Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Hi, I'm looking for a critique partner to exchange manuscripts with and offer feedback. My book is YA fantasy (low fantasy, not high), around 98,000 words. I'm willing to read and critique a book of similar length (read: not over 100K) in any genre except high fantasy (like LOTR or Game of Thrones)....

I really like your story -- great voice -- and I love historical fiction, so this sounds like something I would definitely read. A few things to improve: -- I agree with the above comments about Tinderbus's writing -- who is he writing them for? A newspaper? Explain. Also what is he optimistic about...

Joanna “Jo” Elliott’s perfect man? Tall, dark and imaginary. Since her last relationship ended in heartbreak three years ago, Jo has spent more quiet nights at home with a good book than out on good dates, and she daydreams more about fictional men than real ones. But when one of her favorite litera...

I don't think you need either of the opening lines. I'd open with Lily's introduction, making that first sentence it's own paragraph. It's punchy enough and it gets us to the main character right away. I'd cut the paragraph about Jacob. It sounds good, but it's a subplot and you want to just get the...

Hello! I'm looking for a critique partner interested in reading my manuscript. It's had a one full critique, as well as several chapter critiques, and been edited and rewritten numerous times, but I think it needs one more full read before I start querying. I'm cutting it right now -- ideally I'd li...

I was thinking about this question last night and was just curious -- do you keep all the drafts of your work? I'm in the process of packing and moving to a new apartment. I'm also in the middle of revising my novel again, and yesterday, when I started packing up my desk, I avoided packing up the pr...

Thanks, Watcher. I did end up trying it a different way. I took the dream sequence out of the first chapter, but writing another one later for the third chapter, and I think it works. I plan on passing off the beginning chapters to a critique partner within the next week, so we'll see...

Dreams are usually used to relate some self analysis and emotional growth of the character which can usually be done in a way that also brings conflict and tension to the story. I think the reason they are considered "cliches" and are somewhat unwanted in novels is because usually when th...

By the way, why do you want to figure out a different method if this is how your story should play out? I read an online article in a writer's magazine about agent pet peeves (dream sequences was one) and sort of freaked out. :/ I feel a bit better about it now. I think I'm going to wait until I ge...

Should you ever have the character waking up from a dream in the first chapter? Right now, I've got that in the first chapter of my novel manuscript, but I'm worried that it's too cliched. Here's my problem: My main character has a creative, imaginative personality -- she's a bookworm and sometimes,...

I'm looking for someone to exchange chapters with for my chick-lit novel, "Mr. Write." I've also used Critique Circle a couple times and liked it, but I want one person be able to see and critique the novel as a whole. Plus, more eyes are always better. The basic premise (I haven't written...