One of my favorite authors typically begins her books with pages of narrative. The reader is introduced to the main character, often through pages of backstory or interior monologue. And I honestly saw nothing wrong with it. She's a best-selling novelist with a huge, loyal fan-base. So it was only natural for me to begin my manuscript in this same fashion. I didn't follow her lead entirely, however, as I did interrupt the narrative on page two with a phone call between my main character and her husband, who would develop into my antagonist. In short, I thought I was off to a good start...until I was told opening a book with pages of narrative wasn't effective...until I pointed out that my favorite author did it and asked why she could when I shouldn't? Until I was told that she's famous and can get away with it simply for that reason. Being famous does have it's perks, I guess.
I bumped into a "published" author quite by accident and she seemed interested in my work. So, at her request, I sent my first chapter over to her for feedback. Turns out, I still have a lot to learn! Of course, I'd heard the age-old adage that states that we authors must "show" not "tell" our readers, and I honestly thought that's what I'd done. She gave me tons of advice and, since we're both romance writers, I took it to heart, even though what she said was in direct conflict with what I'd read and learned from other authors. Still...she was "published" while I was not, so I figured she must know what she was talking about. So my quest for revision began.
I must digress here and say that this was not the first time my manuscript was the subject of scrutiny. I'm also using it as my guinea pig for my Masters program so I introduced it for peer and instructor review on several occasions. My classmate's, of course, did their best to be kind. I mean, what else are they supposed to do when put on the spot? None of us wanted to hurt anyone's feelings if it could be avoided. My instructor's feedback was positive, but he did offer several suggestions on changing up the plot to remove what he said was the melodrama I'd weaved within its pages. He said he understood what my intent was but that he thought, if I really put my mind to it, that I could keep the emotional impact of the scenes while removing what seemed over-dramatic. Okay...so once again, I set out to revise, not really knowing what I was doing. I deleted scenes. I changed things around. I tried to look back at my character histories and determine just how each of them would act under certain situations. I felt as if I was starting over.
Since then, I've struggled to move my story forward, developing from my main character's point of view. But I've also learned that the advice my well-meaning author friend gave me might hold true for the type of romance novel she writes...one of those short, Harlequin-type books...but might not always apply to my longer, more mainstream, contemporary romance novel. I've worked on "showing" my readers my character's emotions rather than "telling" them. I've tried to give my characters something to care about...a goal...something that they simply cannot live without...as well as real-life obstacles that could easily prevent them from having those things. I want my readers to care about the outcome of the story.
I cannot say that I have a clearer picture on just how you know when you've gotten all these must-haves right in a manuscript. I suppose the only way to know is keep on plugging away at it and then find an editor who can give feedback. That's not an easy thing to do. Besides the expense involved, finding the courage...growing that thick skin...and believing in my abilities as a writer are all factors that play into what lies ahead for my beloved manuscript in the future. Until then, I will continue to read and learn as much as possible about what constitutes a "good" manuscript. I plan to use it as my thesis for the final three classes of my Masters program (if I can, that is). Most of all, I will remember that this manuscript is my baby, so to speak. It's a very personal endeavor and, whether it is ever successful or not, it will be work that truly came from the heart.
