Editing, where to start?

Something that is very simple can be extremely hard to obtain.

A character that you've worked on for a year, more or less, may be lovable to you.

You might care for that character a lot.

You might have cried with that character during the dark moments.

You might have cheered for that character during the triumphant moments.

You might have felt satisfied for that character during the denouement.

But that doesn't mean that your reader, who knows nothing at the start of your story, will want to see your character through the events in your story.

That was one of the points given to me from a couple people who critiqued some of my first chapter before I started to edit it was that they didn't care.

What genre was it?

Contemporary Adventure?

They were confused about certain events.

This was, to say the least, painful for me to realize.

Like any other first writer completing her first novel, I didn't want to be shown the wrongs.

Yet I am starting to like these questions.

It is from those questions that I started to edit.

Story writing 101: 

Your reader should care about your character in some form.

Whether it is what your character is doing, or who your character is, your reader should care.

I had the problem with people not caring about my characters.

At all.

So, I worked on showing Kallie, MC, as a more likable human being.

Well, from some feedback, I have succeeded to a point.

Let's just say that I have a long way to go. . . 

Story Writing 101:

Make your genre obvious.

In my first draft, all I showed that it might be Science Fiction ish, was the hover cars and electric shock gloves.

It was not very believable, as well. 

I worked hard to include my genre, science fiction, in a believable and natural way. 

The house and appliances are something that can naturally show science fiction that I had originally over looked.

To say the least, it has improved.

I've been told that Kallie is more likable, and that they would like to read more.

What I would rather not look at is how it still needs improvement.

Evidently her parents now need more character development.

I need to rationalize why Kallie describes the blond woman as she does.

I need to work on describing more and slowing down a bit more at parts.

Description.

I love it.

But when it comes to writing a first draft, I tell instead of describing. 

Ouch.

Well, that's what happened.

I hope it helps others in some way.

Keep on Writing!

God Bless

SDG

Joy