Feedback

A couple months ago I had a friend of mine who’s studying psychology take a read through of the draft in its current state.  I still remain just under 80,000 words (my pace has not quickened) and my momentum couldn’t be much lower.  I thought it might be worth injecting some outside input to at least reassure me that I’m on to something and that what I’ve written not only makes sense but is, you know… good.  Also, the fact that she studies psychology was helpful because I told her I wanted to pay extra attention to the characters.  Are they likable?  Heck, are they even relatable?  Do their interactions seem natural?  Do their actions and interactions make sense?  All of these were questions I needed answers to, so I sent her a draft of the story before she left on a trip and waited to  hear.

Once she returned, I reached out and checked to see if she had finished reading it and if she’d be available to meet up and discuss it.  She had, and was rather excited to talk about it, which sparked a bit of excitement within me.  We met at a dive one night after she got off work and over the next couple hours she gave me her feedback.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  It took her two days to get through what I had written, and she loved it.  She felt especially connected to the character of Rebecca, which I expect readers will do, but I found it reassuring that she was actually able to relate with Declan.  I figured that due to his personality and general demeanor as a cold, disaffected guy who rarely emotes would alienate him to some readers, which I’m okay with because the other characters can fill that void.  So it was good to hear that she was able to feel a connection with him.

She said the ending of Part I brought her to tears.  I exuberantly pumped my fist when she told me that, since I was hoping it would be an emotional conclusion to the opening third of the story.  I won’t go into detail over what happens because spoilers, but her reaction was exactly what I was hoping for.

She also expressed intrigue regarding the journal entries that pepper the chapters, wherein Declan gives his account of what brought the world to its current condition.  I’ve been working hard at pacing the entries and making it a slow reveal, though I’m sure some readers will put the largest pieces of the puzzle together rather quickly.  The journal is going to play a more significant, deeper role than a simple historical account, but that doesn’t manifest until Part III, which I didn’t have started at the time of her reading it.

In addition to hearing her reactions to certain sections, I also learned a few things about characters I had written.  Characters I thought I knew back-to-front.  This was probably the best part of the experience to me, realizing I had written subtext into certain relationships that not even I had picked up on.

I thanked her sincerely for the feedback and we went our separate ways.

All in all, this feedback session was great for my outlook on WLAD.  It triggered a run of weeks where I actually wrote a fair amount.  Inevitably, though, that momentum didn’t last as long as I’d hoped, and yet again I find myself without much forward motion at all.  I’ve been entertaining ideas on what I can do to spur myself forward.

One thing I’m heavily considering is taking a few days off from work and flying down to Savannah, GA to spend a few days in the city.  Part I of the book takes place in the Savannah River Valley and Part II takes place in and around Savannah, so I figure it’s a place I should actually experience firsthand.  I would get to soak up the antebellum atmosphere that seems to permeate throughout the entire old city, and that’s just the impression I get from photographs.

Why did I pick Savannah?  I’m originally from Atlanta, GA, and there’s a facility in Part II of the book that takes place in a research base situated on the coast.  Savannah, being the largest coastal city in Georgia, was the natural choice.

Anyway, I don’t have any real reason not to take the trip.  I could use the vacation.  I have a significant amount of airline credit due to giving up my seat on a flight a month or so ago.  I have loads of PTO saved up.  Basically I’d just have to plan the trip, find a hotel and a means of transport around the city, and then line up something of an itinerary.  There’s a few places specifically I’d like to see, but I imagine I’d just spend a lot of time writing, outside, sitting at cafes or benches in the parks.  It might be nice to talk to some of the locals about the city.  And drink some sweet tea.  In the summer months my mother still makes a pitcher of that every day.  Gives me more motivation to pay them a visit.

So all-in-all the trip wouldn’t cost me too much money.  I’d get a chance to get a feel for the city in which a large chunk of my book takes place.  And I’d get a chance to sit and write for extended periods of time.

I’m gonna go try to nail down dates…

–J.