Aspiring Novelists

Back in December, I learned about an unpublished novel contest that assessed the following criteria: characterization, setting, plot, dialogue, voice and writing skill.  In addition to all this, the MS would receive feedback from the judges. Not a bad deal, right?  Although my draft was far from complete, I decided to enter it anyway, reasoning that the critique would identify areas of weakness in my writing.  Well, needless to say, I finally heard back last week.  The first forty pages of my draft were returned with the following letter attached:   The judges had mixed reactions to this particular manuscript, with some feeling it was well-    paced and  another saying there was not enough plot movement! One questioned whether the dialogue fit the time/  year/culture, while others felt it did. They all agreed on liking the expository details and descriptions, but   wondered where the story was going.  Consider beginnin...

Hello Everyone, Hard to believe its time for another ISWG post.  The days have flown by and I really  don't feel like I  have much to show for  them.  I hoped to have the third draft of my novel completed by the first of May, but alas, this is not the case. Sigh.  I am at a place where all the pieces of my plot converge and  show the big picture. The chapter that captures this took me a month to write, but now that it's done, it was well worth the effort.With one of the most difficult parts of the novel completed, I can concentrate on finishing the final four chapters. Completing the draft will be a major achievement, but I cannot bring myself to get too excited about it.  There is still so much left to done.  First, I'll have to ensure my story is organized in a manner where the plot flows well.  Since I've already identified places throughout the book that need to be rearranged, there is no doubt I will have to devote ...