"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body; it calls attention to the development of an unhealthy state of things. If it is heeded in time, danger may be averted; if it is suppressed, a fatal distemper may develop." ― Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was my husband's 5th cousin, a few times removed. He was also half-America because his mother was the New York heiress, Jennie Jerome. The town of Jerome, Arizona, is named after Keith's family, and we went there almost fifty years ago on our honeymoon.
This month, I truly learned how tough it is to take criticism. I used a paid editor after writing my first two middle-grade books, Sleep Warrior and Murder at the Magic Kingdom. Yes, I paid someone to inflict pain upon my fragile ego.
This process is similar to using a physical trainer. Almost three years ago, I paid someone to tell me I was fat. No, actually, my insurance company paid for it via a benefit called Silver Sneakers. To be fair, she didn't actually call me fat. Instead, she said that I was mostly made up of fat instead of muscle. She put me on a program to build back the muscle that we all start losing after we turn 40. That program has worked, and I've created a more efficient body with a much higher muscle ratio, and now I burn calories better. I'm not sure if I can change my brain to write better. I'm a storyteller but not very good at English. Sometimes, I think it is my second language – with muttering and stuttering being my first.
There is no other way to describe the professional editing process other than humbling and humiliating. It is like she takes a shotgun at my work and completely blows it up, leaving hundreds of holes. When I got my last book back, I immediately decided to quit writing, thinking, "I don't need this...I will NEVER learn how to write..."
Then I dusted myself off and got to work rewriting and rewriting. It was hard because I didn't understand her level of editing. With her MFA in English, she is so over my head. For example, she says in places, "This seems like a very granular tangent." What the heck does that mean? Then there are "dangling modifiers" and "You need to go a level deeper and give context."
I spend a lot of time after I get her notes just trying to figure out what she is telling me. Yes, I could have merely asked her, but then I wouldn't be learning. I need to do my own research so that I can understand in the future. When I'm done with my rewrites I'm very proud of my book and I end up agreeing with 100% of the changes she suggests. I'm already planning my 3rd book and figuring out when I can get it to her for another round of pain!
My paid editor is Mary Kole of GoodStory. I found her by reading her fantastic book: "Writing Irresistible Kidlit: The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers." I have read it over nine times during the past year. I did ALL the exercises in the book, including waiting 90 days before submitting my work. I'm in the process of reading all the middle-grade books she recommends as I continue to learn this craft. Mary Kole is a former literary agent for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency and Movable Type Literary. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco and interned in the children's editorial department at Chronicle Books. https://www.goodstorycompany.com/
When I sold my software company three years ago, I was great at debugging and testing computer code. I like to think I was at the level of Mary Kole in my industry in spotting problems with programs and making suggestions on how to fix them. I learned to write code so I could easily spot the lines that had the "bug" and even perform and test my design. Now, I wonder if I'll ever be at this level in my new career, but I'm willing to spend the time and money to get this right.
I am learning to take criticism; it isn't easy but I agree with Winston…it is necessary.
If you’re interested in critiquing my latest book, Murder in the Magic Kingdom here is the link where you can read the PDF version and I promise - I can take your criticism!
https://www.yogaiteach.com/MurderattheMagicKingdomPDF.pdf
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