Thanks for the insights. I prefer to slow things down a bit rather than ripping along at breakneck speed. Some breathing space is welcome.

I think that's a Laura question, but can you create a link to this page on there?

Thanks, Denise. Hope it's useful!

denise

Glad to hear that! As for crit groups...I'm actually working on a piece about that very topic. It's a tough thing--all critique (including an editor's) is opinion, ultimately...just based on varying degrees of experience and varying viewpoints. And the balancing act between the right amount of "decor" and overgilding the lily can be a delicate one.

I think it's Neil Gaiman's quote that if someone tells you something's not working in your ms, they're almost always right, but if they tell you how to fix it, they're almost always wrong. As with most feedback you get from beta readers and crit partners, the best thing is probably to see whether you hear the same thing over and over--if so, it might be worth another look. If not, it might be one person's subjective view, but perhaps not most readers'. And trust your gut, to a degree.

(And FWIW, I think you meant this figuratively, but if you're in a crit group that actually makes changes instead of suggestions, it might not be the most constructive group. Even in a professional edit, I make suggestions rather than cuts/changes, and I explain my reasoning for each one, and offer alternatives.)

That's wonderful! Thanks for the note, Carrie.