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| Jaime Jo Wright |
We
writers often become emotionally attached to our work—sometimes to the point of
finding it difficult to let go, even when it’s in our best interest and that of
the book’s. So, what do we do? Author Jaime
Jo Wright just happens to have some great ideas. ~ Dawn
How
to Break Up
With Your Book
I went through a bad breakup a few years ago. It was the best
decision of my life. I broke up with my novel. Ended it. I determined that
while I still loved it, being in a relationship with it was not the wisest decision.
Because I couldn’t see straight. My vision was blurry. And any criticism I
received became super personal.
Criticism can be difficult to accept. Especially, when we are
so in love with our work that it consumes us. Once, a critique partner hacked an
entire chapter from my book. The remark came back with (moderate paraphrase): “this slows it down. It confuses me why it’s
here. In fact, this is a completely pointless chapter.”
Ouch.
Or is it ouch? I needed relationship counseling. To make this
novel be the best it can be, to strengthen it, to maximize on its potential, I
need to be open to looking inside it and identifying its weakness.
This means three major implications:
1. Develop Relational Boundaries: My book
does not define ME. When a critique partner, an agent, an editor, or, God
forbid, my DAD, points out a flaw or an area of opportunity, it is not a
reflection on me. No one is pointing past the book to me and shouting “YOU
STINK!”. Most people tend to give honest feedback with the intent to help.
That’s why it’s called “feedback”. They feed back to us information we can
take, disseminate, and implement. All to create a novel that grows from its
good foundation, to a better foundation.
2. Accept the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: In any
relationship, there are aspects that are good, some that are bad, and some that
are downright horrendous. There’s something in our novel that screams “FIX ME”
and yet sometimes we can’t see it, but others can. Unfortunately, we often want
to focus on our vision on the good and maybe some bad, but going to that ugly
means scraping off the scabs and causing us to bleed. But it’s necessary. Like
cutting that boring chapter that put my critique partner to sleep. Best.
Surgical procedure. Ever.
3. Embrace
Change: Change is important in any relationship. In the writing
world, as you exercise your writing vocal chops, your writing will change.
Change should be a welcome thing. When the editor asks you to change your
heroine’s name, weigh it out on the scale of importance. Really. Is that name
worth arguing over? When the critique partners suggest cutting several
paragraphs of scene setting descriptors, ask yourself: will this change
positively affect the outcome?
It's important to remember that breaking-up with your novel doesn’t
mean you can’t get back together. Sometimes the best relationships are forged
through adversity. J Not to mention, sometimes the best
perspectives are formed by looking from the outside in. Fresh eyes, new ideas,
and critical thinking can take a good book and make it a great book.
For over
a century, the town of Gossamer Grove has thrived on its charm and Midwestern
values, but Annalise Forsythe knows painful secrets, including her own, hover
just beneath the pleasant facade. When a man is found dead in his run-down
trailer home, Annalise inherits the trailer, along with the pictures, vintage
obituaries, and old revival posters covering its walls. As she sorts through
the collection, she's wholly unprepared for the ramifications of the dark and
deadly secrets she'll uncover.
A century
earlier, Gossamer Grove has been stirred into chaos by the arrival of
controversial and charismatic twin revivalists. The chaos takes a murderous
turn when Libby Sheffield, working at her father's newspaper, receives an
obituary for a reputable church deacon hours before his death. As she works
with the deacon's son to unravel the mystery behind the crime, it becomes
undeniably clear that a reckoning has come to town—but it isn't until another
obituary arrives that they realize the true depths of the danger they've waded
into.
Two
women, separated by a hundred years, must uncover the secrets within the
borders of their own town before it's too late and they lose their future—or
their very souls.
Professional coffee drinker & ECPA/Publisher's Weekly
best-selling author, Jaime Jo Wright resides in the hills of Wisconsin writing
spirited romantic suspense stained with the shadows of history. Coffee fuels
her snarky personality. She lives in Neverland with her Cap’n Hook who stole
her heart and will not give it back, their little fairy Tinkerbell, and a very
mischievous Peter Pan. The foursome embark on scores of adventure that only
make her fall more wildly in love with romance and intrigue. Jaime lives in
dreamland, exists in reality, and invites you to join her adventures at jaimejowright.com.
Connect with Jaime and learn more about her books here:
Web site: www.jaimejowright.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/jaimejowright
Twitter: www.twitter.com/jaimejowright
Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/jaimejowright
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/jaimejowright
