Wednesday, December 01, 2004
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FAILING CHICK LIT 101
As promised, I have prepared a summary of the advice contained in the critiques I received in my two entries to the Get Your Stiletto in the Door Contest. In each case, the contestant was asked to submit a synposis, the first three chapters, and, if applicable, the prologue.
Some of this will result in "Duh" or "Don't you know anything about writing?" but it was still worthwhile to me. Today's post is in reference to my Chick Lit on the Edge-category story set in Montana and 20-something protagonist, Janelle. I realize that without reading the story it's hard to understand everything the judges rip apart but perhaps some good general writing advice from the judges will shine through.
By the way, technicalities count. In my case, formatting was deficient. I double-spaced and spell-checked but was scolded on numerous occasions for not indenting.
Two judges reviewed every entry. Their instructions are in italics.
From Judge #1
Does the story begin in the right place? Start where she is dumped and hurt. Give her some goals. Does she think she falls in love too easily? What is at stake for this heroine? She's been no where, done nothing. Does she want to travel? If she falls in love how will this affect her plans? You need to build a lot more layers in to make this story different and interesting.
Does the beginning engage the reader? Too cliched. I could tell what was going to happen before it did.
Is there a strong sense of movement throughout the entry? Very slow.
Is the conflict strong enough to carry the plot and/or is there clear groundwork for later complications? No conflict evident in three chapters.
When the submission ended, did you want to keep reading the story? Not suitable for this category. Is not an edgy story. More a category romance.
Does the heroine/main characters tackle her challenges in a believable and satisfying manner? No challenge evident.
Are secondary characters necessary and do they add to the heroine/main characters' story?Nice friendships.
Are the supporting characters three-dimensional people, with their own goals and desires? Not evident.
Is POV consistent and clear? Varies at times.
Does the dialogue move the story forward and reveal story elements in a way narrative cannot? Some engaging dialogue initially.
Is the voice strong? Not a chick lit voice. Not sassy enough.
Is the writing natural and fresh, not forced? Very smooth writing.
Did the author show skill with "hooks" in both the beginning and ends of scenes/chapters? Reads like a romance.
Did the entry keep you turning the pages? Was it compelling? Not at all.
Does the synopsis showcase the writer's voice? Moves faster than the story.
Does the story avoid an "easy" solution in favor of a resolution that involves growth and/or great risk to the characters? I'd like to see a more original plot than the car crash plot. It's been done a lot of times.
Does this entry exemplify the genre of chick lit? This reads more like a romance plot to me rather than a heroine who is going through character growth.
Constructive Comments: Judge #1 1. What did you especially like/dislike about heroine/main characters? Why? Starts really well with snappy dialogue but ends like a romantic seduction.
2. What are two areas you felt were done well? (Tell why if appropriate).Dialogue. Your writing flows well.
3. What are two areas you feel need work? (Tell why, offer suggestions) Plot, pacing and understanding of what chick lit is. This plot is very tired and has been done to death in category romance. Chick lit is about the heroine's emotional journey. Give your heroine some goals, things that she aims to do with her life other than just finding the right man, although that can certainly be part of her journey. Give her an interesting background and or/family to make this story stand out more.
4. Anything else? I feel you need to read the genre more to get the feel of it.
Constructive Comments, Judge #2 1. What did you especially like/dislike about heroine/main characters? Why? Janelle had a lot of potential, but you held her away from the reader at arm's length. Never really got into her head to know her thoughts, feelings, emotions towards anything. She was sort of walking through the motions. From the entry, I didn't know her age, where she lived or her occupation, which was spelled out in the synopsis. Try to weave and braid that important information into the story so the reader can really get on her side. I wanted to like Janelle more, but she was flat on the page to me. I wanted her to stand up more. And if she's to be a true chick lit heroine, she's got to have a distinct attitude and a strong voice that makes her someone you'd want to be friends with, sympathize with and really get to know.
2. What are two areas you felt were done well? (Tell why if appropriate). Set the scene well. Sally seems like an endearing character...would have liked to have gotten to know her more. The dialogue is good, but there are hardly any dialogue tags in the manuscript. Tags help convey action and a sense of being in the scene.
3. What are two areas you feel need work? (Tell why, offer suggestions) The plot doesn't seem to be paced fast enough in the entry I read. From the synopsis...a lot happens. Suggest ditching so much of the back-story that slows the pace and really jump into the action. What's important? What is the overall point of the story being told? Also, the dialogue needed to be kicked up a bit. It sounded like ordinary, every day conversations. Readers want to be compelled and want to be propelled forward through the dialogue. Really test your characters and go deeper in their heads to show the reader who they are.
4. Anything else? Great effort here. Suggest beefing it up and tightening and tossing it into some romance contests. If you're truly wanting to write chick lit, suggest reading, reading and more reading. The Chick Lit Writers website has a lot of book recommendations that might help if you want to learn more about the genre.
As promised, I have prepared a summary of the advice contained in the critiques I received in my two entries to the Get Your Stiletto in the Door Contest. In each case, the contestant was asked to submit a synposis, the first three chapters, and, if applicable, the prologue.
Some of this will result in "Duh" or "Don't you know anything about writing?" but it was still worthwhile to me. Today's post is in reference to my Chick Lit on the Edge-category story set in Montana and 20-something protagonist, Janelle. I realize that without reading the story it's hard to understand everything the judges rip apart but perhaps some good general writing advice from the judges will shine through.
By the way, technicalities count. In my case, formatting was deficient. I double-spaced and spell-checked but was scolded on numerous occasions for not indenting.
Two judges reviewed every entry. Their instructions are in italics.
From Judge #1
Does the story begin in the right place? Start where she is dumped and hurt. Give her some goals. Does she think she falls in love too easily? What is at stake for this heroine? She's been no where, done nothing. Does she want to travel? If she falls in love how will this affect her plans? You need to build a lot more layers in to make this story different and interesting.
Does the beginning engage the reader? Too cliched. I could tell what was going to happen before it did.
Is there a strong sense of movement throughout the entry? Very slow.
Is the conflict strong enough to carry the plot and/or is there clear groundwork for later complications? No conflict evident in three chapters.
When the submission ended, did you want to keep reading the story? Not suitable for this category. Is not an edgy story. More a category romance.
Does the heroine/main characters tackle her challenges in a believable and satisfying manner? No challenge evident.
Are secondary characters necessary and do they add to the heroine/main characters' story?Nice friendships.
Are the supporting characters three-dimensional people, with their own goals and desires? Not evident.
Is POV consistent and clear? Varies at times.
Does the dialogue move the story forward and reveal story elements in a way narrative cannot? Some engaging dialogue initially.
Is the voice strong? Not a chick lit voice. Not sassy enough.
Is the writing natural and fresh, not forced? Very smooth writing.
Did the author show skill with "hooks" in both the beginning and ends of scenes/chapters? Reads like a romance.
Did the entry keep you turning the pages? Was it compelling? Not at all.
Does the synopsis showcase the writer's voice? Moves faster than the story.
Does the story avoid an "easy" solution in favor of a resolution that involves growth and/or great risk to the characters? I'd like to see a more original plot than the car crash plot. It's been done a lot of times.
Does this entry exemplify the genre of chick lit? This reads more like a romance plot to me rather than a heroine who is going through character growth.
Constructive Comments: Judge #1 1. What did you especially like/dislike about heroine/main characters? Why? Starts really well with snappy dialogue but ends like a romantic seduction.
2. What are two areas you felt were done well? (Tell why if appropriate).Dialogue. Your writing flows well.
3. What are two areas you feel need work? (Tell why, offer suggestions) Plot, pacing and understanding of what chick lit is. This plot is very tired and has been done to death in category romance. Chick lit is about the heroine's emotional journey. Give your heroine some goals, things that she aims to do with her life other than just finding the right man, although that can certainly be part of her journey. Give her an interesting background and or/family to make this story stand out more.
4. Anything else? I feel you need to read the genre more to get the feel of it.
Constructive Comments, Judge #2 1. What did you especially like/dislike about heroine/main characters? Why? Janelle had a lot of potential, but you held her away from the reader at arm's length. Never really got into her head to know her thoughts, feelings, emotions towards anything. She was sort of walking through the motions. From the entry, I didn't know her age, where she lived or her occupation, which was spelled out in the synopsis. Try to weave and braid that important information into the story so the reader can really get on her side. I wanted to like Janelle more, but she was flat on the page to me. I wanted her to stand up more. And if she's to be a true chick lit heroine, she's got to have a distinct attitude and a strong voice that makes her someone you'd want to be friends with, sympathize with and really get to know.
2. What are two areas you felt were done well? (Tell why if appropriate). Set the scene well. Sally seems like an endearing character...would have liked to have gotten to know her more. The dialogue is good, but there are hardly any dialogue tags in the manuscript. Tags help convey action and a sense of being in the scene.
3. What are two areas you feel need work? (Tell why, offer suggestions) The plot doesn't seem to be paced fast enough in the entry I read. From the synopsis...a lot happens. Suggest ditching so much of the back-story that slows the pace and really jump into the action. What's important? What is the overall point of the story being told? Also, the dialogue needed to be kicked up a bit. It sounded like ordinary, every day conversations. Readers want to be compelled and want to be propelled forward through the dialogue. Really test your characters and go deeper in their heads to show the reader who they are.
4. Anything else? Great effort here. Suggest beefing it up and tightening and tossing it into some romance contests. If you're truly wanting to write chick lit, suggest reading, reading and more reading. The Chick Lit Writers website has a lot of book recommendations that might help if you want to learn more about the genre.
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