tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160666377950180297.post6942863617074255889..comments2023-02-11T23:15:22.662+11:00Comments on A Toe in the Ocean of Books: Change of PlanLuke J Kendallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05896353294808175635noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160666377950180297.post-31381267464194036762015-06-13T17:59:49.186+10:002015-06-13T17:59:49.186+10:00I've had 5 family and friends read it, and the...I've had 5 family and friends read it, and they've all liked it. But one friend and I did note that I would occasionally shift POV (clearly signalled) mid-scene, and that many people are uncomfortable with that. I also work-shopped the whole thing through the <a href="http://sff.onlinewritingworkshop.com/" rel="nofollow">Online Writing Workshop for SF, F, and Horror</a>, chapter by chapter. Too frequent POV shifting came up probably as the most frequent criticism. Yet quite a few had no problem with it.<br /><br />All that is by way of saying it was an issue I was aware of, but I was uncertain what percentage of people are troubled by it even when you do it cleanly and well. For people who are quite comfortable shifting POV, it's not an issue in the slightest. For everyone else, though, it's a major hurt: a psychic jolt that takes them out of the story as they extract their emotional tie from one character and then reattach to another. For me, that requires minimal effort and zero 'shock'.<br /><br />The other thing comes down to the question, are they just encouraging me to spend money to little effect? I understand that you're commenting to ensure I'm aware of the possibility, and to be aware there are many shonky predators amongst the people claiming to be editors. But I looked into the testimonials they offered, and they impressed me, and believe they are genuine testimonials.<br /><br />But the major factor in my decision was the quality of the advice I got back as part of the free assessment, including the several significant insights shown; the patience and professionalism of the replies during our email discussion; and a general sense of the integrity of the person behind the emails.<br /><br />I then discussed it with a close friend, who has been very supportive of the book during its whole lifetime, and who is dead keen for me to publish it soon, and to stop delaying. I showed him the email discussion, and at the end, his impressions were exactly the same as mine.<br /><br />All I can say is that I'm quite confident that this is the right decision. I expect you'll see my testimonial added to their web site in due course! Anyway, I'm perfectly happy to be a guinea pig, and let you know how it works out.<br /><br />Again, Hayden, thank you very much for caring and for commenting. I'm not ignoring your advice: I'm just saying, I did consider all those things in making my decision.Luke J Kendallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05896353294808175635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-160666377950180297.post-57441109819391095972015-06-13T16:52:35.052+10:002015-06-13T16:52:35.052+10:00Luke? Are you sure you don't want a second opi...Luke? Are you sure you don't want a second opinion? These guys may be great, I don't know because I'm new to the business but that sounds like a lot of work that you just conveniently need them for. I'm not sure how many friends and family you have let read the MS but you may want to go ahead and send Rachel and Eve a copy just to see if they concur.Hayden D. Linderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11751985218373979278noreply@blogger.com