Go with your GUT people!

Okay so I'm starting to get crits back from people, have 3 full crits back now, two pretty brief (but one of those is my alpha reader so hey) and one so in depth it goes for nineteen pages (cheers Ben!). I have no idea how many people read this, but if it's any, go have a look at Ben's stuff http://bensmanifesto.wordpress.com

Anyway.

Overall Verdicts:

People like it. (Yay!)

The action sections can be really awesome (woot!)

Several supporting characters rather hit the mark (again woot)

The lead character is not liked by all readers, but seems engrossing anyway, which is fine. Lead character however sort of evolved over the course of the write and is now inconsistent and really needs to be straightened out a bit. (shit)

Story is too linear! (well fuck.)

Badguy is "Wile e Coyote" (Well fuck again)


Okay. So basically, its viable, I can write. So lets do this shit.

For a first draft it wasn't too bad, the inherent problems come from it being a first and as such subject to evolution over the course of the write, meaning I need to bring a number of things back into line with each other, and make a number of things clearer, such as the people that manage to hurt the lead character are generally not normal people, usually technologically enhanced (read: part cyborg).

Major problems: The plot is a straight line and the arch badguy is an idiot when supposed to be a genius. Also I've written kind of a gumshoe novel, which is fine, but its unrefined and frankly I've let myself make it to simple. This really shits me considering several of the things that have been highlighted are things I originally felt I wanted to include.

Conclusion: GO WITH YOUR GUT!

Writers, when we write, deep down we know when what we're putting on the page just won't do or is outright shit. Ignoring it is the mark of inexperience at best and blind idiocy at worst. So the lesson here? Listen to yourself, you can feel it when your painting your character (or yourself) into an illogical corner. When something is superfluous or just weak. So don't accept it.



Plans:
I have two major badguys for this book, one is quite well fleshed and doesn't need changing except the final fight with him isn't as impressive as I should have made it. I rushed to get to the end because my mind was melting.
My mastermind badguy.... well hes a putz. So its time to completely un putz him, make much more of him, flesh him out properly, motivation etc. (yes I can hear you calling me a twit for not doing that in the first place, i know i know.) And I also asked the question, why did I let this guy get killed, particularly in such a cliche fashion? Time for that part of the book to die, not that character.
Twists; there is a lack of them, too many people that could be trusted, can be trusted. Sooooo. Time to turn a few supporting characters to the darkside and change some hints (reader) to certainties. Book gains a whole extra conflict level (win), badguy becomes smarter in the process, book has a far more noir ending.


So, with all that laid down.

To battle (editing)!!