KAY SARA SARA

Well, THE CONDUIT didn't make it to the semi-finals of the Amazon contest, and the review I got from Publisher's Weekly was --ahem--less than glowing.  Of course my initial reaction was to assume that that reviewer was an angry little troll whose mommy and daddy didn't hug them enough.  But after sleeping on it, and letting the criticism soak in, I see valid points in the troll's comments.   (Not quite ready to let go of the "troll" idea just yet.  Maybe tomorrow.  For today they will remain a troll.)
 
Over the last year numerous literary professionals have told me to cut anything out of my manuscript that didn't directly relate to the story.  So I did.  My original manuscript was over 110,000 words and I cut it down to 62,000.  Yesterday I was told that the story is now lacking in description.  Basically, if my novel was a person it went from grossly obese to anorexic skinny from all my changes.  I need to work to mold it to a voluptuous Marilyn Monroe shape. That I can do.
 
Also, after reading other excerpts in the contest I've decided to rework the opening chapter to bring more action in right off the bat.  The ideas have already formed on how to do this and I'm excited to make the changes.  
 
But I want to make one point very clear to all my fellow writers; by no means am I suggesting that any writer should even try to mold their work to the whims and opinions of other people.  I see valid points in the troll's review and I will use them to make my manuscript better.  However I am not going to completely change my story, plot and characters to suit his/her little troll tastes.  As T.L. Cooper, author of ALL SHE EVER WANTED, pointed out the bones of my story are good, it just needs to be fleshed up a bit.  But in doing so I will stay true to the story I wrote, because I believe in it and the message behind it