Tayari's Blog: Assembling Team T

Posted by TayariJones on July 5, 2009 10:19 PM
Filed under The Writing Life

I've just gotten done with the first read-through and basic edit of my new manuscript. I know that it's not a beautiful work of art yet, but I have done all I can do by myself. It's now time to bring in the first team of readers. Here's how I picked them.

  • Everyone on the team must be someone I trust. By trust, I mean that they all much be someone who I believe wants me to write a better book. No one on the team can be weird or competitive with me. They are all folks who will approach the manuscript with an open heart, with nothing to prove.
  • The team must be diverse. There is no point having a bunch of people just like me vet the manuscript. I need people who bring different strengths to the table. One person should be talented with plot, another should be a language freak. Someone who knows from experience the world I am writing about, and someone else who doesn't. You get the idea.
  • They should be writers. This is really just so that they will have the language to help me improve. Talking about a manuscript in progress with someone who is not a writer can make me feel like a mechanic listening to a customer make weird noises to tell me what is wrong with the car. Also, something like a point of view problem is easily diagnosed by another writer, while someone else will be disconcerted by the chapter and may not be able to say why.
  • If there is any inkling that I may be using the manuscript to win the person's approval, they can't be on the list. This goes back to the idea that it has to be all about the work at this stage. For most people (me included) this takes family off the list. I have always said how much my early work benefited from the fact that no one in my family thought I was really going to be a novelist. If I had looked at my writing as a way to get that parental pat on the head, it would have warped my creative impulse.
  • They must be brilliant. The reasoning is obvious. I have to say that I am so lucky to have so many smart people in my life.

    • [divider]

    There are 4 comments on "Assembling Team T". If you'd like to leave a comment, click here to jump down to the comments entry form.

    Comment #1, by Cherlyn Michaels [TypeKey Profile Page]

    I like your approach. I had a reader as I wrote my first draft and no one on the second. My reasons were those that you listed throughout your post. I'd love to try to assemble a team of writers who are well versed in the craft of writing so I can get understandable feedback. Sounds like you have a great approach.

    July 6, 2009 07:02 AM

    Comment #2, by jamey [TypeKey Profile Page]

    yay team tayari! as the daughter of a mechanic i really appreciate that metaphor. people were always calling my dad and making car noises over the phone. i kinda imagine your team as a kinda pit crew with matching jumpsuits (have i taken it too far?). anyway, happy revising!!

    July 6, 2009 09:48 AM

    Comment #3, by Michael Fauver [TypeKey Profile Page]

    Such a great post. I love reading about your process; there's so much thought behind each stage. I'm definitely going to save a copy of it for when I reach the reading phase.

    Thanks for sharing!

    July 6, 2009 12:51 PM

    Comment #4, by Oscar [TypeKey Profile Page]

    Just finished a week at VONA (Building the Poetry Collection with Willie Perdomo) where we discussed who should and shouldn't look at our poetry manuscripts. Your list sums it all up wonderfully. I'll be forwarding this to all my classmates.

    Word.

    July 6, 2009 07:07 PM

    Your Comments

    You are signed in as (sign out)

    Please keep comments relevant to the topic. Inappropriate and offensive comments may be edited and/or removed without warning. Comments found on this site don't necessarily reflect the views of Tayari Jones.

    (optional)

    (required)