Guest blogger Sarah Ballance on “bad” critiques or edits
It never feels good to get your "perfect" manuscript torn to shreds by a critique partner or an editor, but once you get past the initial shock, consider the great opportunity you have to improve your work. It's quite difficult for an author to polish without help. We know our own stories. We have them in our heads. The viewpoint provided by an outside reader is invaluable in getting your words across the way you intended.
To learn more about Sarah, check out her website: http://www.sarahballance.com/
Dixon says: This is an excellent point. Nearly every critique session, I have a head-slapping moment of why-didn’t-I-see-that clarity. I don’t have the emotional distance from my work to be able to recognize my mistakes, but the rest of my group lacks that barrier. Sometimes all they need to do is say “what if…” Thank God for their help.
Thanks so much for having me today! Now if you'd be kind as to show me the way to that photo header, I'll be there with my laptop and a cup of coffee for the next several weeks. It looks HEAVENLY! I see it's in Montana, but it makes me think of my trip to Yellowstone. *wistful sigh*
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