I knew you'd be dancing in your seat about that.
Quick intro -- I have two novels and one novella published, all part of an upper YA / New Adult time travel series. I'm also working on two non-fiction projects--one a memoir for the mom of a survivor, and the other a series of how-to books with another author. You may know me from around the blogosphere as I've been blogging for four years over at PK Hrezo - Fearless Fiction. You can now find me here every other Tuesday.
So what the heck is a "writer's garden party," right??
Allow me to elucidate ... There's an old song called Garden Party by Ricky Nelson. You can watch it on YouTube HERE if you're not familiar with it.
Over the years, this song has become more and more of a mantra for me. Even more so now that I'm a published author. Here are the chorus lyrics repeated over and over throughout the song:
"Well, it's all right now. I've learned my lesson well. You see, you can't please everyone so you've got to please yourself."
Right? Don't you love that?? And the melody and mood of the song are so mellow and easy, it adds a contented acceptance to the lyrics. No anger. No bluesy melodrama. Just matter of fact and c'est la vie.
Writing is like that. When we first start out we have so much to learn. We do our time in the trenches of critique purgatory and beta reading boot camp. We grit our teeth and forage through the growing pains because we know it'll make us excellent writers on the other side. We study craft books, attend workshops, sometimes endure a public flogging of our work, all so we can become better.
So others will read and love our stories.
And then there comes a time after all of that when we've earned a writer's garden party. We throw one for ourselves and toss aside all regrets and inhibitions. Because you can't please everyone so ...
... you've got to please yourself.
Case in point: With my most recent release, Induction Day, I knew there would be some readers who felt the first part was slow. But I also knew that for my story to work, the characters needed to grow a bit more together. My series is character driven. The story is about them, not the other way around. I deliberated over whether or not to cut some of the first part because I was afraid of losing readers. I had one critique partner tell me I should.
I had another critique partner tell me they thought the whole story was fast paced and how much they enjoyed the romance in the beginning.
Has this happened to you before? Conflicting feedback? Most likely yes. It's happened to me plenty of times, and it can be debilitating as a writer. So what did I do?
Threw a writer's garden party because I couldn't please everyone. I did what I wanted to do, which is follow my characters' lead. This felt right to me. I'm pleased with how my story turned out. But I knew when I published it that not everyone else would be.
Case in point number two: On my recent blog tour, one reviewer said the first part of the story didn't hold their attention as much as the second part when the plot really intensified. Another reviewer on the same tour said the exact opposite--that they preferred the beginning of the story when they learned so much more about how the characters intertwine and are bound to one another.
Same book. Different opinions.
This will always be the case with any book, movie, TV show, etc. With any story. Part of becoming an experienced and mature writer/author is learning to trust your instinct despite the naysayers. In the end, it's YOUR story, and only you knows what's best.
Don't get me wrong, I totally believe in getting as much feedback as possible and accepting constructive criticism so that our skills will grow. Chances are, if more than one critique partner or beta reader is telling us the same thing, then we need to listen and heed the advice. But if we're getting conflicting feedback, or if our gut is telling us one thing, and a CP another, then that's grounds for a writer's garden party.
Go on ahead and throw yourself one. It's fresh and calm and relaxing in there.
"Well, it's all right now. I've learned my lesson well. You see, you can't please everyone so you've got to please yourself."
So tell me, have you ever received conflicting feedback on your story? How did you handle it? Do you think trusting your gut can be wrong sometimes? Ever thrown yourself a writer's garden party?
Please share ...
