I don't like reading, but yet I have the dream of being a writer.

For a crash course on reading, writing, and critiquing others consider taking this online coursea class next fall, it's free.

Fantasy and Science Fiction: The Human Mind, Our Modern World

xYinxx said:

How often should I look over the critiques and how long should I wait before taking a crack at the revision?

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It's hard not to sit glued to the monitor, obsessively hitting the Refresh button, when it's your work up there...

Generally, though, I'd suggest staying away for a day (if possible), and give yourself a few days, maybe upwards of a week, before starting revisions; that gives people plenty of time to comment, and it gives you time to look over what they said and digest it, and to ask questions for clarification if you need to. It also gives you the extra time to calm down if something stings - it's easy to get defensive of your "baby." But critters aren't trying to hurt you; they're trying to help your "baby" grow up and be ready to meet the world, and in order for that to happen, sometimes you need to re-examine your darlings.

I once taught myself to be a skilled pilot, not because I like watching airplanes fly, like some do, but because I like flying them.

On how to handle the revision process:

I find this often works best. When you get a bunch of critiques, quickly read through them and get a general impression. Don't worry so much about every little point they make. First, you need to let the sting of the critique fade. The worst of that sting comes at first, so if you wait awhile to consider the critiques more carefully, you'll get a lot more out of them.

xYinxx said:

Thanks for the course link, milkweed.

Also, guys, thanks for the revision process tips. Is it possible to have a timeskip and have the protagonist become an adult in future books, and then market those books towards an adult audience?

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In the Ender books, Ender is only a kid in the first book; he's an adult in the next three. Same with the companion series, Ender's Shadow. When the first Ender book (Ender's Game) was written, though, YA wasn't really a thing - it was just marketed as sci-fi. I've seen Ender's Game in both places in the bookstore. (I've also seen Harry Potter in a "grown-up" cover in the regular Fantasy section.)

This is something you'd probably want to ask an agent or publisher, IOW. For now, I'd focus on getting Book 1 written.

xYinxx said:

Got it.

Also, does anyone mind listening to a fellow writer's brainstorming? I find that I can do more productive idea-forming if I'm talking to another writer about my characters/story.

I came up with my protagonist's ability, pyrokinesis, and I'd like to hear a fellow writer's opinion on some of the ideas I came up with!

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Maybe this would be better suited in the Brainstorming Sandbox? Just my two cents, but you'd probably get a better response there. Or are you looking for an individual to go back and forth with?

xYinxx said:

Does reading really speed up improvement that much?

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Pretty sure it does.