Indie publishers.

POLISH YOUR SHOWCASE PITCH

Promote your writing in a 2 minute spotlight. Or, with likely sell-out numbers, edit and polish your pitch to a tight 90-seconds. Alert: A shepherd's crook will curb the verbose. 

PANELS/TOPICS will include:

• Self-publishing ("Wish I knew before...")
• Publishers' POV
• Editing
• Shaping characters
• Writing life stories
• Overcoming writers block
• Writing about trauma
• Turn your scene into a script
• Edgy Fiction

MARKETING - Show don't tell! And how better than in an eye-catching costume? 

Take Tips from the Rendered Realms girls, Lynne Stringer, Jenny O'Hagen and Adele Jones. 

BOOKSTALL

A bookstall will take stock of your books to sell for the weekend. That sure softens hard sell phobia.

WHEN AND WHERE

                      Saturday 6^th July 

           8:30am to 5 pm

           Dinner at your own expense at the motel restaurant if you wish to stay and join us.

 

           Sunday 7^th July

           9:00 am to 4:00pm

 

Early bird rates apply until 1^st June -$95 full time (both days)

                                   $55 per day part time.

Includes Morning/ afternoon teas and lunch -  they were filling, gluten-free and YUMMY last year.

 

After 1^st June rates will be $125 full time and $70/day part time.

 Venue: Coopers Colonial Motel, Acacia Ridge Brisbane. Book overnight accomodation ASAP.

Check our website CASQ.online for details and booking. 

 Hurry to catch that early bird! Book: 

 ABOUT Ruth Bonetti

Since in 1991 the idea to form Omega Writers was planted in Ruth's head and heart, she feels awed by a prolific harvest of writers' publications. Ruth has published 12 titles, two by Oxford University Press and others by her imprint Words and Music. 

Research for her award-winning trilogy Midnight Sun to Southern Cross offers scope to genre morph into Kids Lit historical novels.

https://www.ruthbonetti.com/

Book chapter narrations

FaceBook Author Page

Speak Out Audio Book

YouTube channel

Highlighting Editing

 by Jeanette O'Hagan

The End! 

Typing these simple two words can give a rush of excitement, the sense of achievement. Like a runner putting their all into the race and feeling the tape break against their chest as they cross the finishing line. Something long planned for, something that has taken up so much time and energy, is now finished. It's surely time to celebrate.  

And indeed it is. You have achieved something that many, many writers never do - finished that book or even finished the story.  Well done.

So now, all you really need to do is send it off to a publisher or upload it to Amazon and your job is done. Right?!

Well, not quite. 

What often distinguishes a great writer from a so-so one is feedback and editing.

Why Edit?

Why Edit? Because both publishers and readers have expectations. 

A well edited manuscript can be the difference between your manuscript catching the eye of an agent or publisher rather than languishing in the reject pile.  In the past, publishers may have accepted a manuscript that needed work, but not any more, not unless you are famous. Publishers are inundated with manuscripts - the slush pile - and have limited time to decide which manuscript is worth investing time and money. 

But what if you self publish? True, you can upload almost anything to Amazon.  But readers can be scathing in reviews or report your book to Amazon for quality issues if they see (or think they see) errors or if the book does not meet their genre expectations.  It's the plethora of unedited or badly edited books that often gives self-publishing a bad name. 

But, you might say, I'm good at English, maybe even an English teacher, I don't need someone else to edit.  Firstly, as writers, we see what we expect to see plus we don't know what we don't know - especially in terms of stylistic and genre expectations which have changed over time. 

Different Levels of Editing

Not all editing is the same. There are different levels of editing. 

Structural or Developmental Edit

Structural or Developmental Edits are like an architectural plan, It looks at the bigger picture, at the basic structure of the book and how it all fits together. 

In a novel, the editor would look at  the story, the plot and how it is narrated and by whom as well as the structure - introduction, inciting incident, turning point, climax etc.  In addition, point of view, the characters, setting, themes, suspense, pacing, foreshadowing, dialogue, consistency, accuracy, and believability will all be scrutinised.

Different genres have different expectations and structure - a romance generally has a HEA (happily ever after conclusion) whereas woman's fiction or chic lit might be unresolved. A murder mystery needs clues, red herrings, a decretive and the big reveal at the end.

Non-fiction also has expected structure and conventions  depending on whether it is a text book, self-help, a memoir or biography or creative non-fiction.

Style or Line Edit

A style or line edit is more like the finishes and furnishings of the house. While a structural edit looks at the manuscript as a whole and often results in a manuscript report - the stylistic or line edit looks at the the manuscript line by line. 

While the editor might pick up inconsistencies of point of view, of the characters, setting and genre etc. they will particularly look word use and sentence structure. For instance, the use of weasel words (filler words or qualifiers that don't add meaning like "that", "very", "almost" etc), use of passive language, or dependence of adverbs and too many adjectives rather than strong verbs and nouns, the repetition of words or use clichés, as well as at the accepted use of dialogue and action tags, the effective use of metaphors and other rhetorical devices. 

A strong, fresh style that reflects the author and is appropriate to the story keeps the readers engaged.

Proofreading

Proof reading is like the quality assurance or final inspection once the building is complete. A proof reader looks for those pesky persistent typos, grammatical and spelling mistakes, punctuation as well as obvious mistakes. 

Better to first get the structure and style right before proofreading sections that might end up on the cutting floor. 

Different Kinds of Editors

Who can you ask to edit? 

Self-Editing

The very first editor - is yourself.  Often it's a good idea to give the book a few weeks rest (to get some distance), then take off your creative writing hat, put on your editor's hat and read through the manuscript yourself as a demanding reader would. 

The more editing you do, the less editing someone else has to do. Plus, it helps you learn and develop your own voice.

Crit-reads

If you are part of a writers group or connected with other writers, particularly in your genre, then getting feedback on each other's work can be helpful (even before your book is finished).  Sometimes, writers of the same genre can swap their finished manuscripts for critical feedback. 

Beta-reads

Beta readers are non-professionals, often fans of your genre or part of your target audience who are prepared to read and give their personal response to your book.  If you can, get a few beta-readers.

Professional editing

In general, before you send your book to a publisher or publish it yourself it's advisable to get professional editing, preferably an editor who knows your genre, is up to date with current trends and knows what they are doing.  

Not sure how to get a professional editors? 

Check out Omega Writers , ask in the group, or make an editor's appointment at the upcoming Omega Writers Retreat (Toowoomba Chapter) in May.

Proof Reader

Once you are happy with the final result, then it's time for  a proof reader. 

Accepting Feedback

Receiving criticism or suggestions can be hard. All six kinds of feedback and three tyes of editing are useful. Hopefully the feedback is constructive - though even brutal criticism (once we get over the shock) can be helpful.

Once you receive the feedback, take a deep breath, listen to what is said and reflect on it, weigh it up, take it seriously. 

That said, you don't have to accept everything that is said. This is still your book and it needs your voice, your vision and your passion.  

One the other hand, if a reader stumbles over a part of your book, then others are likely to do so also.  And if four or five people say the same thing or have the same problem, then it is worth taking note. Still, when readers indicate a problem, once alerted to the fact, you may have a better solution than the ones they suggest. 

Take seriously what a reputable professional editor says.  I find it helps to know the 'why' of recommendations as well as the what. To break the rules effectively, it helps to know them. 

Publishing a book is a triathlon  - but the journey has many rewards along the way (some even material). God bless you in your writing adventures.

Jeanette O'Hagan has spun tales in the world of Nardva from the age of eight. She enjoys writing fantasy, sci-fi, poetry, and editing. Her Nardvan stories span continents, millennia and cultures. Some involve shapeshifters and magic. Others include space stations and cyborgs.

She has published over forty stories and poems, including the Under the Mountain Series (5 books), Ruhanna's Flight and Other Stories, Akrad's Children and Rasel's Song, the first two books in the Akrad's Legacy series - and new short story in the Starlit Realms: Fantasy anthology.

She has been to numerous conference, retreats and events. She doesn't like receiving criticism but knows as a writer that feedback is gold and she is grateful for all the people who have helped her hone her writing along the way.

To get a free copy of Ruhanna's Flight - sign up to Jeanette O'Hagan's newsletter here.

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Characters can Change your Story - Rosanne Hawke

 A year or so ago I sent a copy of my out-of-print YA novel called The Last Virgin in Year 10 to Rhiza Edge to see if they’d republish. The publisher said to rewrite and update it, then they’d see. What transpired defies definition. 

I quickly discovered that I couldn’t rewrite with the same character. The original one needed to change too much and the rewrite wasn’t working. It was like painting a new colour over a different one that was still wet – the colour wasn’t true. Thus, a new character arrived on the scene who could manage the text, plot, and its changes. Essie Pederick. 

When a new character like Essie walks onto the page I do a mind map to get to know her. I like to discover everything that you would want to know of a friend you’ve just met, like personality, likes and dislikes, sports, music, food, dreams, family and cultural background. Particularly, I need to know what the character wants the most. When I can work that out, then the story can start because this information will form the character’s motivations and therefore affect her goals. This then makes the plot turn so the story can move. It’s good for me to know her fears, special talents, and where the character needs to grow (i.e. her flaws). This all helps build the plot as well as having a well-rounded character. It also enables the character to reach a satisfying ending. 

New writers have said to me, ‘I love writing. Rosanne, I’ve even started ten stories but I can’t finish them.’ I ask them what they know about their characters. What is it they want to do? Often the writer will say, ‘Oh I’m writing an adventure, or fantasy. Do I need to know that?’ I gently say that whatever genre we write we need to know our characters well because they make our story and, as I found, can change it too.

Essie Pederick in Flying Blind is a person who is kind and easily manipulated. She has a new set of motivations, desires, goals and a new setting. she isn’t a city girl like the previous character. Essie is a country girl living in a coastal town on the Yorke Peninsula. Liking swimming, music and dogs is probably the only similar attributes Essie shares with the previous character. She is rekindling a relationship with a workaholic dad and navigating a manipulating friendship which involves gaslighting. Thus, Essie grows from emotional immaturity to more maturity in navigating friendships and gaining spiritual insight. But it’s not an easy road to travel. 

Some parts of the plot are similar but any kept text had to be rewritten to be seen through Essie’s perspective. Most importantly, the voice of the first-person narrator has changed. The people she interacts with become different also because they’re relating to a different girl. 

Probably I should have started with a blank page, but there were some plot points I wanted to keep. However, I rewrote all scenes with Essie’s perspective and voice. I deleted most of the original scenes and words and wrote a lot of new ones. Flying Blind is 10,000 words longer than the original. I wrote new material for the early chapters. Gave more scenes to Essie’s little sister, her father and new friend Jowan. A lot of the new material shows another new character, Chloe and how her behaviour is affecting Essie and making her anxious. Even with some similar plot points the story has become totally reconstructed. It is fresh, different. It’s proved something to me that I had always told my students: It is the character who makes the story what it is. Put a new character into a story and the story will change.

Writing Flying Blind has felt like writing a new book using some plot ideas that I’d thought of previously. The structural edit picked up anything I’d left in that didn’t suit Essie. It’s been an enriching experience. But what is a book like this called? It’s too changed to be a new edition, a rewrite, an update or a re-creation. It’s still the same form, i.e. a novel, so it’s not a remake. Is it an adaption, a reconstruction, inspired by the previous book? Or, is it a transmutation? This is my favourite definition of writing Flying Blind. What do you think?

Author and Perfecter

Marc Jeffrey

Paul the apostle, described Jesus as the author and perfecter of faith (Hebrews 12:2, NASB). When I first read that, I got the impression that Jesus had ‘written’ the perfect draft in heaven, which he published as perfect faith into people when they believed. But, of course, life is not like that, and writing is rarely perfect on first draft.

Faith builds and strengthens as we make attempts and learn from our mistakes, talk to others and read how others dealt with situations. Sometimes we learn by putting a difficult situation aside for a while, then re-engage with new perspective. I use that one a lot, usually after I say that I have no intention of ever going back to it.

Most of my writing up until about ten years ago, was in the context of work or University studies. Like most students, I started a writing task an insufficient length of time before the deadline. My record for a term paper at Uni, was submitting with four seconds to spare. I don’t recommend that!

Photo by Anton Malanin on Unsplash

Much of my longer form creative writing has stayed in the form of first draft. It is only as I have sought to beat some of my stories into something a little more reader-friendly, that I’ve realised the benefit of a time gap between the first draft and final product. That, and good advice. The gap allows me the distance to recognise where the imperfections are in my stories, so I can address them. That distance allows me to see my draft more as a target reader would.

However, the gap is only useful to me if I use it wisely, otherwise I may end up with an over-edited, disassociated mess. Usually, I need a complete break from that work. I could take on the overgrown garden, reinvigorate my secret bird-watching hobby (oh-oh – the secret’s out), or learn more about word-craft. The choices extend these, of course! When the time comes, I am better equipped to recognise and address the deficiencies in my writing.

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

Let’s digress to music. I’ve been in a few bands. Of the hundreds of songs I started writing, only three or four were ever finished to the place where I could perform them without cringing. Songs need words that grow an idea or tell a story, but they also must fit seamlessly within the beat and timbre of the music, so it ‘gets you’. The listener no longer hears the components—the huskily breathed words, the synchronised strings, the gentle counterpoint of the piano keys—but is taken on an emotional journey as they respond to the whole song.

I am aiming to engage my readers with longer form writing as well. It is not just words, but how I craft them. It’s also understanding what my target readers expect. For me, that means researching what people expect to see in the thriller genre. Whether I write to a market, or for specific readers, I do not want to lose them looking around for the next literary bus when they are halfway through my story. 

For instance, I do not want to create an expectation that all stories in that genre have, then fail to deliver on it. I want my readers to travel with me through the bends of the story and see the signposts they expect and love the ride. And to do that well, I need space from my created work before I re-engage with a critical mind. A few beta readers will help me to see what I’ve missed.

Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash

So, the authoring has happened. The ‘perfecting’ may involve reforming the structure and story beats to meet the target readers’ expectation. The learning, I think, is to not shirk the gap between authoring and the version you unleash. Space between first and final drafts is good for your writing. Your thoughts?

                                                     

Marc Z Jeffrey works for the Australian public service, but loves to write

suspense and thrillers and the occasional whimsical dragon story. He loves

editing fiction and can an spot an errant apostrophe at a thousand paces.

Hidden Under a Pile of Words

By Jeanette Grant-Thomson 

I write because I love it. I enjoy every sentence, even the corrections, the amended versions of my novels, the reworded versions of other people’s stories. I’ve written ever since I was about six or seven and I only stopped for a few years after becoming a Christian.

Why did I stop?

Because I was so enthusiastic about my new-found faith, I didn’t want to do what I was concerned might be wasting time. I soon discovered that the closer I grew to God, in his presence my mind would be filled with ideas for poems, stories, all sorts of things. I came to believe he considered writing one of my gifts.

Picture the scene.

I was living in a valley at Bardon. At the top of the hill lived a Christian friend of mine. He had a magnificent view. I had none at all. All I had was an old flat with a rickety verandah.

So I prayed.

Me: Lord, how come you bless that man more than you bless me?

God: He’s using his talents.

Me: Well, what do you see as my talents?

God (impressing it clearly so I had no doubt): Writing and praying.

The very next morning I was asked to write some things for my church. Sunday School books and tracts. Then Teen Challenge asked me to write their newsletter. That led to Jodie’s Story, my first actual book. Which led to my being asked to write my next two biographical stories. (This all took years, of course.)

I found writing biographies easy. There was the story, with its obvious pivot points and suspense, all ready-made. All I had to do was put it into words.

Writing novels

So from there to novels. An obvious step. But … in my novel writing, I face big challenges. Often I begin a novel with my setting. Beautiful or interesting settings intrigue me. Take my current WIP, Returning to Riverview. It’s set partly at beautiful Kenilworth Homestead on the Mary River. I lived there on and off for many years and grew to love that property. My first visit there inspired a journal full of poems. Kenilworth features in many of my blogs. I loved the images it evoked.

The old tree with its heavy load of vines – 

    Old man tree, 

    Dying, 

    With your vine-laden back hunched against the wind, 

    Bony knuckled branches clutching dry air. 

The high mud banks of the river with flood water rushing past, surging up the banks, rearranging the shape of the bank like a potter at work (well, God the Great Potter was at work) swirling and scouring, sculpting and carving.

Photo by Elvira Meridy White 

So, as I write Returning to Riverview, I’m enjoying sharing these wonderful images as my protagonists, Claire and Vivien, see them.

But oops! Where’s my story gone? That famous narrative arc is covered in images like vines over the tree. In fact you can’t find the plot for vines. Isn’t it time my protagonist – er – did something? Or something happened to her? She’s lost! Well, for the purposes of the plot, she is anyway.

So, as a lover of beautiful settings and interesting characters, I wrestle most with the very bones of the novel. Its structure or narrative arc.

So what can I do about it?

First I pray – along the lines of ‘Help, God! Give me discernment to see what is a necessary part of the setting and character-building, and what is sheer self-indulgence.’

Then I proceed to tighten it. I am much more ruthless than I once was. Unless I were to feel I could write a beautiful literary novel like Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer-winning Gilead (don’t worry, I have no such illusions), I aim for a traditional narrative arc. That means, from what I can glean from various gurus I’ve heard or read, my first pivot point should be about twenty percent of the way along. Maximum thirty percent. Ouch! And I have to finish off the novel quite soon after the climax or main pivot point. (Opinions do vary.)

My desk is cluttered with copies of my novel I’ve printed out to read.

I understand one has to ask oneself, does this (each) scene take the narrative forward at all? If the answer is ‘no’, it has to be deleted or radically shortened. After doing that, I remove some unnecessary words and try to simplify any awkward sentences.

So I’m currently doing that with Returning to Riverview. I’m happy enough with my beginning. I feel it captures the readers’ attention and leads them into the novel. Now to get the action happening soon enough to keep their attention.

Do any of you have an area of writing where you struggle? What is yours? How do you deal with it? 

Jeanette Grant-Thomson is a north-Brisbane based Christian writer and speech and drama teacher. She has been writing since her childhood and has had a variety of things published, ranging from poems to novels and biographies to film scripts (she also directed the films in her more energetic youth.) She has had five books – novels and biographies – and many shorter stories published.

Author page – www.facebook.com/jeanette.grantthomson

Is writing art? Or is it a skill? by Jo Wanmer

In my last year I’ve taken time to be, to sit, to dream to read and yes, play on my phone. One of my apps is ‘Happy colour - Colour by number’. I enjoy watching the colour emerge under my fingers. It displays where the highlights are, how the shadows bring the painting to life. Some of these pictures are pretty ordinary and would never fall under the category of art, but others fascinate me.

This week I did a painting, by Angelica Kauffman, called Four children with a Basket of Fruit. (Public domain) As I looked at the paint palette, I wondered about even starting. The colours were so dark. Even when I was nearly finished, there seemed very little light. But the end product amazed me. All that darkness focused my eyes on one girl, the same one that the other girls were looking at. She held the fruit, but it was incidental, made that way by the artists skilled use of colour.

The other art I’ve been exploring is ‘acrylic pour’ art.

The artist pours thin paint on a canvas and mixes or moves the colours by various random methods; for example blowing, tipping, spinning. The methods seem endless and the results can be astonishingly beautiful. But is this really art? We have many skilled artists in our midst whose minute attention to detail is incredible. Pour art can’t even be compared to ‘real’ paintings. But they have found a niche. (On the right is one of  myattempts. It is coaster size.)

Maybe the key word is Skill.

"What then is art? An art is an exceptional piece of expression. A story. A poem. A sculpture. A movie. Some of these may transcend to become works of art. But you need skill to get there."

( Abhideep. https://www.quora.com/Is-writing-a-skill-or-an-art)

Skill moves art to a ‘work of art’. But skill without concept and talent is nothing.

Some artists outline their picture before they begin. Others just pour paint but, as they narrate, it becomes clear they too have a result in mind. They both possess a deep understnding of colour.

Some writers meticulously outline their stories. Others throw words on paper. Both methods are valid but what is common is the need for skill in the editing room. My best stories emerge under the time pressure of NaNoWriMo - writing 50,000 words in a month. It is just like pouring paint. Let the words flow and see what happens. I have two wonderful stories written this way. But they are a long way from works of art, a long way from appearing in a form the reader would enjoy, or even grasp the story I want to protray.

Skill is needed to polish those manuscripts. Justin Fenech puts it this way.

'Its is easy to write. But immpossibly hard to write damn well. Many people think they can write. But writing is perhaps more nuamced than any other art form available to man,"

https://justinfenech.wordpress.com/2018/09/02/7-reasons-why-writing-is-art/

Most artists instruct their students that mistakes don't matter. Thay can be repainted. I've watched pour-artists scrape large protions off the canvas onto the table because they know it can be better. Likewise we've all heard of whole scenes from a book falling to the editing room floor. Not because it wasn't good, but because it didn't serve the whole.

As do artists, we writers have to ask ourselves the hard questions. Does this scene develop the story or the character? Is it really necessary or does it muddy the picture? Is there enough light and dark? Does the story ebb and flow? Are there spots that 'pop'?

A writer I know laments the difficulty of seeing her work as a whole. She envies the artist who can stand back and view the whole canvas. As writers, we don't have the same luxury. Our editing is long, time consuming and demanding. Bata readers can be a great help. They can see the glaring mistakes. And then we go back to the editing room...again.

And like any artist we have to work out when the task is done and the book is finished. Even after that there is line editing, word searches, cover preparation and more. These elements polish the final product as matting and framing display a work of art.

So is writng an art or a skill? Let me quote from Quora again.

"If its an art, well there is not much we can do about it. If its a skill however, it loses its romantic sheen. To master it then you have to spend long, at least appreciable amount of time with it." https://www.quora.com/Is-writing-a-skill-or-an-art

Infortunately, I agree with him. What do you think?

Jo Wanmer lives in Sunny Queensland with her Husband of fifty years and a toy poodle with attitude. Her first book, 'Though the Bud be Bruised', won the Caleb unpublished manuscript award and was published in 2012. Several other short stories and articles have also been published. At the moment her editing floor is littered with rejected bits and pieces. It is so messy it takes courage to even enter there! 

The Delicate Art Of Criticism

by Charis Joy Jackson

I hate criticism. OK that’s not true, I used to dislike it, now, I’ve discovered how much constructive criticism has made me a better writer. I’m still learning and I hope I will still be honing this craft well into my 90’s. But most of all I hope by reading this, it will help you change the way you look at criticism.

Let’s be honest, none of us really like it. We want people to read our stuff and say it’s THE shining example of what the written word should be. We want to take home all the awards and praise of how amazing we are as creatives, but often we deny one of our biggest allies. Criticism.

Yes, you can receive criticism that’s hard to hear. But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned about it, is to accept it as often as I can, because it’s helping to sharpen my skill.

When we look at criticism and use our time and energy to fight what’s been said about our writing, we’re wasting our creative juices on negative actions and thoughts. We’re effectively shutting our creativity down and the next time we sit down to write, it’s gonna be harder for us to put pen to paper.

As a young creative all I heard was the negativity criticism offered and it hit me on a personal level. Now as a more experienced creative I actually understand the purpose of constructive criticism. Not just criticism, but constructive criticism.

The point is not to tear someone's work apart, but to make it stronger.

I think if more people understood the fine art of constructive criticism we'd live in a happier, more creative society. And I'm talking about people receiving it and people giving it.

The Art of Giving Constructive Criticism

Start with what you like about the writing. Talk about how it moved you. Be specific to point out things you especially enjoyed. It's ok to gush a bit about these parts. It's a huge encouragement for the artist.

Then move into areas you think could be strengthened. The more specific, the better. As a writer, I need those specifics. Especially if it's dealing with character development and the choices the character made.

The Art Of Receiving Constructive Criticism

On the reverse, if you struggle to receive criticism, the best thing for you to remember, is your work does not define you. Say it with me.

"Your work does not define you."

Your identity is not in what you do. So when you hear someone “tearing” apart your hard work, smile and remember they’re not talking about you.

If you get someone who doesn't know how to give criticism, have grace for them and take what they say with a grain of salt, because even some of the harshest critics may actually be hitting the nail on the head. Even if it isn't said the right way.

When I was first learning to receive criticism, I never wanted to listen or make the changes that were being suggested. I felt that if I did, it would no longer be my work, but a joint effort. Truth is, it's still your work and you should listen to that criticism, because you want your work to be the best it can possibly be.

If we all believed that to take on board someone's criticism made it no longer your work, then we'd never have any epic stories. There would be no Tolkien's or Lewis'. Your work is still your own.

And at the end of the day, you choose how much you take in from the criticism you receive. Use it as a tool and not your enemy.



Charis Joy Jackson works as a full-time missionary with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) a non-profit organisation in Queensland. During the day she mentors young adults, teaches on several topics including worship, intercession and how to makes movies. In her spare time she spins stories of speculative fiction and captures her crazy dreams in print. 


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The feedback I value the most

by David Rawlings 

I sat back from the laptop with a satisfied sigh. Zipping dialogue that revealed a dishonest character’s unexpected intentions and tight action that left the reader hanging from the cliff with my main character.

The chapter I’d just finished was golden. Or was it?

 

Writers live in a bubble.  We disappear into a world of our own creation all times of the day or night at our characters' beck-and-call. We pull the strings in that world, making characters' lives easier or harder with a keystroke or wish scenery into existence with the stroke of a pen.

We live it. We breathe it.

Allowing someone else into that world can sometimes be difficult, but it's very, very necessary. It can be hard to disassociate yourself from the work you've put together - particularly if you've poured your heart into it - and it can be very hard to be objective about it.  In fact, it's impossible.

Getting feedback on what we write is important. It helps us to bask in reflected glory of the soaring highs and points out those flat spots or plot points that need work.

But getting the right feedback is even more important.  I've spoken to writers for whom this is the struggle - to find the right person who can provide feedback to improve the work, not just stroke the ego of the writer or destroy their fragile confidence.

I have a number of people who I have drafted into my writing process to ensure that my writing gets the best feedback it can. While they are chosen because they reflect the reader I'm ultimately trying to reach, there is one key thing I ask of them so that the feedback they provide gives me the one thing I value the most.

Honesty.

Honest feedback is a gift. As I tell my reading group, if the writing doesn't work, I'd much prefer to hear it from you than a publisher or an agent. 

But honesty can be hard – for both giver and receiver.

I've been on the other side of the fence, providing feedback to other writers and hoping not to crush their hopes and dreams when I tell them their work didn't grip me or lost me at times. But at this point I've realised that if I'm not up front with the writer, then the feedback isn't that valuable. (I'm quite sensitive in how I deliver my thoughts.  It’s not feedback all guns blazing off the hip ...)

It can be harder to hear that what you’ve just poured onto the page needs some work. But, with the right feedback, it can fill holes, bring out underplayed story elements and take the writing to the next level.

And dealing with honesty also can drive a temptation to change everything to suit everyone. I’m still learning the fine art of balancing feedback, and to recognise that gnawing feeling in your gut that the reader might be right. And to follow up all honest feedback with a 'why?' to ensure I can see why something may not work.

There is one story about taking honest feedback that truly inspires me. When James Rubart received his Carol Award at this year’s ACFW Conference for The Five Times I Met Myself, his acceptance speech covered the fact that when he completed his first draft, the publisher told him it wasn’t working and he needed to start again. An author with a host of novels under his belt needed to start again. So he did. And his improved version was voted as novel of the year.

So honesty is what I value. 

Oh, and was my chapter golden? Partially. It was less of the huge gold nugget I imagined it was and more of a prospector’s pan with gold flecks at the bottom. But at least now I know which parts are valuable as I polish up the rest.

Pen in hand, tongue in cheek, David Rawlings in writing contemporary Christian stories that explore God, faith, 21st century church and our modern society. 

He was a finalist in the 2016 ACFW Genesis competition, blogs at www.davidrawlings.com.au and, like 99.5% of the Western world, can be found on Facebook.

 

Re-write it yet another time...

My first effort at publishing was a success. How about that? That’s not something you hear every day.

 My first novel ‘The Manse’ was not the first story I’d written. In fact, it was not even on my schedule to write. I had written eight or nine unpublished novels prior to this, and I only started to write ‘The Manse’ because I was given an opportunity to contribute a serial to a bi-monthly magazine. As I began to write it, I had a vague idea where I would take it, but I only wrote about five or six hundred words every other month. This, dear reader, is not the way to approach the writing of a novel, but it is how I started out.

After two years of episodes coming out in the South Australian CWA magazine, the editor asked for an ending. She and the readers wanted me to bring it to a close. At this point I had a pink-fit. In my vague plan, I had reached the part of the story where the characters had just become established, and the first major conflict had been revealed – and they wanted an ending.

Believe it or not, this was a God given opportunity. I needed to tell the whole story, and I was losing my outlet, so following inspiration, I contacted the editor and proposed that I would wind the story up for the magazine – which would be a very unsatisfactory, unresolved ending – if she would allow that I could advertise the full novel for sale. She agreed. Only one small problem remained – well a host of small problems actually: I had to finish writing the whole novel, then I had to figure out how to publish it. Find a printer, right? Oh, and I’ll have to sort out a cover, and I guess I’d better get someone to read over it to look out for mistakes.

I did it. I published it myself, two teachers from school read over it and found a couple of spelling errors, it had a very dodgy looking cover, and I advertised in the CWA magazine. Between that outlet and various church contacts, I sold all 300 copies in no time. I had readers coming and begging for a sequel – which I thought was silly, as I had no notion of writing a sequel. One reader said she’d pray until God gave me a sequel. I was annoyed with this statement and got to thinking about how there was no opportunity for a sequel. But wait, there was that young lad, whose father had been killed suddenly...

Ok, so I wrote a sequel, actually a whole series that has six published titles, and one unpublished one.

In 1998, through a contact I had in Christian Book distribution, I had the opportunity to have ‘The Manse’ and ‘Green Valley’ (the sequel) distributed throughout Australia and New Zealand. He gave me this opportunity on the condition I sorted out that cover.

I found someone who was slightly more knowledgeable about graphic design than me (still not a professional), and I had someone who said they’d worked as an editor with an American publishing company go over the manuscripts again. I made some changes, and the 1998 version was released, and began to sell like crazy. ‘Like crazy’ means I sold them in the thousands.

In 2003 I was contacted by a publisher in the UK, who’d heard about my work. This publisher eventually accepted the first three books in this series. They went through another editor and re-write, with a professional designer on the cover this time.

All good – right? I’ve sold over 8,500 copies of ‘The Manse’.

Last year, to celebrate twenty years in print, I dragged the manuscript out – the UK version that has now been edited and re-written three times – and decided to get it ready for eBook. My giddy aunt!!! The writing was in such a bad way, I can’t believe I’d sold 25,000 copies of the series, and have avid Heart of Green Valley fans.

Christian writing in Australia has evolved at a rapid rate. I guess when I set out, I had no clue, and muddled along with the opportunities God put before me. Thank goodness the readers over the last twenty years didn’t know what I now know. Head-hopping; author intrusion; rogue adverbs (which I really actually like very much); elaborate speech attributions; loads of telling and not nearly enough showing; and an uncanny habit of using explanation marks for just about everything! These writerly sins were a solid part of everything I wrote pre-2012 – that’s like about eleven titles.

So here I sit. I did tell my readers I planned to release all of the Heart of Green Valley series to eBook. I re-wrote and re-edited ‘The Manse’ for the fourth time (and I admit, I skimped on the final editing as the opportunities to exploit the title for return are not there as they were twenty years ago).

This week I opened up the sequel, ‘Green Valley’ and groaned. This had been edited by both the American editor and the English editor. Obviously they had no idea either. I had thought I’d just have to make a couple of changes here and there. You know, cull all the adverbs, simplify the speech attributions, and sort out POV. No such luck. So far I have worked on the first scene, and out of about a thousand words, I’ve retained about twenty. Another deep sigh.

But I have to do it. If I was to put it up in its current format, the critics would move on it like a bunch of sharks at a feeding frenzy, and point out all of the issues. This ultimately would affect my reputation as a writer.

So be encouraged dear writer friends. Look at the bright side. You have the information at your fingertips today. You know what the writerly sins are, and can easily look up how to avoid them. Get ahead of the program and learn not to do it when you first write, so that you don’t have to spend half your life re-writing.

2017 marks the twentieth anniversary of the first publication of ‘The Manse’, the first title in ‘The Heart of Green Valley’ series.

To read more about Meredith Resce and all of her work, visit www.meredithresce.com