Criticism, on the other hand, can be difficult, though more useful, and this I will address after a brief discussion of advice for writers.
I've come across numerous lists of "rules for writers" (such as this one from Elmore Leonard and this one from Stephen King) and they tend to overlap more than diverge. Most amateur writers (including the one writing this blog) tend to break many and, at least initially, defend the ones they break. But I have found that the great ones tend to break one or two and no more. So, while it may be that there is a writer breaking all of the rules in such a way as to be the greatest writer ever (in the most unique way), it is highly unlikely.
My point here is that, being unique individuals practicing art, we are different and breaking A rule (possibly 2, or maybe bending one and fudging on another) is probably acceptable. Breaking more or being defensive over it is a good sign of resistance to growth. Being great at anything requires work and commitment and willingness to change.
All of which leads me to the feedback I have received on my first (but hopefully not last or best) novel. Most of the verbal critiques have been positive, some admitting to emotional responses (yes!), and others noting how much of my own personality came through (it was one of my most personal works). There is one five star review on Amazon from Jane D. (of Confessions of a Compulsive Proofreader fame) and a five star review from San Francisco Book Review, which I am including in this post:
A convoluted love triangle (square? pentagon?) between the two Brogan
sisters and an unnamed protagonist is chronicled from adolescence to
adulthood in Don’t, which happens to be the mantra of their
friendship. The phrase ‘Don’t’ summarizes the intimidating power of
their relationship, one that endures bullies, business ventures, and
even or rather eventually, babies. Initially attracted to Mandy, the
more adventurous and gung-ho of the two sisters, the adolescent main
character pursues her but is told up front that she has interest in his
best friend Brian, although she proves to flip-flop between the two. He
takes this in stride and begins forming a relationship with her sister,
Susan, who is wise, brave, and unwavering. The twins, despite both their
interests in the main character, have an extremely strong bond, holding
their familial ties above all others. Throughout their many adventures
(including law-breaking, picnic table making, and attending school
dances) all three encounter the pains and desires that come with
pubescence, acting upon them, and learning how to deal with the
consequences. As they travel from middle to high school and everything
that they tumble into afterwards, they remain closer than ever,
heartbreak and new additions to the polygon aside. Written with wit and
compassion, the strength of their bond, seemingly unlimited, will not be
lost on readers.
The romance conjured by Mann’s quirky style is bound to be enjoyable,
cheesiness and sometimes over-the-top wordplay (“When life gives you
dilemmas, you make dillemonade…”) easily overlooked in favor of
entrenching oneself in this character-driven novel. Readers will
empathize with the struggles dealt with such as making a first real
sacrifice or having a bittersweet love and invest themselves in moments
and people of remarkable bravados, the kind only created during the
brief moments of young adulthood. Mann handles all these with great
attention and sensitivity, ambitiously capturing the nuances of the
sisters’ and main character’s relationship with success.
Good stuff, eh? Even the negatives are fairly positive.
But then comes IndieReader with a less positive 2.5 star review. It is tempting to dismiss as an outlier or argue against the reviewer's opinions (or just dismiss it as a mistake in which genre I submitted it under), but to what end? Alternatively, I could take the critique as helpful guidance on my next endeavor, but still keep it buried.
But we Don't cater to the ego on these matters, so here it is for all to see:
[update 20140608: guess I should have put in the obligatory, "spoiler alert" here, as she really does give a lot away, filling her mandatory word count with summary when she ran out of critique]
Title: DON'T
Genre: Lit
Fiction
Author: Charlie
Mann
Rating: 2.5 Stars
A family bible
traces the history of every member in thorough detail: birth, childhood, romance, responsibility, and finally, death.
DON'T by Charlie Mann is a prose family bible of sorts, focusing centrally on a
character who is love with sisters, Susan and Mandy, and friend to fellow
seventh grader Brian. Unusual for seventh graders, the foursome start and run a
successful cafe while also attending junior and then high school full time.
This tendency to own and operate small businesses while falling in and out of
love with each other becomes a strange but consistent theme into all the
character's adulthoods. Although he eventually marries Susan, our protagonist
eventually finds out that he has fathered a child by Mandy, at which point
darkness descends.
DON'T is cliché-ridden and prone to "cute"
phraseology. Snow is described in the following manner: "It is beautiful,
peaceful, and tied to many fun memories." Later on in the narrative we are
told: "when life gives you dilemmas, you make dilemmonade." While
this may be amusing to certain readers, it is not really what one might expect
in a work of literary fiction. Scenes are foreshadowed and then hastily rushed
through, as if the author was merely outlining and substituted bullet points
for what the scene should eventually contain. While grammatically correct, DON'T
lacks the notion of craft, and of building and sustaining moods. The book would
be vastly improved if instead of simply engaging in an unedited litany of
events, the author chose key moments to illustrate larger themes and character
traits.
DON'T is less of a novel and more of
a chronicle. Although burdened with violence, unusually savvy business deals
and teenage eroticism, DON'T reads more as an overwritten Christmas letter
detailing the triumphs and tragedies of the years that preceded it, than a
usual children’s story.
DON'T
offers some entertainment, but the quirks of the narrative can be distracting.
Reviewed by Julia Lai for
IndieReader.
I am a bit disappointed, but also glad that I finally have something the others didn't give: areas for improvement.
And I know that few in this world ever see a 2.5 star review on their novel (and this the most critical of them).
I'll probably post on reviews and contests at a later time, but didn't want to hold this back.
