I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post from author Dale E. Lehman, who shares...
Who Do You Trust?
by
Dale E. Lehman
The secrets to improving your writing craft are four: learn
from books and articles on writing, read other writers, write as much as
possible, and get feedback. The first three can and should be done simultaneously,
but you can't get feedback until you've written something. Having written
something, you might be tempted to rush to self-publication. After all, it's so
easy to publish these days, and who doesn't want to see their brainchild in
print? But do you really trust yourself that much? It's your baby, the story
you labored over, your magnum opus that will bring you accolades and fame and
maybe even wealth. Are you unbiased enough to pass judgement on it?
No, you're not, for several reasons. First, you are
too easily impressed by yourself, unless you hate everything you do, which is a
problem for another post. Second, you know your work too well. Specifically,
you know what you mean at all times, whether anyone else does or not. A garbled
or awkward sentence won't throw you in the least. Indeed, even your typos may
be invisible to you. You'll read it correctly even if it's wrong.
This is why you need feedback. Other people often
catch mistakes you don't see: the typo, the unclear sentence, the continuity
error, the gaping hole in the story. They can tell you whether or not the story
engages them, what they think of the characters, if your settings come to life.
Such input is invaluable and can help you improve your writing.
But again, do you really trust your readers? Let's
face it. Family and friends make convenient sounding boards but are not always
the most reliable. These people love you. They have a natural aversion to
hurting your feelings. They may find it hard to suggest that your brilliant
story fell flat on its face. If glowing praise is the extent of your feedback
from family and friends, be suspicious. Ask specific questions about what they
didn't like as well as what they did.
A writer's group—whether in person or virtual—might offer
better-quality feedback. After all, who better than other writers to judge your
writing? Who better to give you honest feedback than fellow wordsmiths? Surely
you can trust them, right? Yeah, well, even writers are human, with human
failings. For one thing, not all writers are equally skilled. For another, they
all have their own preferences. So
again, do you really trust these people?
Rather a swamp, isn't it? Fortunately, there's an easy
path through it: listen more to averages than individuals. Say you get feedback
from ten people. If one of them dislikes your lead character and the other nine
love her, don't worry too much about it. But if one likes her and nine hate
her, you've got a problem. Real problems are, at the very least, likely to be
mentioned by more than one person, as are real strengths. Even so, don't blow
off a reaction merely because only one person has it, but don't inflate its
importance, either. Examine it critically, and use your best judgement.
You are the ultimate judge of how your story is
written, but you do write enjoyment of your readers, don't you? If so, listen
to them. Just don't trust them implicitly!
by
Dale E. Lehman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A saintly young veterinary
technician disappears on Christmas Eve, leaving behind only a broken window and
smears of blood on his clinic's back steps. Two years later, his disappearance
remains a mystery. A home in an exclusive area burns to the ground, mirroring
fires ignited the previous year by an arsonist who now sits in prison. Is the
new fire a copycat, or has the wrong man been convicted? A criminal with a long
list of enemies is shot dead, and not even his friends are sorry. While
temperatures plummet, cold cases collide with new crimes, and somewhere a
killer with blood as icy as the waters of the Chesapeake Bay watches and waits.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Hannah
took two pairs of latex gloves from her pocket and handed one pair to Harold.
They pulled them on, careful not to rip them, then Harold eased up the short
flight of wooden steps leading to the door, his footfalls quieter than a
rabbit's. He gently rotated the knob. Of course it was locked, but it never
hurt to check. No sense smashing things if the owner had invited them in.
Leaning to the left, he felt around the nearest window, examined it in detail,
and gingerly tried to push up the lower sash. Again, no luck. Again, none
expected.
Hannah
tiptoed up the steps while he worked and stood close behind him.
"Hammer," she whispered, pulling the tool from her coat pocket and
handing it to him like a nurse handing a scalpel to a surgeon.
He
took the hammer and with a swift stroke smashed the pane, then cleaned the
jagged shards from the sash with the head. Falling splinters chattered as they
struck the floor inside. Once satisfied the opening was clean, he helped Hannah
through the window. She moved so quietly she might have vanished, but in his
mind Harold could see her go to the door, disarm the alarm with the code they
had been given, and unlock the deadbolt. The door whispered open.
He
slipped inside and eased the door shut, then took her face in his hands and
kissed her on the forehead. She beamed, a dog basking in her master's approval.
The
very next instant, the job went horribly wrong.
Book Links:
Ice on the Bay
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Dale E. Lehman is a veteran
software developer, amateur astronomer, and bonsai artist in training. He is
the author of the Howard County Mysteries series (The Fibonacci Murders, True
Death, and Ice on the Bay ). His writing has also appeared in Sky &
Telescope and a couple of software development journals. With his wife Kathleen
he owns and operates One Voice Press and Serpent Cliff. They have five
children, five grandchildren, and two feisty cats.
Author Links:
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