One of the things that haunts writers when they revise is whether they are making things better or worse. My kids all liked Calyn’s story the best out of everything I’d written. So I’ll admit to being a bit nervous about how my daughters would react to the new version they read it over Christmas break. They still liked it! That’s a good thing. If anything, they’re probably more discerning readers than when they went through it the first time.
Writers are often told not to rely on family members for feedback. I actually think relatives can be helpful as long as they’re not your only source. It helps that my daughters both understand that I’d rather hear it from them now than from an editor later, so each of them shared parts that puzzled them as well as parts that they liked. (Never underestimate the power of know what IS working.) I had thought that I’d be able to get Calyn’s story out to a few more people this week, but I have a feeling that I’m going to need to spend over a week on these fixes.
Kristin Wolden Nitz 