Once I finished writing it, I sent it to Jessica to look it over. She does and I know I'm going to get feedback. She's very good about feedback. I'm sure her crit-partners could tell you that as well. However, every time I get a critique on the scene I'm doing I automatically just shut down.
I get upset from seeing her comments when I know it's just to help me out and I can't control it. It sucks quite a bit. I used to cry from it which was even worse. Of course, it's not like her critiques are mean, because they aren't. For some silly reason I just can't handle them? I don't know. Do any of you get upset with critiques?
Generally, I like what the scene turns out to be after I've made the suggestions--so it isn't like she doesn't get what I'm trying to convey. (At least I hope she gets it... We've only talked about the way it should go every time Al comes up...) I think I'm just weird. I want the suggestions but I hate getting them. Odd, I say!
Anyway, on a lighter note, I've drawn a ... rough (very rough) picture of Al. I did it on Microsoft Paint, so don't make fun of it too much, okay? I'll draw better ones when I can take decent pictures of drawings on paper. (Paint definitely isn't the best thing to try and draw awesomeness with.)
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| "Al" |
I promise I'll give you some good ones soon though! Maybe with their entire body? We'll see how it goes.
Back to writing. :)
First scenes and critiques can be so hard to deal with. The first scene I ever wrote for my novel, and eventually the entire chapter, was a mess. As I continued writing, I realised the beginning no longer matched my MC or the events in the novel, and when I finished writing the first draft, I had to completely scrap the first chapter and start again. Now, it actually fits and it WORKS.
ReplyDeleteI think the hardest thing about first scenes is how much rests on them. You feel like the first scene has to be good, as it's setting up your novel and your characters, and it's the starting point for everything. But the thing is, no matter how much you've outlined and thought about your characters or the scene, until you've actually achieved a first draft, there are so many little details you haven't yet discovered about your characters.
When it came down to it, I realised the girl I'd written about in my first ever scene and my MC at the end were two completely different people. It needed to change. As long as you begin, I think that's fine. There's always a chance to change it later if it isn't working.
The first scene is a spring board for the rest of your novel - don't think about how you're going to try make your first jump perfect, just jump! Then you'll be able to enjoy writing your novel without the pressure of the perfect jump still stopping you from going any further. (I hope that metaphor wasn't really awful!)
I used to be the same crit-wise. I was a bad proof reader, and I hated other people criticising my work. The thing was, for the most part, I knew they were right, but I was still angry that they had to point it out in the first place. The thing I had to teach myself was that I should be happy they recognised the mistake or flaw in the first place. Only by making me change or correct it could it get any better.
It's all about what you take away from crits. Even if you have to cry first (trust me, I've been there as well), if you try build on it, things might start to get easier. Like all things, it's just practice in handling them.
I really hoped that helped, Devin! Feel free to speak to me about anything, I'd love to hear from you.
I wish I knew how to write the perfect critiques for you. Someday we'll both have it down perfect, right? :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice, Kiara. It's good to know I'm not the only one who has a bad reaction at first. I definitely know the critiques are for the better--I can't catch everything myself and I'm not perfect.
ReplyDeleteI am still practicing on how to handle them.
And Jessica--we'll definitely get it down perfect. Your critiques always help, even if I'm a brat when you give them to me, haha. I still have to work on giving you the perfect critique, too. It's a two way street my lovely bestie.