I'm trying to write a book that has Autistic Characters in it

[Greatshield17]

I think, if you must, try starting over on Draft 2 if this book is going to go somewhere, intuition or not.

What do you mean by that? Or you saying start over? If so, why not see the plot summary first so you know where I’m going?

 

[Greatshield17]

I'm halfway through the plot summary now, in regards to the chapters I've posted, which one is least poor and has the least poor dialogue?

 

[Greatshield17]

My plot summary should be done by this weekend.

 

[Greatshield17]

@Gerontius answer the question.

What do you mean by that? Or you saying start over? If so, why not see the plot summary first so you know where I’m going?

 

[Gerontius]

I cannot decide whether you want to be a Norman Bates or a Norman Boutin.

 

[tree]

Norman Bates - Wikipedia
Norman Boutin and Criticism

 

[Greatshield17]

I cannot decide whether you want to be a Norman Bates or a Norman Boutin.

Maybe you should read my book plot summary when I have it done and find out.

 

[Gerontius]

Maybe you should read my book plot summary when I have it done and find out.

How about no.

How about you respect other people enough to let other people live their own lives. Just because both of us are Catholics doesn't give you any claim on me, and honestly, nothing in the more traditional side of the Catholic church supports your Common Lapsarian hypothesis (or the attitude you give anyone else.) In your rapid reversals from friendly to hostile the minute someone dares disagree with you, I believe you could turn on a dime and show eight cents in change. I'm not to be badgered into being your (unpaid) amanuensis.

If you tag me in one of your threads or anywhere else again, I'm reporting it and you for harassment. Leave me alone.

 

[Greatshield17]

How about no.

How about you respect other people enough to let other people live their own lives. Just because both of us are Catholics doesn't give you any claim on me, and honestly, nothing in the more traditional side of the Catholic church supports your Common Lapsarian hypothesis (or the attitude you give anyone else.) In your rapid reversals from friendly to hostile the minute someone dares disagree with you, I believe you could turn on a dime and show eight cents in change. I'm not to be badgered into being your (unpaid) amanuensis.

If you tag me in one of your threads or anywhere else again, I'm reporting it and you for harassment. Leave me alone.

Who said I had any claim on you, Catholic or otherwise? The only reason why I tagged you was because you replied to this thread and freely gave your advice, I did not have you specifically in mind when I started this thread, that's why you're not being paid for it. After all why would I hire someone who one moment yells at me for not wasting even more time at college, when I've already wasted plenty that could've been spent getting a job, finding my future wife and having a family; and then the next moment applauds my decision to move to Chile?

You've made yourself quite clear (and the signs were present way back on WP, before we even got here) that you're not interested in talking to me, so why are you here? If you don't want to talk to me, just don't talk to me, let other people on here have their say.

 

[VictorR]

Hi @Greatshield17,

I hope I’m not stepping “out of line” by jumping into this conversation.

While I am no mediator, it pains me to see conflict, and though it seems there had already been some feelings hurt, I’d like to make some comments that may help with interpreting the situation.

In this thread, you have been seeking feedback and guidance in regards to a novel which you have in progress.

Various members have provided their feedback.

Some highlights of the feedback include:

• There is technical terminology for which the meaning is not readily apparent to the average reader.
• Recommendation that you may benefit from taking courses to develop your general writing skills, including but not limited to character development, story structure, depth / complexity, and critique, the last of which would also assist with self-critique.
• There are many concerns with the characters, their interactions, and how they are presented; readers are having difficulty following and emphasizing with them, which tends to cause one to stop reading.
• That writing is a process that takes time – both for a work, and for developing one’s skills in general, and isn’t something that should be rushed.
• Reading well-regarded works and critiques can assist you with refining your skills and avoiding pitfalls and fallacies. You may wish to consider in particular works in the genres that you’re interested in.
• That given you are very passionate about your current project, but your skill level isn’t at the level to bring it to publication, that you may wish to “shelve” this, work on improving your writing in general, and come back to this at a later time with improved skills, experience, and a fresh mindset

And for my own commentary - part of what makes any community work is the free contribution and sharing provided by its members, and that nothing is forced upon anyone. Members are free to contribute as they wish, when they wish. No one "owes" anyone anything, though members who have been generous with their time and knowledge may find it easier to obtain help versus members whose posts are primarily of a help-seeking and/or "homework" variety. It may also be easier to get feedback and contributions when the topic is one that people connect with.

In this case, the community has been struggling to connect with your draft novel, and this negatively impacts the interest and willingness of the community members to continue provide feedback.

Gerontius had advised on May 20 that he was not wishing to provide further feedback. You should have respected that. However, when you wrote

@Gerontius answer the question.

That didn't sound like a polite request. That comes across as a demand, as if a teacher was demanding a student's attention.

I understand that sometimes some of us come across a bit blunt, and we may be hasty to say things that may come out in ways that we didn't intend. When that happens, the best thing to do is to recognize that, and to apologize. I'm not saying you should apologize, but I am suggesting it.

Part of goodwill is being able to recognize our own faults and to learn from them, and to try to make amends with those whom we have trespassed.

Tree kindly provided a link that speaks of Norman Boutin, for which one comment was that Norman seems to have difficulty accepting feedback, and insists that readers just need to read more of their work.

When you wrote

Maybe you should read my book plot summary when I have it done and find out.

which comes after

So you’re saying it’s the dialogue and behaviour? Are you sure you don’t want character bios in case something is not getting across well with these characters?

and

Completely and profoundly sure. Literature and writing are a special interest, so I tend to be pretty reliable with my observations on this kind of thing. If I don't vibe with a character in their actual context, no amount of background and explanation is going to make me vibe with them. It is not because I missed something, it is because I noticed something.

It seems that like Norman Boutin, that you are having difficulty accepting that, regretfully, your novel, as it stands, is not publication-ready. I'm sorry if I'm being blunt, but I wanted to point this out in case you may have missed it. A common fallacy that we all have to be self-conscious of is confirmation bias - looking for things to support what we want to hear. Sometimes when the news isn't what we want to hear, we should consider why.

The feedback provided has been in the hopes that you don't get hurt by trying to publish when you're not ready yet. The community means well.

 

[Greatshield17]

@Darkkin the plot summary I’m working on has practically nothing to do with dialogue, it has to do with other issues.

 

[Darkkin]

@Darkkin the plot summary I’m working on has practically nothing to do with dialogue, it has to do with other issues.

Plot and dialogue go cheek by jowl because dialogue is what moves the characters and the plot forward. You need to do some serious reading not only in the genre you seek to write, but how storytelling as a whole works.

There are forums for writing that are very good resources as a place to start.

 

[Greatshield17]

There are forums for writing that are very good resources as a place to start.

What forums do you have in mind?

 

[Darkkin]

What forums do you have in mind?

Nope. That is you job. Do the homework. Google. Read through what is offered and be specific with your term searches. Different genres (christian/faith based fiction) can and do have different forums. Do some browsing, reading, and most importantly offer feedback (critique) before trying to post anything.

Right now this thread is very, very sheltered in a key audience bay, most of whom do not have background in book review and critique. Writing is one of the most demanding and harsh hobby worlds out there. Thick skin is essential because there will be readers who will try and flay a work to pieces.

Best way to become a better writer. Read and critique. Do the homework.