Last night, HK, a dear old friend of mine, took a look at Cabin Creek and delivered the verdict: No more short story nonsense--time to grow up and write a novel! I waffled on this point throughout the first draft, opting for the quick thrill of short fiction (that might double as chapters) publication rather than the chancier proposition of publishing a truly connected and streamlined novel. Lovely that some of these short stories have found homes in a few literary journals, but actually, this validation reinforced my tentativeness, and now, just when I thought I was nearing the end, I am stuck with the awful task of dismantling quite a few of these pieces.
She's right, I think. The best feedback, in my experience, is that which corroborrates what you already know, in your deepest heart, about your own writing. At least I have a direction in which to move after a week or two of paralyzing indecision.
Bless you, HK, for your honest and insightful advice, and best of luck with your own awful list of revisions.
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1 comment:
Keep hitting the hammer! You'll get it done. Great work thus far.
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