Jennifer Lane Books Blog

Welcome to April's Insecure Writers' Support Group. Hop over the Alex Cavanaugh's blog to join us! Recently a reader friend asked, "How do I write an honest, helpful, negative review?" Let's discuss negative reviews. I don't want to censor reader opinions, but merely state how I can learn best from reviews. I definitely know how frustrating and disappointing the reading experience can be. It has also become so clear to me that no author can please every reader. As an author, I appreciate negative reviews that 1) offer specific constructive criticism, 2) make me laugh, and/or 3) acknowledge how personal preferences affect reactions. I suggest getting specific about what's not working for the reader. The tightness of the writing? Grammar? Pacing of the plot? Realism of characterization? Chemistry between the characters? Too many characters? Implausibility of plot? Here are some reviews that have taught me to write better: "There was head ...

Woo hoo, I love summer. Time for June's Insecure Writers Support Group, hosted by Alex Cavanaugh .  Alex's awesome co-hosts for the June 3 posting of the IWSG are  M. Pax, Tracy Jo, Patricia Lynne, Rachna Chhabria, Feather Stone , and Randi Lee ! Writers, join us HERE .  There are so many cool aspects about writing, but one of my favorites is learning something new. I just wrote a chapter in my work-in-progress Aced where the hero attends confession with a priest. I like to write moments when my characters grow and challenge dysfunctional behaviors. Typically this involves throwing my characters into therapy. But Aced's hero Alejandro is a Catholic Latino good boy, and I wanted to try a new space for healing and development outside the therapy office. Although I attended Notre Dame for grad school, I'm not Catholic, and I've never experienced confession myself. Luckily, my critique partner is Catholic, and she provided a helpful link explaining ...