: Re: How much does style contribute to the overall value of a novel? I've recently got a crushing critique. The critic pointed out I was obviously unfamiliar with the basic tools of the trade and

Caveat: I am not published.

I hope you do not abandon your style. You have a unique voice, and there will certainly be people who try to convince you to write your story their way. No. Write your own story.

Now, that said, the phrase she said that I agree wholeheartedly with, is "Good style is the product of tireless iterations."

How many iterations did yours go through?

I initially expected 12 drafts on my project. Now I expect closer to 40. The first and second and fourth drafts were ... readable, but not polished (even at 4th draft stage). It took that long for me to realize that certain characters, for example, did not have identifiable motivations. As each draft continues to noticeably improve, new problems come to light. At the moment the problem is that one character does not stay firmly 'the same age' in how she reads to the reader. This was not obvious early on - because there were other bigger problems.

Because of my own process, I expect many drafts. Others get by with far fewer. So this will be up to you to decide, (and you may not need many) .. but it could well be that you simply need more iterations. And if you do more iterations, guess what - it is still 'your' style.

(Incidentally, as more and more people tell me something I need to change about my project, the more I realize that my writing is engaging to them. So much so they want to take it elsewhere. FWIW - it may be that you are engaging her. Don't be crushed.)

Also - on the subject of characters, these also can benefit from iterations and have multiple facets to themselves - motivations, personality quirks, growth, relational qualities, and so on.

Also, also - I just received a beta reader comments. I know I need to wait a good long while to open it. They are often crushing. I need to be in the right space. You are not alone.

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: Re: How much does style contribute to the overall value of a novel? I've recently got a crushing critique. The critic pointed out I was obviously unfamiliar with the basic tools of the trade and

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: This is dependent upon how likely you are to publish a new training manual when the feature leaves beta. If you are regularly updating your training materials, so that any changes to the

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