Speaking of revising novels (as we were just a little while ago), here's a strategy that many writers find absolutely critical to getting their works into publishable form: Borrow another pair of eyes and get a second opinion. (See, that was a pun. "Critical"? Get it? Get it? See, it's funny 'cause--) Critique groups, beta readers, first readers -- whatever you call them and whatever the nuances of your partnership with 'em, they bring an important quality to their reading that you, by definition, cannot: They're not you.
This is not to say you can't critique your own piece. It's vital to self-edit -- not because "the big publishing houses don't edit anymore," as some pundits would mistakenly have it, but because revision almost invariably improves a draft. You need to be able to review the sound of the text for voice and meter. You need to double-check that each scene contains, as necessary, experiences for all five senses and propulsion for character development and story progression. You should discover and tease out those subtextual elements you inserted into the first draft without realizing it. You've got to evaluate overall whether your story makes sense and contains all the elements it needs and none that it doesn't.
But self-editing is nearly always hampered by that word "self." You're the writer. You know what you meant to put on the page. You know what you intended by that turn of phrase. A reader who isn't you, having not these things in their head, is free to discover that you didn't, in fact, write it down or make it clear or avoid unfortunate implications.
Whether you seek critiques is up to you. But if you seek them, where are you going to find them? How do you find second readers? Who makes a good second reader? Are you limited to fellow writers or will any reader do? Should you stick to the Boulder/Denver area, or are online critiques useful?
What goes into a healthy critique relationship?
Over the next few Boulder Writing Examiner posts, we'll talk about these questions and suggest some possible answers. And please feel free to chime with your own opinions throughout!*
*If you don't do Facebook -- and I understand and share your frustration with the Facebook-only comments set-up here at Examiner -- another place to have this conversation is the Absolute Write Water Cooler. (I recommend the AW Roundtable or Beta Readers, Mentors, and Writing Buddies.) Membership is free, the commentariat is knowledgable and friendly, and, as you'll see, the forum is home to a healthy critique community you might explore. Anyway, if you look for me there, I'm NicoleJLeBoeuf (link requires login).
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