Reading your stuff

Hi BeeG,

I always get my husband to read my stuff, and my sister, who is a film fanatic and an acting student, so she usually has something to say. But like you say, it's difficult to get specifics out of them sometimes.

You should try posting in the beta-reader section here at AW (you'll find it on the main board) to find a willing reader for your work. You could also try joining zeotrope or triggerstreet, where you can exchange reviews with other writers. I am a member of zoetrope and it is really invaluable.

Also try posting the first ten pages in SYW, often what's commented on persists throughout the script so you can learn a lot just by getting ten pages critiqued. Then when you've gotten it to the best of your ability on those suggestions, ask for a full read.

Try looking for a writer's group in your area. also check out meetup.com to see if there're any writer's groups that you may not be aware of. getting good feedback can be hard, for me it was like pulling teeth for a while. good luck!

I've had the same problem. Now I tell my friends if they want to read it, then I will email a couple specific questions with it also. But still I have the same vague "it's good" or "I like it". So bias! I finally found a writing buddy though, so every Monday night will be BIC and we'll write and pass back and forth pieces too. A good website that I've used is youwriteon.com for every review you do, your piece will be given to someone for a review. They are asked to rate on various levels and then provide feedback too. It has been useful. Good luck.

It depends on your genre. I'm writing military science fiction and love critters org. I've not only received great and valuable feedback on the first 6 chapters, but two people have contacted me asking to read the entire story for critiquing.

I hope I'm not reading too much into that but I assume I've got a pretty good start then - if the story was bad, why would anybody volunteer to read and critique 90+K words of torture?

I've also found various writer groups in my area through a web site: www.meetup.com.

I know it sounds like a dating thing, but it's got all kinds of groups formed based on mutual interests - writing, sports, socialization, mother's groups...

Meetup is incredible. I've got a choice of several writing groups to work with in my area (but it's a big city). Lots of social and fun networking venues too.
What everyone said about Zoetrope and TS, as the locals call it. The notes you will get back are hit or miss as it basically comes from other newbies like yourself. You have to write reviews before you can submit your draft as well.