Ah, yes: Feed back. That dreaded monster that lurks at the end of every draft completion. I find a lot of writers are afraid of feedback, and its not surprising. After all, you've spent months carefully selecting each and every word in your manuscript. You've poured your heart and soul into it. The last thing you want to hear is criticism no matter how constructive it is.
I'm not afraid of feed back per say but I am very reluctant to hand over my manuscript to other viewers. Particularly in the first few drafts. It's not that I'm afraid that someone will criticize my work. It's that I'm afraid I'm handing over something that isn't the best it could be. Surely I could make it better in some way before I send it into the open jaws of my friends and family.
But there will always be more that you can do and sometimes your inner circle can really help you see those things. That's why I am talking about the all important "first reader".
The first reader should be someone you are closest to. Someone who will be encouraging and help you through the process but isn't afraid to say, "This sucks. Change it."
For me, that reader is my older brother. It's not surprising since he is responsible for fostering many of my interests (Fantasy, anime, sci fi, reading, villains, jazz... the list could go on.) Just about anything he likes, I like. We have similar tastes and I respect his opinions. If he thinks a scene in my manuscript needs work, I know he's probably right and I can bounce ideas off of him to make it better.
But feedback can also help you gain confidence. If my brother (Or anyone) gives a stamp of approval to a chapter, scene or character, that makes me feel better about what I'm putting forward. And since writers are often hard on themselves, the encouragement is welcome.
Of course my brother only just finished reading the manuscript and critiquing it today and by now he practically has an entirely different book (I edit a lot, what can I say?) but I feel much better going on the publishing journey with his feedback behind me.
Don't be afraid of critique, especially from those closest to you. They are your biggest fans in the end, but they are honest. And if they think something is wrong, the agent might think the same thing :)
-Authoress Anonymous
PS: Woo hoo! I have one follower! Auspicious day!
Totally! Also, as a fellow sensitivian, I find it helps to let it sit for a bit before I put it out to somebody else - anything I just wrote is sopping with my soul and ego, but after it's had a month to dry out, I'm much more willing to take a knife to it.
ReplyDeleteAnd hooray, I'm first on the wagon! Expect me to be the outlier, though. I'm still kinda new to bloggery myself, but what I'm finding is that it's kind of opposite from moving to a new neighborhood: instead of moving in and having all your nice new neighbors bring you casserole and introduce themselves, you kinda have to go knocking on THEIR doors to say howdy and make yourself known (like you did on the Pub Rants blog, which is how I saw you and said "dang, fresh urban fantasy - I need to get me some of that.")
Anyway, keep writing, keep blogging, and keep that knife sharp!