I was asked by a friend about my wip recently and I told her I was sharing a snippet on my blog. She popped in and read it, then she asked for a copy of the MS for browsing and I turned her down.
Why?
I know she will read it through carefully, she will critique it well and will be honest. The ideal person to read it-right?
This is the reason I turned her down for the moment...
I explained to her that during this week, the responses from my sharing Ripper My Love with my friends here made me realise, that although I say I have a novel, words are all I have.
I have thousands of them, they were in order as my mind saw them. Chapter this, that and the other. I shared them, received emails full of positive feedback and tidbits of how to tweek it. You can see the comments that were left on the post, they were so supportive and valuable to me. Each email and comment opened my eyes, using the words I have I can rearrange the work. I can mix the chapters about and I can improve so many things even by not writing. I can move paragraphs and chapters to tighten up scenes, my writing skills have been challenged and I love it.
The value of your input is more than you will ever know and I thank you all.
11 Comments:
I understand what you are saying. I too have learned that friends are not ideal critics. The other thing I discovered was that there are people out there who are not friends and are only too willing to take the wind out of your sails and spoil it all for you. That kind of critic is not good either. ~In the end I suppose it is only really the publisher's opinion that matters!
Hi Glynis,
I think you're wise to be careful who you let hold your "baby." Although at some point we do need that feedback from beta readers, I think if we put our stories out too soon, we'll end up feeling overwhelmed and possibly discouraged.
I do not want personal friend to be my critics. I do not believe that they CAN give honest critique because they are a friend. I can't be with my friends no matter how hard I try unless it's awesome!
Yes, I agree with Jody, it's wise of you to hold off. I recently discovered that my ms needs some work, and I'm doing that now. It's actually kind of fun.
I dread when my friends say, "I wrote a little something and I was wondering..."
I can't really be honest if it's dreadful, and how come I know that and they don't?
Luckily, most of the stuff has been polished and pretty good.
But you are right in holding off.
It's difficult, I was reading another blogger, she quit writing her book because of something a friend told her. That is a crime.
It's a tough call to make, I do know. When I first began writing, I let a very critical and pretentious friend read some of it and her response really crushed me. Not to mention, I could never see her in quite the same way again.
I let my cousin read my book and while she was lovely about it, I regretted handing it over because NOW it's been properly edited and exactly as I want it. But She ALREADY Read It. Dang.
For critiques, we truly need hand-selected fellow authors.
There's another good point.
As you said, words are all we have here. Do we want to see them published in proper form, or just scatter them to the winds? There's something to be said for respecting the book and waiting until the Right Time.
In the end, the only person who knows what is right is the author. Good for you for searching your own heart and finding what's right for YOU.
--Chiron O'Keefe
Motivation for Writers at The Write Soul: www.chironokeefe.blogspot.com
I'm very careful about sharing my words as well - not only when choosing the people, but the time when I share. It all needs to be right :)
With the amount of effort you put into your works and the enjoyment of sharing, you should hold tight to your words. Your articles and poetry are always inspiring and I enjoy reading them.
The best critic is you anyway. It's probably better for you that you don't reveal it until you're ready. When you are happy with it is probably when the time is right to show it.
Thank you all for stopping by and for your great comments.
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