Will you share you unfinished working with other people in order to get more ideas?

dongxun · Jun 8, 2005

I am a hobbiest story writer. One friend of mine who writes novel will email me every chapter he just finished. I will contribute ideas as the story moves on and, as he told me, those contribution greatly helped him develop the stories. I am curious to know whether you share your unfinished works with other people? Will that idea-contributing work for you?

Also, after the final draft is finished and before you send the manuscript to publication houses, will you share it with other people and let them review and send you their feedbacks? If you did, what do you expect from them? Send them the Word document and expect them to fix small typos for you or add comments for paragraphs they're interested, or just only a general feeling?

veinglory · Jun 8, 2005

I get feedback in progress and at the end, mainly from people whose advice I trust. I decide whether it needs proofreading or just overall impressions and ask around to see who will do it.

arrowqueen · Jun 8, 2005

No. I hide mine under the bed.

Nateskate · Jun 8, 2005

When I first started using Beta Readers, I hoped they'd tell me what they'd like more of and what they'd like less of. You hope your friends find your faults and expose them to you, so you can fix them before you submit your work to someone who might be less kind.

But you have to make it easier if the Beta Reader also happens to be a friend, which the majority of mine were. I pretty much asked leading questions. "What parts do you think were weakest...where did you get bogged down..."

They all liked the story itself, and specific charcters, but I was forced to go back to some areas. In my case, I happened to already think some parts were clunky, but wondered if I was just being too hard on myself, because that is my nature. Well, in this case, I just needed to go back and do some re-writes.

jules · Jun 8, 2005

The first draft of anything is for me. I don't show that to anyone.

If I'm not making major changes, I might show bits of the second draft as I finish with them; if I am I'll finish the draft and read through it before sending it out to anyone to read.

What's the point in showing the work to your beta readers if you know how to improve it yourself anyway?

Marcusthefish · Jun 8, 2005

I don't share unfinished works. When I think something is good enough (and that's well past the adding new ideas stage), I'll share it.

MTF

Jamesaritchie · Jun 8, 2005

Sharing

dongxun said:
I am a hobbiest story writer. One friend of mine who writes novel will email me every chapter he just finished. I will contribute ideas as the story moves on and, as he told me, those contribution greatly helped him develop the stories. I am curious to know whether you share your unfinished works with other people? Will that idea-contributing work for you?

Also, after the final draft is finished and before you send the manuscript to publication houses, will you share it with other people and let them review and send you their feedbacks? If you did, what do you expect from them? Send them the Word document and expect them to fix small typos for you or add comments for paragraphs they're interested, or just only a general feeling?

I don't show my fiction to anyone except agents and editors. If anythign is wrong, the editor or agent will tell me, and I won't have to wonder whether or not they know what theyt're talking about.

azbikergirl · Jun 8, 2005

I've gotten some of my best ideas from readers who assumed that's what happened in the first place, but I'd just not made it clear enough.
:Smack:

Roger J Carlson · Jun 8, 2005

I have a writing partner with whom I talk about my stories (and he with me, of course). He often has good insights. I don't share my writing with my beta readers until I think I have finished it completely. Invariably, I discover that it isn't as complete as I thought it was!

The problem with releasing your writing too soon with beta readers are:

They get tired of reading the same story over and over. You might burn them out and lose a good reader.
If they've read parts of the story before, they can't react like a reader that is reading it for the first time.

maestrowork · Jun 8, 2005

No for my first novel. I only let my betas read it after I was done with the second draft.

I let my writing group read part of my current WIP, and we have brainstorming sessions once in a while when I am stuck, because I trust them. But I find the process somehow counter productive and now I am just plowing through the first, maybe even second, draft.

Angyl · Jun 8, 2005

Only my wife and then, only sometimes. I know firsthand how frustrating it can be to get a story piecemeal from a writer and have to wait for more (if it's good). It takes away from the authentic experience of reading the work.

So...if I opt to let my wife read as I go, it's usually in large chunks of 10 chapters or so at a time, and I always strive to stay at least two 'chunks' ahead of her so she can't get to a place where she's waiting for days or weeks for me to finish a section for her and getting the story cooled off in her mind.

Short stories I always throw her way when I'm done. I married an excellent editor.

katiemac · Jun 8, 2005

No. I hide mine under the bed.

Ha, that's exactly where mine is now.

I haven't shown anyone my work. A few people have asked me what it's about, but I don't say anything. I plan on giving the finished product to a few beta readers so they can catch typos I missed, tell me if something doesn't make sense, etc. I'll incorporate the suggestions I see fit, then send if off to an agent/pub.

write4details · Jun 10, 2005

Nah, the way you get more ideas is to convince people to share their unfinished work with YOU, then rip them off. :tongue

kappapi99 · Jun 10, 2005

dongxun said:
I am a hobbiest story writer. One friend of mine who writes novel will email me every chapter he just finished. I will contribute ideas as the story moves on and, as he told me, those contribution greatly helped him develop the stories. I am curious to know whether you share your unfinished works with other people? Will that idea-contributing work for you?

Yes, I share bits and pieces with some close friends as the story progresses and use their reaction to make adjustments or tweak the story line. I am not yet published, but doing so has helped the writing tremendously.

dongxun said:
Also, after the final draft is finished and before you send the manuscript to publication houses, will you share it with other people and let them review and send you their feedbacks? If you did, what do you expect from them? Send them the Word document and expect them to fix small typos for you or add comments for paragraphs they're interested, or just only a general feeling?

Both. I e-mailed the draft to a couple of people in MS Word, and printed out a hard copy for others. They either used the "track changes" option in Word, or they made the manuscript bleed red. Either way, both books are much better off having been read by other people and getting comments from them.

KP

pepperlandgirl · Jun 10, 2005

I have a handful of beta readers who read the 2nd (or 3rd) draft for me. But, since my husband is pretty much my captive, I make him listen to all my ideas and help me sort them out. I'm floundering around on my current WiP, so the other night, we stayed up late and talked it over until I got what I needed.

Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be fair to give him some writing credit, since he tends to be there every step of the way. (for example, I also read the first draft out loud to him...no matter how long the MS...)

Sunny7L · Jun 13, 2005

I do the "bits and pieces" thing, for now. When I get further along -- or more likely finish -- I'll pass along maybe the first few chapters, to start. If they're not interested in reading further then I'll know I have more work to do. All of my family and friends know that I appreciate the brutal truth, so if they don't like it I'd rather they tell me in private than hear about it from a stranger (especially after they'd lied and told me how much they loved it, etc.).

stace001 · Jun 13, 2005

I don't show anyone my first draft, mainly because i'm too busy writing the story to bother getting any kind of feedback on it. Once i've finished the first draft, I have a fellow writer (with many more years writing experience and whom i trust implicitly) go over it chapter by chapter and we pull it apart and put it back together so its fabulous.

I have in the past shown family and friends my manuscripts, but i found i just couldn't get constructive feedback from them for fear of insulting me or hurting my feelings. I still let them read the finished product, but only for their pleasure, not for critiques.

mistri · Jun 13, 2005

I will sometimes discuss specific plot points, or overall themes, but I'm usually pretty quiet about the content of my WIPs (I usually talk about the writing process, rather than about the actual writing).

My first draft is just for me, me, me, unless I want to show a snippet/up to the first three chaps to people to ask for advice. I sometimes show my husband my first draft work, but he's not really that interested in my writing (says he is, but has yet to read a novel-length ms of mine - though perhaps that says something about my writing).

I prefer to edit on my own, rather than with extra advice from crits. For now I'd rather trust my gut and leave the suggestions up to the editors/agents.

sunandshadow · Jun 13, 2005

Yes, while doing my designwork or writing my first draft I often come to a place where I need some feedback on what I've already done and where I should go next, so I am constantly pestering people to read my stuff and discuss it with me.

I've participated in several critique groups and never met anyone except me who has brought in an outline or a piece of worldbuilding for critique rather than an actual chapter. Once I get my first draft finished I keep it mostly to myself until I submit it to a publisher.

Will you share you unfinished working with other people in order to get more ideas?

dongxun

veinglory

volitare nequeo

arrowqueen

RIP, our sarky besom

Nateskate

jules

Bored fanatic

Marcusthefish

Jamesaritchie

azbikergirl

I really do look like this.

Roger J Carlson

Moderator In Name Only

maestrowork

Fear the Death Ray

Angyl

katiemac

Five by Five

write4details

kappapi99

pepperlandgirl

American Aquarium Drinker

Sunny7L

stace001

Look into my eyes

mistri

Sneezy Member

sunandshadow

Impractical Fantasy Animal