I think I drive my kids a little crazy sometimes.
Frequently I’ll be driving somewhere in town and wonder how my GPS would tell me how to reach our destination. I know how to get there. But I wonder if my route is really the most efficient way.
So I punch in the destination and the GPS lady drones on, telling me which turn to take. “Take a right on Sar-deez Road North,” she orders.
I very rarely follow the GPS lady’s advice.
“Mom,” my son will say through teeth that sound gritted, “why didn’t you make the turn that she mentioned?”
“Oh, there’s way too much traffic on that road. It’ll be bumper to bumper. And there are stoplights practically every ten feet. The GPS lady doesn’t know that. I’ll just go straight and we’ll get there faster.”
“Why then,” asks my son, very reasonably, “don’t you just turn off the GPS? Her voice is annoying. And you never follow her directions anyway.”
But I don’t turn it off. Because sometimes she gives me an interesting alternate route that I hadn’t thought of. Some days there’s an accident or a delay of some kind on my preferred route…some sort of roadblock…and I need a different direction to follow.
You can see where this is going. But this is how I look at first reader advice—whether it’s advice from a critique group or a friend or family member.
Your first readers may give advice that’s very useful. Or they may give you advice that you just listen to, thank them for, and completely disregard as you continue on your own course.
Sometimes you may get conflicting suggestions from different critique readers. I’ve heard several writers talk about how confusing that can be and how they aren’t sure whose advice they should listen to.
But then there are those helpful nuggets of advice that can put your story on a new and different course when you’ve hit a roadblock.
Ultimately, you should listen to your gut when you write your story. You usually know the best route to take with your book. Take the alternate course when it makes sense or when it’s more efficient. (Editors, of course, are a different story. I make a point of always following their suggestions.)
After all—ultimately, you’re the one behind the wheel.
Helpful reminder:) My critique partners always remind me to listen but keep their feedback in perspective. Ultimately no one knows the direction of the story better than me.
I am glad though that their voices are near if I need them:)
Elizabeth – Very important advice – thanks :-). I’m always happy to get input on my work, but ultimately, I’m the one who know what I want the story to become.
You’re right, though, that advice can be very, very helpful. More than once I’ve gotten some wonderful advice from beta readers. They do sometimes see things in a story that the author doesn’t…
Taking critiques does seem to be an art in itself. I think yours is a very healthy view.
Critique groups can be so helpful, especially when the members are experienced readers or writers who know how to help with the craft without trying to make the story theirs.
Mary Vaughn does make a good point about being able to accept ideas that may be better than our own. I remember having difficulty with being open to that when I first joined a critique group many moons ago.
We’re in synch again. I’ve been dealing with the best route to discovering the body in my proposal. Only in this case, the GPS lady isn’t talking.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
I never thought of critiques being like that GPS voice, but it is true. As long as my CP’s don’t say “re-CALC-u-la-ting” I’m good :)
I guess it comes down to weighing the information and being able to accept ideas that may be better than your own.
In the beginning I was very bad at taking advice from my beta-readers, but after a couple of years I have learned to listen when they really have a point and ignore it when I am sure ´my characters know best´.
I think it takes time to figure out what you should listen to and what you should ignore.
Nice to be reminded there is indeed a difference between following your own path and just being stubborn. (Ya gotta know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em…)
So true! If you listen to too much advice from friends, you can end up with a hodge-podge of a story.
It can be so hard, isn’t it. I love your story with the GPS! I imagine if you take a wrong turn… maybe you think it’s a short cut, end up terribly lost… THEN that advice is CRUCIAL!
I try to take suggestions seriously in the ‘pointing out that I took a wrong turn’ but don’t always take the same fix they suggest.
Listening to your gut is vital. You know the advice is good when you can imagine exactly how you’re going to implement it.
Sage advice!
And my GPS is wonky. I still print out a map for traveling because sometimes my Tom-Tom doesn’t know where the heck she’s going.
Tamika–That’s usually my approach–call them when I get in trouble. Poor them!
Charmaine–I think it’s good to look at both sides of a critique–the pro and con of changing something.
Mary–It’s very important to be able to *take* advice, definitely. Otherwise we’d never make it through revisions with the editors…they want to know we’ll work with them.
Margot–It’s true–errors and problems can jump off the page for beta readers where we might not see them.
Linda–And maybe being cautious about which changes we make. If we listen to everyone, we could end up with a totally different story from the one we intended to write–and that can be a good thing or a bad thing.
Maryann–And fresh eyes always help, of course.
Terry–Heading over to your blog next! :)
Helen–It’s true…so many different visions from different readers.
Hart–I’m with you–if someone tells me I’ve gone off-track, I listen very carefully to the criticism and find a way to correct it. If they just think of a different way of approaching a scene, I might just listen to my instincts on it.
Carol–I think that when my phone says re-CALC-ulating (which the woman says a lot), it’s in a slightly irritated voice. Particularly the 10th or 11th time I haven’t taken the turn that the GPS insisted on.
Dorte–You’re right. Sometimes too many cooks can spoil the stew–but there can be that one, golden suggestion that can really turn a story around.
Elena–That’s a great point. Sometimes I can see exactly how I can use the suggestion to improve my story.
Diane–I think, if my GPS was a real person, I’d be causing her high blood pressure and heartburn. :)
Couldn’t agree more. Advice is good, and should be listened to, but … it’s the gut feel that makes the final decisions for this Old Silly, lol.
Marvin D Wilson
Great GPS analogy. Kids usually don’t listen to parents’ advice. That’s what I’ve realized. So I found that I have to prioritize, and only advice (or command) in the few cases that are really important >:)
Cold As Heaven
I’ve never made a major change in direction as a result of test reader feedback. A few adjustments in speed and lane changes maybe!
This has been so helpful me right now! I am looking at several crits of the beginning of a story (getting it ready to enter a contest) and I am having a hard time deciding what is helpful and what is not. When I don’t know what to do, I tend to just leave it. Not sure if that is best, but that’s what I’ve been doing.
Awesome anecdote and one that is good advice for life as much as writing. Listen to what the lady says, consider what the lady says, and sometimes do what you were going to do anyway … just know that now when you do it, you did it with a better understanding of the alternatives. Beautiful.
So true. I love getting feedback. I’ll accept it if it makes sense and I like it. And of course it depends on the writing skill of the person critiquing. I keep that into consideration too.
Really great post. I’ve always been amazed at the odd little roads my writing takes me down, and for a long time, I thought it was a bad thing and fought it, tried to stick to my plot. Then I gave in and had a good time letting my brain guide me.
As far as my car though. I do listen to my GPS quite a bit. Mostly because he has Darth Vader’s voice and is pretty intimidating.
-Neal
The Old Silly–As an editor yourself, I think your instinct is pretty good. :)
Cold As Heaven–You are SO right about that! So it’s important that when we make a directive, it’s one that’s an important one.
Alex–Lane changes–ha! Yes, me too. I wouldn’t completely change a route I felt strongly about unless my editor (or maybe, my agent) asked me to.
Sherrinda–Sometimes it’s almost a “too many cooks spoil the stew” type of thing. I will incorporate suggestions, definitely, especially if it’s a section of the book I was already struggling with–but ultimately I listen to my gut…and my editor.
Shannon–Thanks so much! And thanks for coming by the blog.
Laura–Very good point. And if the person reads a lot, especially my genre, I listen especially closely–it’s almost like a market analysis of the genre and how I met it with my story.
Neal–I think I need to trade out my GPS lady with your Darth Vadar!