Anyone who has submitted a creative work for critique can understand the emotional tug of war. You have this precious creation you’ve poured yourself into. Probably has some expressions of you that people don’t normally see. Vulnerable. It is your own creative flair. A very personal thing. And then comes the time when you hand your precious Mini-You over to someone to tell you what they like … or dislike about it.
You do it on purpose, believe it or not! You know you’ve gotten too deep into it and a fresh perspective could inspire you to something great. You need to hear how an idea lands on other ears, what you missed, where the holes are and which word you used 300 times too many. You know you want to hear that stuff. Sort of.
But how fickle we creative types are! If someone comes back with TOO good of a report, we are immediately suspicious. We look at them out of the corner of our eyes, not really believing that they liked it that much. Surely there must be something wrong. Did you actually READ it?
Thankfully, there are longsuffering friends and family, and heck, even strangers who are willing to put up with the bipolar nature of the creative mind, ignore our funny looks or groans of agony and tell us exactly what works and what doesn’t. The Lord bless and prosper their tribe.
I am grateful to say that I have access to some members of this editorial tribe (otherwise known as people who are willing to share their opinion) and have embarked on the critiquing process for my book. So far I have received some good input – particularly one idea that I had not even considered. Right now it is in the hands of the next round of critiquers, one of whom has some professional editing experience. That was a God thing! I did not know it originally and God set it all up. I am so grateful. So far nobody has said that my book is “nice”. That is encouraging.
What is also exciting about this stage in the process is that it means the manuscript is complete … well, loosely speaking. I suspect there will be some more additions and subtractions before it goes to press. But it is a big milestone to be this far in the process.
There is one person of the editorial tribe who will see the book next who has already told me what they will be looking for. That could be the Week of Chocolate. Lots and lots and lots of chocolate.
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Hello there Megan, Enjoyed reading your blog today and can totally relate. I engage in the field of visual arts and understand your sentiments. Creating a work of art is like pouring a piece of yourself out passionately on paper and placing it on the wall for people to poke at. Sometimes helpful and sometimes quite brutal. What helped me as an artist was understanding that the way a person critiques my work is a reflection of them and not my art. Interesting point about the chocolate. I tend to eat way more chocolate covered almonds during critique time. It really helps!
I look forward to the release of your book! Do you have a time frame?
I would really love to release it this year, but I can’t say for sure. I am in the editing phase now. Since I have finished the website, I will actually have some free time to work on it again. So, I will just keep praying for time to stretch a little in spots! ;D)