Our Writing Tips posts are for people hoping to become authors and, new authors. Each post is written by a published author. Today’s post is by Daniel Kowalski author of Suicide Bridge which was released on 24th August 2023. This post contains affiliate links.

Dealing with Notes and Feedback

As a writer, you create worlds and stories from your imaginations that you understand and enjoy. But if you want to make the transition from hobby to income producer then you need to accept that you are writing for an audience of strangers. As you write more, you will become better at it, but eventually you might reach a point where you find that your story is the best that you alone can make it and you now require outside feedback to improve it.

Choose Your Reader

Who you choose to read your work as it is still in progress is the first major step to getting feedback. Your first reaction might be to ask a friend or family member, and while they will probably have a few good suggestions, it won’t be as in depth as a coverage service,
professional reviewer, professional alpha reader, or a development editor. All of these professionals can be pricey, but they are experts in the craft of storytelling and their advice can be worth it.

Don’t Take it Personal

We pour a lot of ourselves into our work and each project has a personal attachment to us in some ways. When you get feedback, you’re going to find that some of the creative choices you made are questioned. It’s easy to get upset when someone didn’t like what you did but getting feedback on your work is about making your work become the best that it can be. It’s not about feeding your ego and being praised, although people who enjoy your work will praise it.

The Benefit of Multiple Readers

I like to get two readers to look over my work once my first draft is ready. This is because everyone’s taste is different so one reader might really like my work while another might be indifferent. I have a general rule when it comes to reading over both set of notes as I sit down to make revisions.

If both readers liked something I did then I’m on the right path. If one liked and another disliked something then I go with my own feeling. And if both writers disliked a creative choice I made then it means I have a problem that needs fixing.

Beta Readers

Once you have your first round of feedback, you know what needs to be fixed and you do the work. Once that’s done, you might want to consider having a beta reader take a look. Beta readers specialize in reading and giving feedback to nearly completed manuscripts. While your first round of feedback will usually focus on broad changes, this next round will be more focused on small changes.

Knowing When It’s Time to Move On

Our written creations are a part of us and we want them to be their best. It’s very tempting to constantly rework them and make changes as we pursue perfection. Unfortunately, we are making subjective products and there is not a universal standard for what is “great”. A lot of people will think something is great and a lot of people will be in disagreement. As an author, you need to make sure that your work is great by your standards and then you need to get it out there.

In five years’ time, it would be much better to have five great books out there on the market instead of one near-perfect book that may or may not have a large audience ready to consume it.

Dan Kowalski is a novelist and screenwriter based in Virginia. In 2023 his novel ‘Suicide Bridge’ debuted which is going to be followed up with ‘Family Feud’. Several of his screenplays have been optioned by Hollywood production companies with two set to go into production in 2024.

After hearing that a coworker has committed suicide by jumping off a bridge, a recovering drug addict begins investigating the case on her own and she starts to suspect that her boyfriend might be a murderer.

Michelle Rhodes is taking life one day at a time. She’s a recovering heroin addict that ODed when she was driving with her toddler son in the car. Her now ex-boyfriend Frank has full custody of the child while Michelle went to rehab, started a new job as a fast food manager, found a new boyfriend named Cory, and she got her own apartment. She’s been clean for more than four months now. Her life isn’t great but she’s working on that.

Everything changes for her when her co-worker and friend, Sarah, disappears. Sarah’s car was found abandoned on a bridge and it looks like she jumped but no one can say for sure that’s what happened because her body hasn’t been recovered. However, in their small town, people are gossiping and the general consensus is that she probably killed herself because it was well known that she and her very wealthy father had a very rocky relationship.

Michelle tries not to have an opinion until all the facts are known. But after she finds a necklace that belonged to Sarah hidden in her boyfriend’s things, she starts to suspect that he might be involved in a possible murder.

Michelle will follow her suspicions about Cory because she desires to help her lost friend. It won’t be easy for her. The lead detective on Sarah’s case is Frank and there are a lot of hard feelings between the former couple. Michelle will do her best to put those aside because she is determined to discover the truth. But what she doesn’t realize is that the truth will be far more sinister than she could have ever imagined.