If I’m learning anything about my writing from the piranha reviews, it’s that when I see the same issue appearing in several reviews, I should pay attention. The Fence My Father Built isn’t perfect by any means–it IS a debut novel after all. The issue I hear from the piranhas is that my story line repeats itselfs too often. Hmm. I’m not sure why this is a problem, but in reading The Help I read over and over about the black maids being discriminated against. Perhaps the real answer lies in how deeply developed the characters are (or aren’t!). Many people deal with repetitive issues in their daily lives, but in a story you don’t want to be hit over the head too much. Let’s hope I get better at developing my characters so readers won’t feel stuck in a “Groundhog Day” scenario. I didn’t like hearing about my flaws but I thank the piranha for pointing out an area where I need to become more skillful.
Writing Tip for Today: It never feels good to hear deep criticism of your work. Let’s face it, we loathe negative feedback. You want to yell, “What’s wrong with me?” Yet after the sting fades, you’ll grow as a writer if you ask instead, “What isn’t working about this?” If there’s a legitimate complaint, set out to increase your writing skill. Remember, there are only two kinds of writing: Writing that works and writing that needs work.