Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Jefferson on June 6, 2012 at 10:49am

I have belonged to critique groups, so really good and some ok, but I find that it helps

Permalink Reply by Deborah Armstrong on June 6, 2012 at 5:03pm

I had my daughters read through my first draft as I was writing it. The story was for them - a romance. They suggested changes and scenes along the way. They loved the story until they came to the ending when I killed off my hero.  I thought it was the only way I could end the story. My daughters cried as they told me that I couldn't end my story that way. I had to write more. So, I changed the ending and went on to write Book Two. My daughters are thrilled with the end product and the feedback from readers has been positive. The first book is published and I am currently working on the revision of the second.

I also uploaded my MS onto a website for critiquing. Most of the suggestions were helpful, but some were not.

Permalink Reply by Merry Lervold on June 21, 2012 at 11:16pm

I had my mother, sister-in-law, and cousin all reading my manuscript as I was writing it.  I appreciated the input and comments they all made.  I think it made for a better draft when I ultimately sent it to my publisher (although, my editor has had more things for me to do.)  I enjoyed the sharing and discussion with my "pre-editors," and I plan to do the same thing with the next book of my trilogy!