It's like getting sand kicked in your face.

How absolutely horrifying!
Imagine, you have a story that is unique amongst all the millions of stories told and your perusing Amazon.com trying to find a new book to download onto your kindle. (Yes I love the kindle. Bite me purists! I live on the dark side and I love it. **A** That is just for you!) And you come across a synopsis that is strikingly similar to the one you have been pouring your heart over. The character even has the same NAME! Oh, how awful. Imagine the cuss words that came to my mind! I was pissed. I am unique, I am special. Why is some one else in my head??
So what do you do when you come across the same plot line?
You buy the damn book.
I did. For a dollar.
I am so glad I did. It has become such a learning experience.
First and foremost. I was relieved that there were only two similarities with the story and One is easily changed and gave my novel a bit richer feel, the other isn’t important. Oh so happy. The cuss words are still flying in my head though.
First lesson: Change my characters name. Why? It is a common name and every strong male hero has the same name. I didn’t like that. Even though he will always be that name to me, I realized that I needed a name change. After a few hours of reading names I found one that is unique and fitting. Lesson learned and change made.
Second lesson: Recognizing my own writing style in the published one. As I am reading the book, that shall remain nameless, I see many things that I do.
For example: Using the same descriptive words over and over again. Such as, softly, or gaze. I need to make sure I expand my vocabulary and be conscience of my word choices. Lesson learned and change made.
Third lesson: Useless information. The author includes a lot of useless information. If two characters are having the same feeling, say that. Not this character is feeling this, then move to the other character and explain the same feeling. Or perhaps all of the characters are doing the same thing, say that instead of explaining each individual characters actions. Or over hammering home points constantly. There was also a lot of cheek chewing. All the characters did it. It was annoying. If one character did it then that is a good character trait. But if all of them do it, the act loses its meaning. So I need to make sure that I am being more effective with the information that I am sharing about my characters. Lesson learned and changes made.
Forth lesson: Important development. There are two main characters. The heroin is a life loving, tree hugging, hybrid driving, recycler. The hero kills people for a living. There is a brief passage about the heroin discovering the hero’s big secret, her accepting him and that’s it. No explanation, no reasons, no emotion about what happened and how she learned to live and accept the hero. Not okay. That is huge for the heroin to accept. Why isn’t there more about this? Why cant we visit the day she discovered the truth and what her thought process was. How did he feel about it? That is an important development, why was it so brief?
I need to make sure that things that are particularly important to the development in the characters in the story is clearly told so that my readers understand the decisions that are made and they are easy to accept. Lesson learned and changes made.
Fifth lesson: Delivery. Characters were telling other characters ‘secrets’ because it was ‘okay.’ I understand the authors need to deliver the information but do it in a probable situation. The heroin was terrified of flying. Absolutely terrified. Okay I can understand that. However, later in the book there was an entire conversation about her brother dying in a plane, after it had crashed. That was in no way tied to the irrational fear of planes until the end. So I need to make sure as my characters develop I deliver the emotions, decisions and actions in a way that flows and is believable. Lesson learned and changes made.
Sixth lesson: The end. Suddenly at the end of the book the heroin is an assassin, cause she made a couple of lucky shots under ridiculous conditions. If the delivery and development of the character had been better I could believe that. But there was one mention of the heroin going to the range and firing five rounds. Hardly makes anyone an assassin unless they are unbelievably talented, but that was never developed and the delivery sucked. So I need to make sure that I end my book in a believable way. (My sister hates the end of my book. Actually she wouldn’t talk to me for a few days. That is only because it was a cliffhanger and there was no closure. That is because there is a second book.)
This is the only place I feel that I have succeeded. (When considering the above lessons.) I love my ending, it’s a great ending. Does it need work? Yes, but it ends exactly the way it needs to in a believable yet *Gasp*Shock*Awe* way.
This last lesson is one that is not learned from the book that I am reading, but one I learned in school. How bizarre is that? I swore I would never use anything I learned in school in the real world. Now here I am publicly announcing that I am using something.
Reading aloud.
Stupid teachers and being right. Yes, that is dripping in bitterness and sarcasm.
I started reading aloud to find errors and improper wordings. And the stupid thing is, it works.
Damn it. My mom is going to love this.
I have cleared up so many problems, simply by hiding in a dark corner, so that no one can hear me, and reading aloud to myself.
Since deciding to write adult I need to make some subtle changes in the beginning of my story. Reading aloud is helping me identify where those changes can be made.
I need to be careful though. Not only do I NOT want to look like the crazy person in the corner, (Shit, I think I may have already failed that one.) I want the beginning of my story to stay innocent and young since that is the place my character is at in her life. Sadly for her she goes off the deep end. That is where I want the writing to get darker and grown up.
So here’s to reading aloud. Clink. Gulp. Burn.
There it is. I am learning, developing and growing myself. I am admitting my weaknesses and getting stronger.
Okay in writing only. I have no weaknesses anywhere else…(yeah that was sarcasm too.)
If you think I am being overly critical with my critique your right, I am. Not because I am judging the PUBLISHED author, when I am not. But I am taking those lessons and applying them to my own writing. I am being far more sever on myself than I am on her. This can only make me better…right?