Friday, April 13, 2012

A Writer's Week #15: A Sense of Urgency

So this week was a little below average from a writing standpoint. I wrote a little over 1,000 words, which means the book is now over 25,000 words. That means I'm about halfway through the book, or maybe a little more.

More importantly, however, I received a lesson from my old mentor, children's author and book editor Louise Ladd. Back in the day, when I was taking her class, she impressed on me the need to introduce and maintain a sense of urgency when writing children's adventure books.


Last week, I sent her a copy of The Deliverers: Sharky and the Jewel  to see what she thought of it. When I took part in her writing group eight years ago, the members of the group read and critiqued each other's writing. Over two years, I submitted the first six chapters of the book. I learned a lot about creating a sense of urgency, and my writing improved as a result.

Somewhere along the line, though, it appears I lost sight of that a little. Louise thought that while the book was imaginative, fun and a good read, the urgency was lacking in the middle of the book. Ouch.

So, how did her honest opinion make me feel? It made me think, that's for sure. Is my book perfect? No. But in spite of that, it's a good book. There's no such thing as a perfect book, and I can always do better--I'm always learning.

So I'm grateful to Louise for the reminder. It will help me keep improving my writing, and it will help me to make the new book as good as it can be. Louise is a great editor and teacher, and I'm glad I was able to reconnect with her.

Do you have a writing mentor, or someone whose advice has been instrumental in shaping who you are as a writer? If so, let us know who they are and a little bit about them.

6 comments:

  1. Hello, I'm a new blog follower. Take care. -laura

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    1. Welcome,Lsurs! Thanks for following. I checked out your blog--very nice. I love history--I'm a follower!--Greg

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  2. I am currently working on my first novel. It's been almost 2 years and my process has been slow yet steady. I have about 3 more chapters to write until it's complete. I believe we all need those mentors to keep us on track. Mine happens to be my best friend. She is much more skilled in the craft of writing and I have learned a tremendous amount from her. I value her as a friend and mentor.

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    1. Great! Krrp working at it. You'll get there. We all need people to bounce ideas off, and to get feedback. Thanks for following. Welcome!

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  3. I am happy for you that you reconnected with your old mentor. It sounds like she had some positive things to say about your book. Hopefully her advice will help you as you continue to work on book 2. :) You have a great book and it has a lot going for it. I bounce most of my ideas off of Stephanie, but I also have other people that I look to in order to flush out my story. I like having others tell me what they think about my book so that I can make improvements. Hope you have a fabulous week!

    ~Jess

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    1. We all need people whose vopinion we respect to provide feedback. Hope you have a great week, too!

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