Robert Phillips was the first member of the CSFG Novel Critique Group to put his novel up for review this year.
Afterward, I asked Bob to comment on his experience, both in receivng critques and what it means for his novel, and about critiquing the next couple of novels thrown to the lions.
This is what he had to say…
Hi Chris
The main thing that impressed me about getting my book critted is the volume of comments I received, both verbally and in written form (over 20 pages).
It has given me plenty to digest. However, I have decided to set 2088 aside until later in the year, while I get on with other projects.
The main thing that struck me, as a result of the crits, is that my main character is somewhat dated.
When I created him over 20 years ago, he was probably born about 1970, and went into suspended animated circa 2000.
Clearly, I’m going to have to advance his timelines by about 20 years, which means refashioning the character to some extent.
Of the 2½ fantasy novels that I’ve reviewed so far, the main things that strike me is that they’re all well written, but the authors seem to have a mania for inflicting grievous bodily harm on their heroes/heroines.
Does this mean the authors secretly hate their main characters and would like to destroy them?
Cheers
Bob