tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post6715842562871204011..comments2024-03-27T01:07:03.944-04:00Comments on The Roses of Prose: Goldilocks Readers – too little, too much, or just right? by Leah St. James #amreading #amwritingAlison Hendersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-73545032049958032112018-06-10T10:54:14.130-04:002018-06-10T10:54:14.130-04:00What a great post, Leah. Every weekend, I particip...What a great post, Leah. Every weekend, I participate in Weekend Writing Warriors, a blog hop where we post an 8-10 sentence snippet from one of our works (either published or in progress). I'm amazed at the insights other authors have into those few sentences. Eye opening! Some zero in on the characters' interaction, other see the action. Rolynn mentioned the blind man and the elephant. It's all about where we're coming from. That's how we need to take any feedback--consider the source (and I don't mean that sarcastically). Same with our readers. They bring their life experiences, their preferences to our books. In the end, though, we have to please ourselves. Our we satisfied with/proud of what we've written.Diane Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03754105332297068271noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-59089477683571160232018-06-06T21:28:17.195-04:002018-06-06T21:28:17.195-04:00Very fortunate, Margo. I'm glad you've bee...Very fortunate, Margo. I'm glad you've been able to use all the suggestions and figure out what works for you. And that's very cool that Jannine's mother read and offered some advice! I'm looking forward to the day you post that the story is ready for purchase!Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-87735129620378532972018-06-06T21:23:05.848-04:002018-06-06T21:23:05.848-04:00That's great that you were able to get so much...That's great that you were able to get so much feedback on your story, Alison. We never see what other people see in our own writing either, especially after we've written it then read it for editing x-number of times. I always appreciate beta readers pointing out things I've missed! And I think your books align perfectly with the cozy mystery reader. :-)Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-51706366731760951712018-06-06T21:17:19.293-04:002018-06-06T21:17:19.293-04:00You're right, Rolynn, about honest critique be...You're right, Rolynn, about honest critique being a special form of caring. I've never thought of it that way, but it is. It's also a skill, I think, to offer critical commentary in a constructive way. Thankfully I think everyone in this group has mastered that! :-)Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-43452582621765255362018-06-06T21:13:31.660-04:002018-06-06T21:13:31.660-04:00That's great to have that kind of diversity in...That's great to have that kind of diversity in feedback (and that you can trust it), Brenda. That must make for some interesting conversations (or email exchanges)!Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-48309328013789895022018-06-06T21:08:07.856-04:002018-06-06T21:08:07.856-04:00I'm "old" with you, Vonnie! I also i...I'm "old" with you, Vonnie! I also imagine my readers in the maturing (40s and up) age bracket. Good point about vocabulary, education level, region...it all factors into the reader's experience. (I've never heard of toe sandals either!)Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-78757602774505385342018-06-06T21:01:02.344-04:002018-06-06T21:01:02.344-04:00So sorry to be late to respond, everyone! Got suck...So sorry to be late to respond, everyone! Got sucked into the day/paycheck job and am just crawling out of the rubble. :-)<br /><br />Jannine, I think you hit the nail on the head. Sub-genre is definitely one of the big differentiators. Sometimes I find myself mixing genres in the same piece! Yikes! :)Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-27028005915240863062018-06-06T11:52:54.455-04:002018-06-06T11:52:54.455-04:00Talk about your great minds and/or twins separated...Talk about your great minds and/or twins separated at birth. Just what I needed to hear today, Leah. I was struggling with what to write for my post on Monday, June 11. Now I know!!! Bwwwaaaaaahhhhh! Another crack at Book 3, anyone? Seriously though, the insight and advice I received from my colleagues here at the ROP was truly valuable and much appreciated. Even, bonus, when Jannine's mother, a true reader, provided her take. Her input I really took to heart. How fortunate are all of us for the diversity of this group, not to mention the willingness to provide help and support. One of our many strengths is our diversity. As others as said, having a critique partner or partners with a slightly different take on things is invaluable. And who among us doesn't need a little tough love now and then? I know I do.Margo Hoornstrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00036077481652050799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-6693745172236628582018-06-06T11:45:05.945-04:002018-06-06T11:45:05.945-04:00Your observations and conclusions are spot-on, Lea...Your observations and conclusions are spot-on, Leah. They reflect my recent experience editing my last book. I had struggled so much writing it, and this time I had my two sisters and a mystery writer friend as beta readers and Jannine as editor. I got TONS of advice. LOL It was up to me to sort through it all, fix the common complaints, and choose the right path for my story and characters. For example, Jannine always tells me my characters sound too old. Like Vonnie said, I AM old. I also know my readers after all these years, and they're not the same age as my characters. They veer more toward the cozy mystery age group. However, when Jannine tells me my characters sound tired all the time, that needs to fixed! Critical input is invaluable--I would never have been able to publish this book without it--but ultimately, you're right. We do have to own our stories.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-2846167909163921672018-06-06T11:18:38.837-04:002018-06-06T11:18:38.837-04:00Great post, Leah. The parable about the blind men...Great post, Leah. The parable about the blind men and the elephant comes to mind. When we are asked to respond to a text, I believe we're being asked to see it from our vantage point. So what the writer of the text is going to get from several responders will naturally vary, depending on the age, background, intellect, preference, emotional state of each reader. It's up to the writer to sort through all the responses she's given and create the elephant...or cheetah, or whatever...that she envisions. Candid, unfiltered responses are what I'm looking for, always. I consider this honesty and specificity a form of caring...I cherish my critical friends! <br /><br />Rolynn Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09504770204968969467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-24872398149576603022018-06-06T10:54:54.173-04:002018-06-06T10:54:54.173-04:00SO TRUE, Vonnie. About the sounding old. My 21 yea...SO TRUE, Vonnie. About the sounding old. My 21 year old daughter reads my stuff before I send it to my editor. She leaves comments like, "OMG Mom, seriously? No one says that. At least no one young." All of us who are over 50 should have a youthful reader to make our 20 or even 30 something heroes and heroines sound more realistic.Jannine Gallanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01047728297429025804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-12342043549324346122018-06-06T09:54:25.339-04:002018-06-06T09:54:25.339-04:00Good comments, Jannine and Vonnie. I think you nai...Good comments, Jannine and Vonnie. I think you nailed it Leah, all the way around. I have four critique partners which hail from three different "groups" that I've interacted with over the years. What I love, love, love about these ladies is they write different genres and they all see my stories from different angles. I get diverse opinions and suggestions. Now, you better believe that if they all mention the same thing, I make the change. But even if only one of them picks up on something, I stop and look at it. I might not always take their advice, and this plays into keeping my voice, but I always take away some aspect of how my readers will view it. Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-27334003290047941442018-06-06T09:41:32.241-04:002018-06-06T09:41:32.241-04:00What Jannine said. WORD! Or perhaps I should simpl...What Jannine said. WORD! Or perhaps I should simply say I agree. We have to remember every reader brings something different to the story and, as writers, we can't satisfy everything they bring. Think about it. Not every reader has the same amount of education. Or the same vocabulary level. Or the same interests. Where the reader resides plays into the mix, too. My critique partner who lives in the middle of the country did not know what flip flops were. Huh? In her area, they're called toe sandals. I kept them as flip flops because I felt it was a better known term. The age of the reader also muddles things. When I write, I imagine my audience as middle-aged. My critique partner is younger with a better knowledge of a more youthful jargon. She knows I want to widen my audience by appealing to more age groups, so she'll write in track changes "you sound old here." And I laugh. I AM old! How else would I sound? So your take on everything was spot on. Very insightful.Vonnie Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04636934830795471572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-83053321667200482202018-06-06T09:11:33.779-04:002018-06-06T09:11:33.779-04:00Interesting insights, Leah. I agree everyone looks...Interesting insights, Leah. I agree everyone looks for something different in books and appreciates a variety of things about them. But the one point I'd make is sub-genre. Readers of romantic suspense don't have the same expectations as readers of contemporary, etc. etc. Also that whole thing about creating a brand and being recognizable. Vonnie's comments are a perfect example of her brand, which is doused in humor. What readers want when you label a book by a sub-genre also comes into play. More focus on relationship development in contemporary. More focus on action in suspense. More focus on world building in sci-fi, etc. etc. I think it's something we, as writers, need to think about when we chose a sub-genre. What are the strongest elements of our writing and how can we best play to that particular audience. Also, when choosing a critique partner/editor, it's wise to find someone who has different strengths than your own so they can point out the areas where you might lack development. Didn't mean to write a novel about this! Great post!Jannine Gallanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01047728297429025804noreply@blogger.com