Summertime Publishing
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Our Authors
    • Publish with Us
    • Contact Us
    • Our Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Services and Fees
    • Publishing Programmes
    • Selected Services
  • Our Bookshelf
    • Summertime Direct
    • Anthology
    • Careers and Business
    • Children's Books
    • Country Guides
    • Expat Life
    • The FIGT Collection
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • Third Culture Kids
    • Writing
    • Springtime Shop
  • For Writers
    • LDF Award
    • Jo Parfitt, Mentor
    • author2author
    • Paddy Hartnett, Proofreader
    • Writing Retreats
    • Free Resources for Writers
    • From Pipedream to Proposal
    • e-Learning
  • Blog

Summertime
​News

Why all writers, even professionals, need feedback

18/5/2010

Comments

 
Some of you will know that I spent much of 2008 and 2009 writing a novel. It’s a new genre for me and I loved every minute of the writing process. Like trying out a new exercise class, writing in an unfamiliar style can flex muscles you didn’t even know you had and reawaken some that had lain stiff and dormant for far too long.
​
I may have written 26 books and had them published. I may have written hundreds if not thousands of articles and had them published by magazines and papers worldwide. I may have edited three magazines. But as a novelist, I still feel like the new kid on the block. I’m unsure of myself, not sure if anyone will ‘get’ me or even like my style. So, I did what I advise all my students to do – I got some feedback. First I asked three of my friends to read the manuscript and tell me honestly what they thought. The friends had been handpicked because they represented my ideal reader and were interested in contemporary women’s fiction with a bit of a literary flavour. Like I tell my students, I made sure that some of my readers knew my subject area (my novel is set in Dubai) and some didn’t. They all loved it! I breathed out. They all made many suggestions for improvement, which I listened to carefully and then humbly acted upon. When I thought I was ready at last, with my heart in my mouth, I began to send my synopsis and first three chapters to some agents. For the first time in my life no one said ‘yes’ immediately to my proposal and I began to bake a large quantity of humble pie. Today I have eight rejection letters in my collection. So, a month ago, at the Book Promotion Seminar, I met up with my fellow presenter, Stephanie Hale of Oxford Writers and RichWriterPoorWriter fame. She runs a business with a range of services pretty similar to my own, only she does fiction and I don’t. We got to know each other over a plate of Arabic mezze one lunchtime and I decided I was brave enough to ask her to take a look at my work.   Again, I was only doing what I tell my students to do – getting  feedback, not from a friend, but from a professional.

I chose to send Stephanie exactly the same material that  I had been sending to the agents.
​
Today, I heard her reply:

“Very engaging and interesting,” she wrote. “I stayed up late while I was reading this book and lost track of time – which is exactly the response you want from a reader!”

Stephanie loved my dialogue and my characters but she could see exactly where I went wrong with my cover letter and synopsis and indeed the holes in those first few chapters. She gave me sound advice and criticism along with the praise.

So, why am I telling you this? Why am I, a professional writer, sharing news that I am not brilliant and wonderful and marvellous? I am telling you this because I think we can all benefit not only from a wake up call from a professional, but that when we work in a new and unfamiliar environment we simply must get feedback in order to become confident and capable – and brilliant and wonderful and marvellous.

Self-confidence as a writer can be hard won. It can take a pile of published (and paid for) pieces and a mountain of good reviews and thank you letters before we truly start to believe in our writing ability. As a journalist and writer of non-fiction I have that paper proof and with it confidence in my ability. I have even taught and mentored others to achieve the same success for over a decade. But until  I have proof in my ability as a novelist I shall continue to seek out feedback from ideal readers and professionals.  And while I received  valuable advice from those ideal readers, there is nothing quite like the advice of a professional. Thank you, Stephanie!

As you probably know, I offer a manuscript appraisal service too, just like Stephanie’s – only I focus on articles and non-fiction for now. One day, when I have a published novel under my belt, then I will offer that service too. But not yet. Until then I’ll leave that to the professionals!
Comments
    Picture
    All the latest news from the team at Summertime Publishing
    Subscribe

    Archives

    February 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    July 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    September 2008
    May 2008

Summertime Publishing

Website by author2author | © Summertime Publishing 2023 All Rights Reserved
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
    • Our Authors
    • Publish with Us
    • Contact Us
    • Our Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Services and Fees
    • Publishing Programmes
    • Selected Services
  • Our Bookshelf
    • Summertime Direct
    • Anthology
    • Careers and Business
    • Children's Books
    • Country Guides
    • Expat Life
    • The FIGT Collection
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • Third Culture Kids
    • Writing
    • Springtime Shop
  • For Writers
    • LDF Award
    • Jo Parfitt, Mentor
    • author2author
    • Paddy Hartnett, Proofreader
    • Writing Retreats
    • Free Resources for Writers
    • From Pipedream to Proposal
    • e-Learning
  • Blog