Feedback--I craves it.

I think we all do, to an extent.

Or rather, we all want to hear glowing reviews of our brilliant work. lol.

In other words, feedback is very much a flip of the coin. Heads, ego-stroke, tails, ego-slap. But writers like to gamble, so there you go.

But is anyone else out there as mad for getting feedback as I?

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Yes. It gets better though (you learn to go without ) When I started out, I loved the short "it was great, pls write more" type stuff you'd get on fictionpress etc, but now that does nothing for me. Now I want to know what wasn't good, what was cliched or plot-holed and just plain awful. Harder to come by, I'll tell you. (And not because I'm particularly great, but it takes a certain kind of honesty and courage to tell people they suck in a constructive way, and you'll have to go look for those people. Here is a good place to start!)

I used to try handing stuff out to anyone and everyone when I was much younger and just starting out. But then I got some good betas who made me dread handing them something that wasn't the best damn thing I could put on paper. Now I don't hand anything to anyone until it's complete and as polished as I can make it. Don't confuse ego-stroking with good feedback.

One of my best pre submission reviewers is my wife. In the first novel (TAINTED HERO), I couldn't wait to run a cool scene by her. For the second book she laid down the law, "I don't want to read anymore scenes until you finish the whole novel. It spoils the storyline for me . . . sweetheart."

So yes, I want feedback quickly, but I've learned its better to wait till I'm done. You want your per reviewers to get an untainted view of the story as it unfolds. Just my take, of course.

The very reason I write and show it off is to get feedback...even though not criticism for the most part, just feedback, why someone liked the story if they did, what they thought, what reactions they had, any sort of meaningful feedback. I want people to be interested enough in my work to actually talk to me about it. (YES, I admit it! They can critique it too, I just want them to critique/read because they're actually interested, not because they feel obligated or want something out of it.) I keep hoping that somebody who actually gives feedback beyond "Good story!" will be interested in corresponding further and I'll end up with a friend out of it. *sigh*

*cough*

But anyway, yes, feedback, really crave it. I'm struggling with some plot issues in my current WIP and I wish I had somebody to bounce ideas off of or solicit suggestions from, but firstly, it's in a series and if anyone has actually read the entire thing they don't tend to even speak up (beyond "Good story!"), and secondly, a lot of it isn't even proofed or posted yet so they'd have to have read the preceding series AND the chapters that aren't posted!

In short, they would pretty much have to be me. _-_

Every time I get itchy for feedback I think of Norman Rockwell.

"I could never be satisfied with just the approval of the critics, and, boy, I've certainly had to be satisfied without it." ~Norman Rockwell