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    The Critique Survival Guide
    The Critique Survival Guide
    The Critique Survival Guide
    Ebook64 pages53 minutes

    The Critique Survival Guide

    By Ian S. Bott

    ()

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    About this ebook

    When you pen those magical words, “The End”, it’s really only the first step on the road to publication. That first draft needs polishing, revising, editing, but you are too close to your work to do this alone. You need independent, thorough and honest feedback. The kind that digs deep into what’s working and what’s not. The kind that will ruthlessly expose cardboard characters and lackluster descriptions. The kind that will drive transit buses through your carefully-crafted plot.

    In other words, the kind that hurts.

    The trouble is that even amongst friends a detailed critique can be hard to take, but blunt and honest critiques are a necessary growth pain for any writer. Venturing into the anonymous jungle of online critique groups in search of tough love is both terrifying and exponentially rewarding. The Critique Survival Guide shares practical tips for surviving - and thriving on - the harshest of critiquing experiences.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherIan S. Bott
    Release dateJan 20, 2016
    ISBN9780993724244
    The Critique Survival Guide
    Author

    Ian S. Bott

    I am a public servant by day, and a science fiction author by night when my dark side emerges to wreak murder and mayhem on unsuspecting imaginary worlds.I use my lifelong love of both science and art to bring new worlds to life for readers to escape to. Back in the real world, I escaped from Britain in 2004 but still miss proper pubs, pork pies, and real bacon.I now live in beautiful British Columbia with my wife, two children, and assorted pets.

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      Book preview

      The Critique Survival Guide - Ian S. Bott

      The Critique Survival Guide

      Ian S. Bott

      Published by Dark Sky Press at Smashwords

      Copyright 2016 Ian S. Bott

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      Thank you for downloading this free ebook. Although this is a free book, it remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Smashwords.com, where they can also discover other works by this author.

      Thank you for your support.

      Introduction

      I’ve done it! Ernest Hummingbird hopped excitedly on his perch. "I’ve done it. I’ve done it. I’ve done it."

      His old friend and mentor, Sage, cocked a beady eye, twitched his tail feathers, and settled his spectacles more comfortably on his beak. Done what?

      Finished, of course.

      You mean ...

      Written those two magic words, ‘The End.’

      Hmm.

      Ernest gave Sage a sharp peck. "Didn’t you hear me? I said, I’ve finished."

      What? Oh, yes. You’ve finished the first draft of your novel. Yes, well done. An admirable achievement. Let me see, it was a tale of love and betrayal in a Parisian boulangerie. What was it called again?

      "The Bun Almost Rises. Ernest gave Sage a suspicious look. You don’t seem all that impressed."

      As I said, my hopeful young friend, completing the draft of a novel is a big step. Something most people, even many writers, never accomplish. Sage squinted at Ernest, who clung to one end of the perch, gazing out the window up and down the street. He hooted softly to gain his friend’s attention. So, what happens now?

      Ernest sidled to the other end of his perch. One wingtip caressed a faded photo of a hammock slung between two palm trees overlooking a sun-drenched expanse of white sand and cerulean seas. His eyes took on a faraway look. Well, it gets published, of course. I can retire from my job at the nectar factory and spend my days writing. In between book signing events and writing conventions. His gaze flickered from the window to the telephone. And maybe the occasional speaking engagement. I’m sure I’ll be too busy for many of those, though.

      Soohoo, Sage hooted, do you have a publisher then?

      I let all the big publishers know I was about to finish. Ernest glanced uneasily out the window once more. They should be here any moment with advances and contracts.

      Sage sighed. Ernest, my ambitious young friend, I think you and I need a little chat.

      Popular myth versus reality

      The popular media has a lot to answer for. There’s a deeply-ingrained stereotype of writers, bolstered by numerous TV and movie portrayals, that make fame and fortune as a writer look all too easy. They gloss over the bits between ‘The End’ and actual publication, the bits that represent ninety percent of the real effort, because they don’t make good viewing.

      As a result, many writers start off, and a significant number continue, blissfully unaware that this thing we call ‘critiquing’ even exists. They may have a vague recollection of this mysterious thing called ‘editing’, that presumably happens in a back room somewhere once they’ve graciously deigned to sign up with one of the publishers tripping over each other to ply them with offers.

      The reality is that writing sometimes feels like the labors of Hercules. Just when you think you’ve reached the finish line and you’re over the worst, new obstacles loom, each more intimidating than the last.

      You slog through the swamps of the first draft. You write those magical words ‘The End’ and breathe a happy sigh, thinking you’ve finally mastered this writing lark.

      Yes, ‘The End’ is a tremendous landmark, especially first time around, but then reality sets in and you realize you have to face the critiquing and editing jungle. You plough through it, or maybe are tempted to skirt around it, until your way is barred by the precipitous cliffs of publication. These cliffs you scale, through blood, sweat, and shredded fingernails, and finally launch yourself into the airless interplanetary void of promotion.

      Out in those cold wastelands you realize it’s true. Nobody can hear you scream.

      There are plenty of books and articles out there on the craft of writing, the mechanics of publication, and the

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