Re: How do you know what advice to follow? (Critiquing probl
I love to read too...lol. So I do learn by reading! However, some books are so bad to me, it's amazing they ever got published! I remember one book where the baddie in the story would almost talk like "You dirty rat!" How stereotypical, and it didn't work for me at all, the reader. I've read books I loved so much they made me cry or laugh. Maybe I should just write my novels, as I've been doing, study books I like, and stop paying people to help me. But...
I was under the impression that if you broke certain rules, you were doomed. "Show don't tell" "Only one POV per chapter" etc. I write very fast moving, plot-oriented fiction, and skimp of lengthy description of scenery. I want to get to the nitty gritty of the story, and I love to give birth to characters that I create. I try to make sure that every time a character talks, HE is talking, not ME and not another character--this is great fun for me. By the end of my manuscripts, I'm almost sorry to be done. Since I'm in the general fiction genre, I was told to study books in my own genre. Any suggestions on who may be a good role model for me? I've thought of Jonathan Kellerman, Sidney Sheldon, Mary Higgins Clarke....?
The sad thing is, I love escapism and give me a hot romance novel and I'll love it every time over my own genre. However, I don't like to write romance novels, and am not good at them.
Ah, the problems of a writer! I do write every single day and I dont' have to force myself to do it; I love it.
In the back of my mind, I'd still like to hire somebody to check my chapters and send them back to me, critiqued. I wonder if I should approach our local college to see if there are any tutors?