SINCE I CANNOT READ YOUR
MIND, I have to guess
why you have asked me to look at your manuscript. After some
years of experience with this, my guesses, be they right or wrong,
generally fall one of the following four categories:
#1. You say
you're looking for a critique, but what you're really looking
for is validation.
If so, please be careful: you're making yourself vulnerable to
people who may say very damaging things out of their own ignorance,
fear or envy. Don't let any one else pretend to tell you whether
you have "talent" or "what it takes." Some
spectacularly clumsy writers, after years of honing their craft,
have gone on to deserved literary fame; while many of the most
promising young writers end up wasting decades watching television
/ playing games, whether on the Internet or in pointless personal
drama. All I know is, for an artist validation needs to come
from within.
#2. You say
you're looking for a critique, but what you're really looking
for, if you can't get validation, is some encouragement.
If so, I'll let you in on the secret: though there are joys,
a lot of days this business is about as pleasurable as crawling
over broken glass. So if you feel the need for encouragement
from me or anyone else, not only you but society as a whole would
probably be better off if you were to spend your time doing something
else. Think about it! You could keep bees, go to law school,
run for Congress, plant tomatoes, save the whales, become a movie
producer...
That said, if you are determined
to write, help yourself to "Giant
Golden Buddha" & 364 More Daily 5 Minute Writing Exercises.
And while you're at it, why
not take a writing workshop, join a writers association, or sign
up for a writers conference? Attend a reading at a local
bookstore (how about one
of mine?), peruse a bookfair, go hang out at your local library.
Read books about
the craft of writing and the writing life. And write on.
#3. You really
are looking for an honest, expert critique.
I do not do freelance editing, however, there are a number of
freelance editors and beta readers I can recommend, all of whom
are listed on my Resources
for Writers: Editing webpage. They vary in their experience,
genres they edit, philosophy, and how they charge, as you will
see on their individual websites.
.
C. M. MAYO
