"Pure melodrama. There is not a touch of characterization that goes below the skin."
So wrote George Bernard Shaw in the Saturday Review in 1897. He was referring to Shakespeare's Othello. Well—we're not too worried about Shakespeare's sales figures, are we?
Although I'm not Shakespeare—all right, so you noticed—some years ago I sent a book off to a romance agent and waited confidently for her prompt and grateful acceptance. Within weeks it came winging back with a brief comment to the effect that my writing wasn't up to much and anyway the book was all wrong for the market. Was I devastated? You bet. This was an Agent talking, which meant that after Editors, she was the next thing to God. Besides, she specialized in romance and presumably knew what she was talking about.
At the time I knew several enthusiastic writers who had recently received unfavourable or unthinking critiques. One or two of them had been so devastated that they had become paralyzed by self-doubt and unable to continue writing.
In my case, after about three days of moaning and misery I decided not to go that route. Besides, at the back of my mind was the conviction that this book—not the first I had written by any means—was publishable. I mentally kicked that agent off the planet and sent my unagented baby off to Mills & Boon. It was called A Star for a Ring, and became my first published book. Vindication! The agent's main market was Mills & Boon. The cockles of my heart were duly warmed.
Recently there has been some discussion in our chapter about the value of critiques to our members. In my experience they can be enormously valuable, and a great way to get feedback on our work from people who know the business—but only if we are open to the idea that our stories may not be quite perfect. Unstinting praise is delightful. Unfortunately it's not necessarily useful.
What matters most when we receive our story back marked anything less than 'brilliant' is to remember to have faith in ourselves. Not many people who offer critiques want to destroy another's dreams, which is why critiquing can be almost as stressful as being critiqued. Mistakes are sometimes made. Critiques are Not Always Right. Often they are, but not always.
So if a critique has you shattered, kick the walls and howl at the moon if you like. It's not actually permitted to kick critiquers. Then wait a few days, or a week, before reconsidering the comments you received. Perhaps get input from someone else. Then make the changes you agree with—you'll probably find there are some now that you've regained your perspective—and send that story off. Or write another one if, after serious second thoughts, you decide that's a better option. But don't stop writing.
If Shakespeare were around today, would he be worrying about the words of some impudent critic called Shaw? Not likely.
Author of 30+ novels, novellas and short stories, Kay Gregory’s varied jobs over the years have often provided useful background for her books. She is currently working on short stories while deciding what book to write next.
www.kaygregory.com
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