Well that’s the thing…I want my novels to be the best they can be before I actually publish them. That’s what I use feedback for. And yeah, TTV is obscure, but like I said, everything I’ve posted on here is an early draft.
I dunno…my parents have been pretty blunt. My dad said he enjoyed Playtime (the first novel I posted on here), but he still had some criticisms. And when my mom read one of my other books…well, let’s just say she had some issues. But I have taken those criticisms to heart.
I hate to say it, but that’s the way I feel about books like Sense and Sensibility and Hard Times. Although, I did find myself enjoying Slumdog Millionaire and Hatchet.
And you’re absolutely right to do so. But you can never truly be sure that your work is the best it can be without reaching out to someone who isn’t that close to you. It’s good that your parents are more honest about what they’re reading–that’s a great start–but a truly impartial observer is going to be the best choice for a “beta reader,” as they’re called. Obviously, those are going to be hard to find at this stage, but maybe you could start reaching out to someone more outside your social circle. What about a trusted teacher or professor? As someone who has already had practice judging your work, they might be helpful.
Other than that, the best thing to remember is that you shouldn’t necessarily be trying to send out a perfect novel the first time you approach a publisher. If you commit yourself to allowing only perfection, you’ll never reach that goal, because improvements are always possible. Achieving competence and a high level of polish is important, but the other facet of that is knowing when you need to let go of a story and put it out there before you work it to death. Think about it–what does “the best they can be” really mean in this situation, other than frustrating yourself because you can’t achieve perfection? The vast majority of novels published today have flaws, sometimes large ones. While you obviously shouldn’t be aiming to write a flawed novel, there is always a danger of holding onto something you want to improve until it loses steam and grinds to a halt (there are a few good examples of this, if you want more detail, but I don’t want to bore you…).
(As a side note, I do want to point out that my criticisms of the way reading is taught largely have little to do with teachers themselves, as most of them are just trying to do their best to adhere to standards. My above opinions have more to do with the standards themselves…)
You should give Austen and Dickens another try, especially now that you’re trying to become a writer. But this time, approach them less with the idea of trying to get through the writing, and think about what’s being shown. A lot of Austen’s work is extremely satirical and hilarious, especially if you pay attention to the dramatic ways her characters act. And Dickens is a master of plot, so you can learn a lot from the way his stories are constructed. Reading old books as a writer is very different than reading them as a student, especially since you no longer have the pressure to read them quickly and absorb everything–you can take your time and notice more!
I absolutely second this. I’ve mostly considered it a problem because it leaves you so much more easily distracted - a physical book doesn’t have access to YouTube or Discord. When it’s just the book in your hands, I think it’s just far easier to get sucked into it and actually read for a while. Maybe not the whole book in one evening (looking at you Philosopher’s Stone), but definitely a good while. There might be other things at play though. For example I can’t stand reading things in the PDF format for… whatever reason, as opposed to a full webpage like this one. I guess it just feels less restrictive and more readable? I don’t know, just some food for thought I guess
That’s probably a good portion. Websites are designed to pleasing to the eye and easy to read, while PDF’s on the other hand are not. The PDF file type was invented so that a document displays the same on all devices.
As in, Philosopher’s Stone is one of the only books of a decent length I can think of where I just picked it up one day and didn’t stop reading until I finished. Most of the time I do chunks
same, I’ve read that thing cover to cover thrice now. Funny story tho: the first time I tried to read the thing was in 6th grade. I found the book and was like I wonder what this is.
I second this suggestion to read the ‘classics’ and the great authors, but I would recommend searching in their catalogs for books that interest you, and reading them for that reason.
For instance, when I read Romeo & Juliet for school, I wasn’t a fan, because the star-crossed lovers trope has never really interested me. But, the following year we read A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which I appreciated much more because the plot was more entertaining and appealed more to my preferences.
I’m not saying not to try new things, but trying new things for its own sake can lead to not liking things you might have loved if you entered from a more approachable starting point.
Eh, I still like reading books. What’s changed is that I don’t actively look for fantasy and sci-fi to read anymore. I still enjoy reading and re-reading my old favorites like Garth Nix and Bionicle, but I don’t have any tolerance for reading stories that don’t appeal to me.
For some reason, I find myself reading a lot of non-fiction books these days as my main interest. I guess I’m an adult or something.
).