Sometimes when you’ve been working hard on a piece, no matter how long or short, it is easy to lose perspective. It all looks fantastic…or it all stinks. You are just too close to be a fair judge of the material. This may mean you should set down the pen and slowly back away, or it may mean it’s time to invite someone else to offer their view of your work.
Scary!
This sounds like a terrible idea, and depending on WHO you invite, it might be a terrible idea. Not terrible in that you’ll hear what someone else thinks, but less than helpful if the person you invite has to ever see you again.
This rules out some of the people closest to you.
Your friends and family want the best for you. They like you. They think you’re fun. They’d like nothing more than to see you get published. They’d like you to remember to pickup bread on the way home. This is why they aren’t the most impartial bunch to ask.
It is time to find some other pals, writing pals, people who are connected to you because of a mutual interest in writing, not a connection through blood or housing situation.
I’m telling myself this same thing.
I am working hard to get connected with other writers in my area. I’m trying to find writing friends online. Maybe you will want to be join a writing critique group. Maybe you’ll find someone else who needs an impartial review and you can swap reads. People are out there, you just have to do the work to find them, and that takes away from writing time. But I think it is worth it in the end to get that unbiased opinion.
Here’s another resource that I just happened across. American Christian Fiction Writers are having a contest where you can win a professional review of the first five pages of your unpublished manuscript. Sounds great to me, and although there is a entry fee, it could be worth it if you want to get connected through their organization. Check it out! http://www.acfw.com/first_impressions/
That’s all for now. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about the Writing Tips. One is on the way in the next day or so. Until then, happy writing!
Support is great. If you haven’t read it yet, check out Pat Schneider’s “Writing Alone and With Others.” It started me on the road to figuring out what I needed; I even became AWA certified this year (The nonprofit that arose out of her work: http://www.amherstwriters.com/). I don’t know where you’re located (and too brain dead in the middle of the night), but you might look for a local workshop and see if it works for you. More info on request; I’m crazy happy about this group and its philosophy.
Oooo, Schneider’s book sounds like something I need to read. I’ll definitely check it out, and the website too. Congrats on getting the AWA certification. Thanks for reading and taking the time to commment. Have a great day – hope your brain recovers from your late night. 🙂