There are three parts to this bloghop:
Day 1 (May 3rd) - Post a 1-2 sentence pitch.
Day 2 (May 5th) - Post a 300-350 word excerpt.
Day 3 (today) - Post what you learned from this manuscript.
I picked my sci-fi dystopian romance called Toe-suckers. The title is horrible, but it's not what you-- Okay. It's totally what you think. The aliens have reproductive organs that resemble human toes and feet. "Toe-sucker" is a great insult when used by people who hate the aliens.
What I learned from this manuscript:
1) I learned I liked to write science-fiction. It was my first novel with aliens, and though the aliens aren't the primary characters, it was a lot of fun to create a race of beings.
2) I used adverbs too much. I know what a mistake that is now, but I was too in love with using the "-ly" words.
3) I slipped out of my protagonist's POV too often. It made for some confusing parts. I was also writing from Zegg's POV, and I rarely write novels from the male POV. Zegg was a gutter rat and a thief. He wasn't an alpha male. I think I did an okay job with him, but I learned I best stick with a female protagonist.
4) I wrote too many long paragraphs of description. I use to write thick descriptions like you'd see in big fantasy books. The scenes that worked best in Toe-suckers were the faster paced ones, the ones with less description. I've really cut down on my descriptions over the years. I know better how to show rather than tell. I also have more faith in the intelligence and imagination of my readers. They don't need every little thing described.
5) This manuscript taught me how much I love being a pantser. I have no idea where I was going with this story. I only had an idea of toe-sucking aliens. It led to an unusual, quirky, and dark story with which I had tons of fun.
