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Constructive Criticism of My First Novel

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Recently, I entered my first novel, Good Enough, into Writer’s Digest magazine’s 2024 contest for Self-Published Books. While I didn’t place or even get an honorable mention, I was happy to be taken seriously as an author. They said they had an overwhelming amount of entries, and thus there was a lot of competition. Even though I didn’t win, I received four valuable reviews from Writer’s Digest judges. I was mostly pleasantly surprised by what they had to say. These reviews are important because they are from people who have never met me and are completely unbiased.

Being any type of artist requires the ability to accept criticism. The judges seemed to enjoy my book, and that is of the greatest importance to me. Even though being criticized is hard, I really appreciated the feedback, and I plan to make some of the suggested changes. For example, one reviewer said that my cover indicated a heavy-handed religious book, which it is not. Another reviewer suggested I should modernize my cover. So, I am going to listen to the reviewers and revamp my cover to make it more modern.

Below is the current cover. When the new cover is finished, you will be first to know.

One judge suggested that I shorten my book to 300 pages or make it into a series because, “Claire is a charming enough character to spend multiple books with.” In a series, I could flesh out the characters and subplots. Hmm…I am seriously considering that idea. It appeals to me because I wouldn’t mind going back into Claire’s fictional world. The only problem is—is that my day job depletes all of my time and energy. Another suggestion is to use more contractions to make my book less choppy. I may do that, but it isn’t top on my list. All in all, I am grateful for the critiques as I was bracing for the reviews to be much more negative.

Here are the four critiques:

The title and sub-title could use tweaking. As they stand now, it gives the impression it’s a heavy-handed religious book. Since it’s not that, contemplate re-titling. To make the reading flow better and be more natural to conversation, use more contractions. The lack of contractions makes for stilted reading.

Judge, 12th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

While I think the book has a great idea and some well-done underlying themes, there are some ways that it can find an even larger readership that will love this story. I would suggest redoing the cover design to be more modern and on trend with what is currently being published in the mystery and thriller spaces. Having a look at the design of the font and title, with the images behind that create a contrast over an evocative image that relates to the themes of the book would be helpful in alerting readers of the genre that they will also love this. Additionally, I would not include a subtitle on the cover, but if that is going to stay, I would minimize that font and have it above the title as the highest part of the cover, so it doesn’t read like a subtitle, but as a line of intrigue for folks looking into the story. I think there are an admirable amount of plot points and themes in this book, and it’s clear there is much to be said and explored in this world. I would encourage the author to keep the book closer to 300 pages and then consider making a series within the world so these various aspects and subplots can have the time and attention to be fully fleshed out and explored. As it was, for my reading at least, I felt there was almost too much going on at once, with the murdered mob boss father, the alcoholic mother, the psychotic ex-boyfriend, the decisions Claire was pursuing in the first place to forgo special ed teaching in favor of becoming a nun – it is a lot, maybe too much, to fit into one book? Claire is charming enough to spend multiple books with, and I would suggest the author consider expanding the story and the world, so that each of these subplots is given the context and time to be fully enjoyable.

Judge, 12th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published E-book Awards

While I think there are some areas that need to be smoothed about this book, it surely did not lack in imagination! I think Claire is a unique character, with such an intense history and a desire to make good with her life as a positive contribution to the world, she is compelling to read and spend time with. Readers are going to want to see her win and meet her goals and will root for her to be able to solve problems, right the wrongs that are in her life, and be an impression for positive changes. I appreciated the more tense elements to the story as they seemed to be handled with respect and the desire to bring up thoughtful conversation from looking honestly at more gritty realities of life. Rooting for Claire all the way through!

Judge, 12th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published E-book Awards

The story is quite engaging. It pulls the reader in right away. As the plot develops, the pace picks up, making it a real page turner. The book discussion questions at the back are solid questions and should make for an excellent discussion. Well done.

Judge, 12th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along this journey.

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“Good Enough”-Book Club Questions

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Some of you may know that I used to coordinate a book club with a Catholic Priest. The club consisted of a group of readers who alternated between reading fiction, non-fiction, and spiritual books. One of my jobs was to create discussion questions for the group about the books we read. Now that I am finished writing my own novel, it seems logical that I should write book club questions for it. I will update my book on Amazon to include them, but you can also get them here. I have kept the questions deliberately vague so as not to give away spoilers.

  1. “He sometimes leads you where you don’t want to go.” Do you agree? Have you ever been in a difficult situation and later looked back to see how much growth it gave you?
  2. Do you think people of faith should isolate themselves from those with different beliefs? What is the risk of surrounding oneself with those of opposing beliefs? Is it possible to be “in the world” and not “of it?”
  3. How much did you know about spiritual direction before reading this book? How does it differ from counseling or pastoral counseling? What do you think about Fr. Callahan?
  4. Why do you think Claire was drawn to religious life? Would you describe her as more spiritual or religious? How strong is Claire’s faith? Do you think she found her vocation?
  5. What is the best way to deal with an alcoholic family member?
  6. Why do you think the funeral was packed with people? Do you think anyone sincerely mourned the loss of Claire’s father?
  7. How do you love someone who engages in criminal behavior? Should family members protect each other and help to cover up crimes?
  8. Did any of the events in the book surprise you?
  9. Do you think bachelor and/or bachelorette parties are a good idea? What do you consider cheating in a committed relationship, and where do you draw the line?
  10. Why do you think Claire made the choices she made? Do you agree with Claire’s choices? What choices would you have made differently? What advice would you have given to Claire?
  11. Which character did you like the most? Which character did you like the least? Which character would you like to sit down with for dinner?
  12. Do you think people like Alec are redeemable? Did you see any good in Alec? Why do you think Alec was attracted to Claire? Do you think Claire could have handled the situation with Alec differently?
  13. Do you agree it is okay to kill someone in self-defense? Do you think Claire committed any sins in this book? If so, what were they? Who else committed sins and what were they?
  14. Do you think Claire’s parents loved her? What kind of relationship did the parents have with each other? What does it mean to “Honor your father and your mother?”
  15. What are your thoughts on Vinny and his pursuit of Claire? Did any of his actions surprise you?
  16. Can you think of a situation where someone made a choice because they wanted to avoid the truth?
  17. What do you think of Claire’s relationship with her cousin, Diane? How would you define family loyalty?
  18. What do you think of Claire’s relationship with her mother? Do you think her mom was happy with her life?
  19. Do you think the title fits the story? What does it mean to be “Good Enough?”
  20. What do you hope happens next for Claire?

Marketing Struggles of an Introvert

catofjulian 1 Comment

My novel is self-published, so it would seem I am finished. Nope. After fourteen years of researching, writing, and editing my novel, I must now research, learn, and attempt to market my novel. After all, in today’s world, almost anyone can write a book with the advent of software like MicroSoft Word. In addition to that, almost anyone can self-publish a book because of how easy it is to do it. Because of this, my book, or any book, will most likely get lost in the piles of newly published pieces of work, if there are no efforts put forth to sell it. Therefore, I must come out of my naturally introverted shell and try to market my novel.

Marketing or sales do not come easy to me. On the Myers-Briggs personality scale, I am an INFJ, which means I am Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging. I do not like to persuade people to do something they don’t want to do or buy something they don’t want to buy. Live and let live is my motto, and I respect people’s wishes. Advertising and promoting myself makes me uncomfortable. But if you are a novel writer, like me, who isn’t a well-known best seller, you must market your novel. So, I have done everything that is cheap or free. I have created author pages, promoted my book for free on Kindle, and have tried to increase my social media influence. Now, I am looking into book signings for local authors.

My primary goal was not to make millions off of my book—even though that would be lovely. The reality has hit that, so far, I won’t be able to quit my day job on the profits I have made. Rather, I might be able to take my husband out to breakfast on that money. My main goal always was to develop my potential gift for writing and to produce a good novel with a satisfying ending. I wanted to write a novel that would make people feel something. The situations in the novel were created just for that effect. I didn’t start out with an outline. I just wrote the scenes and weaved them together. I knew where I wanted the novel to head, but many of the surprises and twists came later in the writing process. I have heard that in the creative process, a muse is sometimes channeled, who guides the whole endeavor. This was certainly true for me.

My big goal is for my novel to reach my target audience. I think women my age, who were a young adult in the 1980s, who struggle with feelings of inadequacy, who want to do the right thing, and who also yearn for romance, are the most likely people to enjoy my novel. Having said that, my daughter, who obviously is from a younger generation than me, read it and enjoyed it. If only a few people really enjoy reading my book, then my goal has been accomplished.

And if you do read my novel, and enjoy it, please leave me a review on Amazon. A good review, by far, is one of the best ways to get my novel noticed, and I would be very grateful.