Whining

One more at Shooting Stars

Go to Suzette Saxton and Bethany Wiggins’ site and make sure you sign up for prizes galore including a 40 page critique. I can’t express how much I want to win this prize.

I just endured another Flogging the Quill critique and I don’t know what to do. Last year a resounding 2/3 of readers disliked my opening hook (in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel contest) because it dropped them into the action too fast. They wanted to be submersed in the culture before being subjected to a body in the orchard. Ok, 2/3 of around 30 respondents is statistically valuable, so I re-wrote my hook.

Ray at Flogging the Quill and the only other critiquer make great suggestions and comments – I am not bucking what they’re saying as I always preferred my first hook. The problem is, what do I believe – the statistics or the professionals? I just don’t know what to do about this book. It’s impass time again and I don’t know if I’m interested in working the hook again without further professional input. I’ve spent 16 years of my life on this novel and without professional (but free help as I have no money) I’m done. Finite. Zai jian!