Last night my friend Lisa and I attended our monthly writer's group with Elaine W. Miller, author of Splashes Of Serenity: Bathtime Reflections For Drained Moms. It was a wonderful night spent with some very warm and loving people, not to mention some very good writers. It is well worth the long drive and the sleepy eyes this morning to have been part of their critiquing.
This month I brought with me chapters two and three to share with the group. Even though I was done with my revisions I really wanted some feedback on the progression of the book as a whole. I allowed Lisa to read it aloud to everyone so I could just sit and listen to the words being read (another plus, as I don't often get to hear what others are hearing). My piece was a little lengthy so I had run out of time before the end of chapter three was read, but to my surprise everyone agreed to allow some overtime so that they could finish hearing what would happen next. (yipee!!!)
When it came time for individual reactions I was sitting on pins and needles. Would this experienced group of writers value what I had written? The consensus was yes!! They felt that it was very well written and that they could feel my emotional pain within the story. The events flowed together and lead nicely into the next chapter. Just those comments were enough to put me on cloud nine, but when Elaine asked to keep my work so that she could read chapter four I could barely keep my excitement inside. That gesture alone was enough to boost my confidence through the roof. THANK YOU ELAINE !!!!
The one suggestion that everyone had for me was to tweek the title to become more powerful. They suggested ULTIMATE SACRIFICES: The Price of a Mother's Love. When I heard that title I was blown away myself. It is attention grabbing and gut wrenching at the same time. I LOVE IT !!!!!
Next month my plan is to pause with the next chapter and bring my query letter to be put under the microscope. Without a good hook I am likely to never bait an agent. If you would like to find out more about Elaine, you can visit her website at the link below.
http://www.elainewmiller.blogspot.com/
This month I brought with me chapters two and three to share with the group. Even though I was done with my revisions I really wanted some feedback on the progression of the book as a whole. I allowed Lisa to read it aloud to everyone so I could just sit and listen to the words being read (another plus, as I don't often get to hear what others are hearing). My piece was a little lengthy so I had run out of time before the end of chapter three was read, but to my surprise everyone agreed to allow some overtime so that they could finish hearing what would happen next. (yipee!!!)
When it came time for individual reactions I was sitting on pins and needles. Would this experienced group of writers value what I had written? The consensus was yes!! They felt that it was very well written and that they could feel my emotional pain within the story. The events flowed together and lead nicely into the next chapter. Just those comments were enough to put me on cloud nine, but when Elaine asked to keep my work so that she could read chapter four I could barely keep my excitement inside. That gesture alone was enough to boost my confidence through the roof. THANK YOU ELAINE !!!!
The one suggestion that everyone had for me was to tweek the title to become more powerful. They suggested ULTIMATE SACRIFICES: The Price of a Mother's Love. When I heard that title I was blown away myself. It is attention grabbing and gut wrenching at the same time. I LOVE IT !!!!!
Next month my plan is to pause with the next chapter and bring my query letter to be put under the microscope. Without a good hook I am likely to never bait an agent. If you would like to find out more about Elaine, you can visit her website at the link below.
http://www.elainewmiller.blogspot.com/
RSS Feed
