tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post7532835713025166169..comments2023-07-03T03:20:51.469-05:00Comments on Donna's Book Pub: Lessons Learned from My First Page RodeoDonna Volkenannthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-53345553636977227632016-05-16T12:46:13.926-05:002016-05-16T12:46:13.926-05:00Thanks, Sandra. Overall, it was a positive experie...Thanks, Sandra. Overall, it was a positive experience.Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-28231136451382189092016-05-14T09:21:00.627-05:002016-05-14T09:21:00.627-05:00It's tough putting your work out to be critiqu...It's tough putting your work out to be critiqued, especially in public. Kudos to you for doing it. And kudos for moving forward with your story. Good luck with it.<br />For some reason, I find varying sentence length to be challenging. Sandra Coxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814573408898140885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-6160785400473775882016-05-14T09:00:39.378-05:002016-05-14T09:00:39.378-05:00Hi Sioux,
I'm glad you didn't miss it, eit...Hi Sioux,<br />I'm glad you didn't miss it, either. I always look forward to reading your comments. <br />You are amazing. I'm impressed that you are already on your third draft! I'm still plugging through my first draft.<br />Hope you find the dos and don'ts helpful. There was a lot more said that I didn't jot down, but this list is at least a start.<br />After you're retired I'm certain you will have more time to work on your WIP.<br />Happy writing!Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-4178790718570526422016-05-14T07:08:23.959-05:002016-05-14T07:08:23.959-05:00Oh my goodness, Donna. I'm sorry I missed this...Oh my goodness, Donna. I'm sorry I missed this post when it first came out, but I'm so glad I didn't miss it completely.<br /><br />From from Diana and Mary said, you MUST continue and you must finish it. I love your creative nonfiction, so a novel of yours? That would be worth the wait, in my opinion.<br /><br />Having a sense of time (seasons, for example) is what I know I don't have in my WIP. That will have to come during the 3rd draft...<br /><br />Thanks for all the do's and don'ts. I should print them up and hang them over my desk.Sioux Roslawskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17924021828536277618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-49712894870773294872016-05-10T21:20:20.080-05:002016-05-10T21:20:20.080-05:00Hi Mary,
We had fun, didn't we? Thanks for rem...Hi Mary,<br />We had fun, didn't we? Thanks for remembering the panel's comments. I thought I jotted everything down, but I missed some of it. I'm going to keep plugging along, and I can't wait to read your novel too!Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-81629446986253698722016-05-10T21:18:59.461-05:002016-05-10T21:18:59.461-05:00Hi Val,
The panel did provide great insight, and I...Hi Val,<br />The panel did provide great insight, and I'm happy the list of DOs and DONT'S might be helpful.Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-44173184039810508692016-05-10T21:17:58.765-05:002016-05-10T21:17:58.765-05:00Hi Sarah,
You are right about the opinions differi...Hi Sarah,<br />You are right about the opinions differing, and some differed a lot. I agree that I need to take the comments together and decide what's best. Thanks again for your support.Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-76244951109947341822016-05-10T21:16:49.204-05:002016-05-10T21:16:49.204-05:00Hi Claudia,
It was a bit unnerving, but it was a g...Hi Claudia,<br />It was a bit unnerving, but it was a good experience. Glad to hear you can use the list.<br />Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-33339634762832635732016-05-10T21:13:07.246-05:002016-05-10T21:13:07.246-05:00I was so glad I was able to go with you that day, ...I was so glad I was able to go with you that day, and everyone on the panel said they were intrigued by the topic and would read more! I know I would. Can't wait to read the novel when you are finished! Mary Hornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10962782269214823198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-24721026769135303132016-05-10T21:08:07.655-05:002016-05-10T21:08:07.655-05:00How awesome that your first page was chosen for th...How awesome that your first page was chosen for the Rodeo! I'm sure it provided great insight for you. I appreciate the list of DOs and DON'Ts you have shared with us.Valhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13025832536749983018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-49598994722343392472016-05-10T14:27:51.581-05:002016-05-10T14:27:51.581-05:00Donna, I was proud of you for having the guts to e...Donna, I was proud of you for having the guts to enter. One thing I thought interesting was how the opinions differed -- one person said "cut this," while another panelist said "leave this in." I think you need to take all the comments together and do what is best for your story. I look forward to reading your novel!Sarah Kohnlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07010573932699526995noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-4536607911556638762016-05-10T10:57:19.614-05:002016-05-10T10:57:19.614-05:00Glad you made the cut and so experienced the advic...Glad you made the cut and so experienced the advice personally. Nice long list you got here, and like Linda, I will have to save and use as a guideline! I know this was great experience for you!!!Bookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12043111213031211794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-62113547240928970732016-05-10T08:32:02.760-05:002016-05-10T08:32:02.760-05:00Hi Madeline,
That particular comment caught my att...Hi Madeline,<br />That particular comment caught my attention too. You are absolutely right about how we as writers know what we mean but it's not always obvious to the reader.<br /><br />Thanks for encouraging me. I plan to keep plugging along and learning as I go.Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-5148523244123118832016-05-10T08:30:40.700-05:002016-05-10T08:30:40.700-05:00Hi Linda,
These types of events are wonderful lear...Hi Linda,<br />These types of events are wonderful learning experiences. I'm happy you were able to attend one at MWG. Thanks for your words of encouragement.Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-50368667293155853932016-05-10T08:29:23.400-05:002016-05-10T08:29:23.400-05:00Hi Clara,
You are so kind. It was a humbling exper...Hi Clara,<br />You are so kind. It was a humbling experience, but one I learned from a lot. Thanks for you words of encouragementDonna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-45235244806454782142016-05-10T08:13:03.469-05:002016-05-10T08:13:03.469-05:00You are one brave woman, Donna. :)
I like "d...You are one brave woman, Donna. :)<br /><br />I like "don't force the reader to re-read to understand." As authors, we think the meaning is totally obvious, the scene crystal clear, etc but we're often wrong - it's not as clear as we thought.<br /><br />And don't give up on your story!Madeline Mora-Summontehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05529397293165046430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-50743217920715064012016-05-10T07:05:01.098-05:002016-05-10T07:05:01.098-05:00Donna, I was right there with you feeling your hea...Donna, I was right there with you feeling your heart pounding moment. Your professional feedback dos and don'ts list is one I will often peek at and use as a refresher. <br />I attended one of these workshops at the MWG conference and so enjoyed it. This is how I learn. I want to hear the bad, good and ugly. :) Congrats on having your work chosen. Linda O'Connellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15982895073903619018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-4962012758223040442016-05-10T06:10:28.803-05:002016-05-10T06:10:28.803-05:00As always, you impress me with how willing you are...As always, you impress me with how willing you are to share your humbling moments as well as your triumphs. And yet, being chosen as one of five "best" first pages is a huge triumph and proof that you have talent and voice. So happy that you're never giving up! Thanks for sharing, Donna.Clara Gillow Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10204130118900222511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-52748702684772987342016-05-09T16:07:31.181-05:002016-05-09T16:07:31.181-05:00Hi Dianna,
Thanks for your kind words and support....Hi Dianna,<br />Thanks for your kind words and support. It was a pleasure -- and an adventure -- to spend the day with you and Mary at the festival. Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-8500153813836754352016-05-09T16:05:21.905-05:002016-05-09T16:05:21.905-05:00Thanks again, Donna, for inviting Mary and me alon...Thanks again, Donna, for inviting Mary and me along to "support" you during the panelists' discussion. Submitting your story for critique took more courage than I would have had! And the panelists had a lot of nice things to say about your use of language! I learned so much from the experience. I'm glad you decided to stay with the novel. It's going to be a wonderful book.Dianna Gravemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00332304986777127069noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-36191695650570243442016-05-09T15:48:08.549-05:002016-05-09T15:48:08.549-05:00Hi Pat,
You are so right. Novel writing is way dif...Hi Pat,<br />You are so right. Novel writing is way different from writing personal essays or short stories. I thought our critique group was rough, but this panel felt like rubbing sandpaper over the submissions. Hope the end result will be a polished manuscript.Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-139035409915367692016-05-09T15:45:54.811-05:002016-05-09T15:45:54.811-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Donna Volkenannthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04540727800410234483noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4198335440945057072.post-22781125572837803992016-05-09T15:38:50.176-05:002016-05-09T15:38:50.176-05:00You are so brave to let your work be "dissect...You are so brave to let your work be "dissected" for the panel. Yet it sounds as though you got some good feedback that will make your novel stronger and better than before. I'm glad you didn't give up on it as you are such a talented writer.<br /> <br />I'm discovering myself that novel writing is so different from personal essay or short stories. Every day I realize what foreign territory I'm in, so heaven knows I can use whatever help and suggestions I get from those who know what they're talking about...even if I need a thicker hide to hear it. <br /><br />Pat<br />Critter AlleyPat Wahlerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01138619912065680084noreply@blogger.com