Family Fiction

My brother has been writing a book for almost ten years now, and is currently in the process of editing it. He has a full time job elsewhere, a part-time social life and a very active interest in computer games, (Sound familiar?). He wants me to read through his work once he has completed it. He has a belief that the dialogue in his manuscript is superb, which is possibly true, but no-one has read it yet so it cannot be confirmed. What sounds great in our heads isn’t always the case when on paper. The main problem being that we understand what we want the dialogue to mean, so know how it is supposed to sound, but will other people know what you are trying to say?

One of the hardest things for an un-published author is getting people to read their novel. Obviously the first people who read their book will be friends and family, and friends rarely ever want to hurt someone’s feelings. So first-time, un-published authors think their work is good enough to send to agents and publishers, when in fact it still needs work. Once rejected a few times from said agents/publishers they tend to put the book in a draw and forget about it, so the kindest thing would be to give honest, constructive criticisms. Then we hit another problem, authors are as sensitive about their manuscripts as artists are about their art. That is who we are, artists that are never satisfied with their own work. So we keep trying. I’m sure all authors will say that even when their book is published, there are one or two pieces they would like to change, but that is personal criticism.

When we are writing, we have little time for reading, and no time for anything else, let alone judging somebody else’s work, especially when criticism is rarely appreciated. So what can we do? When approached by a member of the public who asks if we can read their work, do we? We should, as I believe all up and coming authors should be encouraged. But do we have the time, and will it be worth it? That sounds bad I know, but what people want is for us to read the book they’ve spent so much time and effort on and to tell them it is fantastic and doesn’t need to change. That is never the case. I know that when I’ve finished reading my brother’s book, he will sit and listen to any constructive criticism I give, but he won’t like it. Are we too sensitive about our work? Do we need to listen more? Or should we listen to our instincts? What do you think?

Read, follow, comment and enjoy. M x