over on the Mavens, they’re talking about critiques. Now, I have some people who I critique on-and-off with (you know who you are), and two very regular critique partners, who I plot with–and dissect materials. And they’re both truly awesome, because they both make me mad from time to time. And anyone who makes me mad makes me think. The hardest critiques for me have been ones that are things like, “You need to do X, because this just won’t work.” Very often, I won’t do X itself–but the critique is really good, even though I hate, hate, HATE getting them, because it points to fundamental flaws in my writing.The hardest one along those lines–and one that changed the way I write a novel–came at the end of my first book, when one of my genius CPs, (who will remain nameless, but her name rhymes with “Wessa”), told me I needed to have a confrontation between the hero and the villain (who are friends). My other brilliant CP (who will remain nameless, but her name rhymes with “Windia”) told me I needed a stronger resolution with the brother.

I resisted. I argued. I muttered to myself that I wasn’t writing That Kind of a Book, and besides, my hero wouldn’t act like that. Not at all. He would act like–like–lightbulb moment! And there followed a scene that was wholly unanticipated, which wrapped up two loose ends at once in a manner that was wholly consistent with my hero’s character.

After I wrote it, I had this incredibly depressing feeling. You see, I’d spent all book trying to make it so that my heroine’s brother wouldn’t be in too big a trouble–because I didn’t know how to solve too big a trouble, and so how could I start it? I’d just solved too big a trouble. And I’d spent the whole book pulling my punches.

Lesson learned: Never dial down a conflict just because you think you can’t solve it. You’re the author. It’s easier to solve problems then it is to make them. I still do this–avoid conflict because I’m afraid of what it’ll mean for the book. But I’m getting better at it, thanks to my critique partners.And that’s the real beauty of awesome critique partners: They don’t just make your manuscript better; they improve your skills. And hopefully, you improve theirs.

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