Swapping for the Win

My writing journey has been long and winding. I've had to significantly adjust how I go about writing a story in order to produce a readable one. It's been difficult, at times disheartening, and frustrating as I learned through trial and error as well as sharing my work with others how to write effectively.

I didn't learn until a year and a half ago exactly what I was doing wrong, and the knowledge included concepts I didn't understand. So, I read as many books as I could find at the library and learned what I was missing. It was a part of storytelling called structure, which is how the story flows through elements and events. It makes the story cohesive and keeps it from wandering. Before summer 2020, I never applied structure to my work because I didn't even know what it was.

The next book I wrote was the sixth draft of a novel I've been working on since 2017, and I used a structure I found on YouTube of all places. It really spoke to me and seemed to fit my story, so I used it to frame my romantic suspense novel. But since it was the first time I'd ever used structure on a complete novel, I wasn't super confident in how I did.

I immediately started getting critiques on one website I use, Critique Match, and got very positive feedback, which shocked me. Two people made it all the way through and had many good things to say about the story—far more good than bad. It stunned me and delighted me.

Then I moved to the other website I use, Scribophile. In January, I found out that a group on Scribophile was hosting a swap where groups of four people would spend a week or two reading each book and give feedback. That was a fantastic opportunity for a kind of feedback rarely given in the circles I move through, so I signed up.

The swap was really stressful, and the two months we spent reading each other's books seemed long, but the swap officially ended for us on Tuesday. I'm so glad I did it after getting the feedback I did.

I asked my group members to give me feedback on my use of structure, and the only thing anyone said was that it was fantastic. Everyone loved my book, which made me so happy. I couldn't believe how many positive things were said. There's plenty I need to work on, so it wasn't all positive, but if it was, it wouldn't be helpful. I'm excited to dive into the revisions and make my book even better.

The stress was worth it, and I'd do it again. In fact, I hope to do it again.

Right now, I have the second book in the series being critiqued on Critique Match. So far, the reception has been good. I'm hoping to have it finished on Critique Match in time for the next swap!