Ok so this came at just the right time for me. I've just finished the second (ish) draft of a first novel and I'm debating how many close friends should I let read it.
I've had my Constant Reader (to quote a little known writer) read this draft and have made tweaks but now want to reach out and see if the book makes any kind of sense.
Thinking about the commerciality of it is also really interesting, but I've no idea how to find someone who could approach it with that frame if mind.
Anyway, I'll comment in case anyone would be interested in reading an alternative Irish historical fiction 😅
Great post, Jami. Some time go I started up a little group of non-fiction writers - we shared our work and gave each other critique on one piece a month. We did it by email so travelling wasn't a problem. And it worked really well. You might have spurred me on to set up another group soon. It's useful to share, there's always something you can get out of the feedback and we all want to become better writers.
Great and helpful post. Also, cute dog pic. I meet with a small writing group. I share my work with them chapter by chapter and then revise. I am already starting to put together who I will ask to read the entire memoir. This post opened that a little. I’m a little stuck on number 2- someone with a sense of the market and what will sell.
Excellent advice. The question of "Do I share my work?" really comes down to what do you need from sharing it, and will the person you are sharing it with be able to do that. Sometimes, we just need reassurance that it's good, sometimes we need constructive feedback from someone who understands writing, sometimes we just want raw first impressions.
But it's so important to be honest with yourself. It's never fun to ask for constructivr feedback, receive it, and then realize that what you actually wanted was reassurance that you wrote something good.
I agree and also want to recommend that writers ask readers for further clarification about anything that strikes them as potentially wounding or monumental.
About 40 years ago, I received the feedback (given while flinging my manuscript toward me down the long length of a conference table), "Why should I care about this woman? She just snivels through every scene!" Since the commenter was referring to my protagonist who was, of course, based on me, I not only took the question personally, but I also took it to be rhetorical as in, "You aren't worth caring about." Not only was that a mistake, but I then compounded its negative impact by thinking I couldn't use myself as the narrator or protagonist. So, for the most part, I spent the next 39 years trying to invent narrators and protagonists I thought readers might like, care about, and respect more than they would me. I couldn't do it. And I resented feeling that I had to do it, too.
Then, about a year ago, I shared this stymying feedback with a fellow artist who reinterpreted it constructively! She said, "Maybe he was just asking you to show him/the reader, why she was worth caring about. Maybe he was suggesting that you find ways to make the reader care about her." Very different, right? THAT interpretation I not only understood but also saw as a craft question.
IF ONLY I had asked that reader of 40 years ago, "What do you mean by that?" I might have spared myself 39 years of blasting myself with his question, "Why should I care about HER?" which usually just led me to abandon whatever story I had started.
My point? If any comment strikes you as wounding, painful to hear, or even just too vague to understand fully, ask for clarification. "What do you mean by that?" (asked with genuine curiosity) could help make the comment more useful to you and spare you years of agony. Even, "Can you say more about that to help me understand what you're getting at?" would be a good reply. And if it's still painful to hear, get additional feedback from others, starting by asking the question, "Is this an issue for you?"
Whatever you do, don't box yourself up or use the question as a litmus test to determine the worth and likability of your tender, first-draft version of your protagonist!
Ok so this came at just the right time for me. I've just finished the second (ish) draft of a first novel and I'm debating how many close friends should I let read it.
I've had my Constant Reader (to quote a little known writer) read this draft and have made tweaks but now want to reach out and see if the book makes any kind of sense.
Thinking about the commerciality of it is also really interesting, but I've no idea how to find someone who could approach it with that frame if mind.
Anyway, I'll comment in case anyone would be interested in reading an alternative Irish historical fiction 😅
Great post, Jami. Some time go I started up a little group of non-fiction writers - we shared our work and gave each other critique on one piece a month. We did it by email so travelling wasn't a problem. And it worked really well. You might have spurred me on to set up another group soon. It's useful to share, there's always something you can get out of the feedback and we all want to become better writers.
Great and helpful post. Also, cute dog pic. I meet with a small writing group. I share my work with them chapter by chapter and then revise. I am already starting to put together who I will ask to read the entire memoir. This post opened that a little. I’m a little stuck on number 2- someone with a sense of the market and what will sell.
I’m at the stage I’d enjoy someone taking a look at my first pages of my third draft. 🤓
Contemporary romance
And thanks Jami!
Is there anyoe on this feed that has an interest in classical music?
Elizabeth, are you writing a book about classical music? I am too -- a historical novel about a classical pianist. Would be happy to at least chat.
Love this and also, I’m open to being a reader for someone. Just putting that out there since it seems you are giving us the opportunity.
generous of you Erin!
Excellent advice. The question of "Do I share my work?" really comes down to what do you need from sharing it, and will the person you are sharing it with be able to do that. Sometimes, we just need reassurance that it's good, sometimes we need constructive feedback from someone who understands writing, sometimes we just want raw first impressions.
But it's so important to be honest with yourself. It's never fun to ask for constructivr feedback, receive it, and then realize that what you actually wanted was reassurance that you wrote something good.
I agree and also want to recommend that writers ask readers for further clarification about anything that strikes them as potentially wounding or monumental.
About 40 years ago, I received the feedback (given while flinging my manuscript toward me down the long length of a conference table), "Why should I care about this woman? She just snivels through every scene!" Since the commenter was referring to my protagonist who was, of course, based on me, I not only took the question personally, but I also took it to be rhetorical as in, "You aren't worth caring about." Not only was that a mistake, but I then compounded its negative impact by thinking I couldn't use myself as the narrator or protagonist. So, for the most part, I spent the next 39 years trying to invent narrators and protagonists I thought readers might like, care about, and respect more than they would me. I couldn't do it. And I resented feeling that I had to do it, too.
Then, about a year ago, I shared this stymying feedback with a fellow artist who reinterpreted it constructively! She said, "Maybe he was just asking you to show him/the reader, why she was worth caring about. Maybe he was suggesting that you find ways to make the reader care about her." Very different, right? THAT interpretation I not only understood but also saw as a craft question.
IF ONLY I had asked that reader of 40 years ago, "What do you mean by that?" I might have spared myself 39 years of blasting myself with his question, "Why should I care about HER?" which usually just led me to abandon whatever story I had started.
My point? If any comment strikes you as wounding, painful to hear, or even just too vague to understand fully, ask for clarification. "What do you mean by that?" (asked with genuine curiosity) could help make the comment more useful to you and spare you years of agony. Even, "Can you say more about that to help me understand what you're getting at?" would be a good reply. And if it's still painful to hear, get additional feedback from others, starting by asking the question, "Is this an issue for you?"
Whatever you do, don't box yourself up or use the question as a litmus test to determine the worth and likability of your tender, first-draft version of your protagonist!
Ha! I didn't include the section from the book on how to receive criticism. Another letter entirely! ;)