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Looking for a critique partner for chick-lit novel

Posted: April 17th, 2011, 3:34 pm
by spauff
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 a formal synopsis yet) is that Joanna, an shy but imaginative bookstore clerk, discovers she has the ability to bring to life any fictional character she wants simply by writing about them. Once she figures this out, she decides to write the perfect boyfriend for her friend, Cristen, who has just had her heart broken for the millionth time. But no matter how many revisions and rewrites Jo suffers through, she can't seem to create any sparks between Cristen and her "Mr. Write," — a problem that becomes even more serious when Jo is confronted by remnants of her past, forcing her to recognize her real reasons for attempting to create the man of her dreams.

I'd like to be able to exchange a chapter or a couple chapters at a time. I'd appreciate a critique partner that is writing in a similar genre (chick-lit, women's lit, romance or even literary fiction). I can stomach fairly strong criticism. I write for a living (journalism) but have never attempted a novel before, so I'd especially appreciate critiques on plot structure and characters.

Thanks,

Sara

Re: Looking for a critique partner for chick-lit novel

Posted: April 18th, 2011, 12:24 pm
by akila
Sara: I'm interested in trading chapters because I'm also looking for a critique partner. Mine isn't a chick-lit novel but rather a contemporary fantasy but I think our genres actually mesh because it sounds like your novel includes elements of magical realism, as does mine. There's a strong thread of romance through mine, as well. A brief description of it is below:

While drowning six years of widowhood into beer bottles on his front porch, attorney Adam Wesley glimpses what he believes to be an alcohol-soaked vision: his new neighbor is a seven-foot-tall woman with hair that gleams like a silver plate in the moonlight. When he meets her in the daylight, she is five-foot-five with mud brown hair and introduces herself as Leah Jones, a photographer searching for her missing brother.

Four days later, men claiming to be descendants of the King Solomon reveal her lies and demand her servitude. The Muslim descendants call her a jinn. The Christian descendant brands her a demon. Leah retorts that she is a teleporter. Adam thought she was just a nice pretty girl.

Adam’s staid world flips inside out as he helps Leah escape her would-be captors and discover whether her missing brother is connected to the madness overtaking the plaintiffs in his new environmental lawsuit. Adam does not expect her to ensnare his tenuous heart as they struggle to answer a question at the mystical core of two religions: what is Leah Jones?

If you're interested, PM me. I also can stomach strong criticism because I'm a former lawyer and I'm currently a technical writer and editor. This is my first novel, as well.