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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Career » Page 15

Career

How to Find Your Perfect Critique Partner

By Bob Hostetleron April 25, 2018
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When I teach at writers’ conferences, the value of good critique partners often comes up. An insightful critique partner can help a writer improve the level of his or her craft, sometimes more than either person would have thought possible.

The conversation often leads to the question, “How do I find such a magical being?”

Chances are, it’s not your mom. Your spouse is probably not your best critique partner, either. Or your best friend. Maybe not even your retired-English-teacher friend. There are exceptions to every rule, of course, but the ability to be objective is crucial to good critique, and close friends and family usually lack that objectivity.

I found my most treasured (and long-term, as it turns out) critique partner at the movies.

More than twenty years ago, my wife, the lovely Robin, and I went to see the movie, White Squall, starring Jeff Bridges. Afterward, as we left the theater, Robin asked (as she always does), “What did you think of the movie?” I shrugged. “It was okay,” I said.

Just then we noticed our friends, Annie and Jim, behind us. The four of us realized that we had watched the same movie in the same theater without knowing of each other’s presence. We caught up a little, there in the theater lobby, and then Robin asked Annie, “What did you think of the movie?”

Annie answered. At length. “I thought the character development was lacking. I only really got to know the main character, and not too well at that.”

She went on. “And characters’ motivation was confusing at times. Like when the first mate at the height of the storm released his grip on the railing on one side of the ship, struggled to the other side, and grabbed the railing there. I thought he was going to grab a rope or something, but he never did. Maybe it ended up on the cutting room floor, but his movement was never explained.”

And so on. Annie sliced and diced the movie, highlighting strengths and weaknesses, explaining what she liked, disliked—and why. And how it could have been done better.

As we exchanged hugs and walked to our cars, I thought, All I could think of to say was, “It was okay.”  

That was when I realized that Annie had an analytical eye. She knows not only what she likes and dislikes, but also why. And how it could be done better.

That’s the kind of person you want on your critique team. They’re rare, and often hard to discover in the wild. But when you find such a creature, do what you can to enlist him or her to read your writing and offer feedback, whether in a group setting, one-on-one, or via email. It may hurt at first. It may take time to settle on a process that works for both of you. But good critique makes for good writing…and good writers.

 

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Category: Career, Editing, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Critique Partners, The Writing Life

Make Much Ado of Your New Book

By Bob Hostetleron April 18, 2018
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(5 Ways to Plan a Success-Guaranteed Book Launch Event) I am no marketing genius, and though I’ve written fifty books, I still have much to learn about author and book publicity. But I nonetheless had a great time launching my book, The Bard and the Bible: A Shakespeare Devotional, a book of daily reflections drawn from a quote from Shakespeare and a verse from the King James Version of the Bible …

Read moreMake Much Ado of Your New Book
Category: Book Sales, Career, Marketing, Platform, The Writing LifeTag: Book Launch, Book Sales, Marketing, Platform

Book and Author – Traveling Companions

By Dan Balowon April 17, 2018
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In publishing circles, we frequently refer to the “launch” of a new book when it is first published, but often tend to overlook the fact that it is not an unmanned rocket controlled at the publisher/mission control.  Books need a pilot. The author must travel with the book. I am uncertain if there ever was a time in the history of book publishing where an author didn’t need to join their book out …

Read moreBook and Author – Traveling Companions
Category: Branding, Career, Get Published, Marketing, PlatformTag: Book Launch, Getp Published, Marketing, Platform

Your Obligations to Yourself

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon April 12, 2018
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Anyone who writes books knows it’s not a sprint, but a journey. Here are some tips for staying on the path: Allow Yourself Time No matter where you are in your career, allow yourself time to write. Making time may be especially hard before you start seeing income from your work if for no other reason, because someone paying you to write is a form of validation. But the more you persist, the …

Read moreYour Obligations to Yourself
Category: Career, The Writing LifeTag: Career, The Writing Life, Writers

The Bottom Line – Get It Done, Well

By Dan Balowon April 10, 2018
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Writing books is a performance business. At the end of the day, week or whatever time period applies, an author produces something on a schedule. I know many people write without any firm deadline as they are just starting out writing for illumination and enjoyment, but honestly, I can’t imagine working without a deadline and not self-imposing one. I’ll intentionally place myself in a position …

Read moreThe Bottom Line – Get It Done, Well
Category: Book Business, Career, Platform, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Career, Deadlines, The Writing Life

Creative Boundaries

By Dan Balowon April 3, 2018
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Creative people usually don’t like being told what to create or what not to create. Similarly, explorers and researchers don’t like being told, “Don’t look there,” or “Explore over here.” By nature, they follow their training and instincts from place to place and thought to thought. As a writer, while the worst thing you could do is plagiarize someone else’ work, the worst thing someone else could …

Read moreCreative Boundaries
Category: Career, Communication, Creativity, Inspiration, PlatformTag: Career, Creativity, Faith, Inspiration, The Writing Life

Four Ways to Apprentice as a Writer

By Bob Hostetleron March 28, 2018
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One of the things that struck me as I read Stephen King’s On Writing (besides his reliance on the “S” word!) was his depiction of some of his first steps as a writer. Back then, a fiction writer could cut his teeth, so to speak, writing for pulp magazines (Weird Tales, Amazing Stories, etc.), weeklies (Saturday Evening Post, etc.), monthlies (including so-called men’s magazines), and so on, before …

Read moreFour Ways to Apprentice as a Writer
Category: Career, Encouragement, Get PublishedTag: Apprentice, Get Published

Don’t Sweat the Big Stuff?

By Dan Balowon March 27, 2018
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Author Richard Carlson and his 1996 book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff encouraged a generation to put priorities in order and prevent someone from missing the forest for the trees. I am afraid many aspiring authors are doing just the opposite by not worrying about the big stuff either. Everything we write in this agency blog does not carry the same level of importance to everyone, but very often, …

Read moreDon’t Sweat the Big Stuff?
Category: Book Business, Career, Legal Issues, Money, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, TrendsTag: Book Business, Career

It’s Not What You Know; It’s Who You Know

By Bob Hostetleron March 7, 2018
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It is usually said by someone who is not progressing as quickly as they would like in their career. It applies to writing for publication as much—or more so—as in other endeavors. You’ve heard it often: “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” It may sound cynical. It may be discouraging. You may not want to believe it. But it’s true. To some, of course, that means everyone else gets the …

Read moreIt’s Not What You Know; It’s Who You Know
Category: Book Business, Career, ConferencesTag: Book Business, Career, The Writing Life

Your Money is Your Business or Keep a Lid on How Much Money You Make

By Steve Laubeon March 5, 2018
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How much should author friends reveal to each other about contracts or other business dealings when they have business with the same publisher?

I think it is a huge mistake to reveal the amount of your advances to other authors. This is similar to finding out the salary of the co-worker in the office cubicle next to yours. When I was a retail store manager we had major problems when salaries …

Read moreYour Money is Your Business or Keep a Lid on How Much Money You Make
Category: Book Business, Career, Communication, MoneyTag: Book Business, Contracts, Facebook, Gossip, Money, rumors
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