Tips For Sharing Your Writing For The First Time
When you’ve poured your heart and soul into your writing, sharing it can seem intimidating. You love it too much to let somebody speak ill of it. Alas, to be good at writing, you’re going to need feedback.
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To make things a little bit less scary for you, we have compiled some tips that should help you out when sharing your writing for the first time.
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Should I share my writing with family and friends first?
Nope. Don’t bother with families and friends.
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Yes, they may be supportive of your writing venture. It’s nice and all but they are still not the best choice. Unless they are writers themselves, they may not have what it takes to give you valuable feedback.
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Your best option is to share with a writers group. If you can find a group in your local area, that’s great. However, even if there isn’t any around, you can always find one or more online.
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Join a group that shares your passion, goal, and writing pace. The perfect fit may not exist, but settling with a group that fits most of your criteria is more than enough.
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Things to Do When You Share
The followings are four things you should do when you finally have someone to read and criticize your work.
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#1. Be courteous
Respect the people who are willing to spare their time and energy to help you out. Don’t shove 20 pages of work then nag them to give a prompt reply. They will think you’re just a self-important nuisance.
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Also, weed out the spelling and grammar mistakes first. Yes, your first draft doesn’t need to be perfect, but you still need to make sure it has as few typos and bad grammar as possible.
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#2. Give the critics a goal
It’s best to be specific when you’re asking for feedback. What is the most pressing issue you’re trying to solve? Do you have problems when introducing a new character? Or do you have difficulties when trying to describe a place or event with more senses than just vision?
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By pinpointing the exact issue you want to solve, you’re helping the readers to give a more concrete response instead of something overly generic.
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#3. Welcome criticism
Everyone wants to be praised for their work, but honestly, praises are scarce when you’re just an aspiring writer. Criticism, on the other hand, is something you will never be lacking of.
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That said, always assume good intentions behind every criticism you receive. Take a deep breath and steel yourself to hear the ones that will really throw you off your comfort zone. You’ll be thankful for them later.
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#4. Filter
OK, this one may seem like being selfish. You’re asking people a share of their time to give you feedback, but in the end, you only listen to some of them. But that’s just how thing goes.
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It’s your writing, so it’s up to you to craft it the way you see fit. It’s no different from asking people what to wear to a party. Your friend may say a grey tux doesn’t suit you, but if you’re feeling comfortable in one, then that’s the one you should go with.
