Others reading first draft?

I can't even read my own first drafts. I squint my eyes and hyperventilate, "OH GOD, OH GOD, DELETE, DELETE!"

"Now you have to write that all over again."

"It's for the best."

"Man, that hurts."

I'm so paranoid, I don't even share my story ideas with people until I've got a first draft done. I've done it before, shared even just the smallest tidbit of an idea with friends, and they picked it apart so much that it stopped being a fun idea anymore and I totally lost interest. So, no, I don't let anyone read my first draft, especially since, in my case, those tend to be longhand versions scattered across notebooks. Once it's cleaned up a bit....then maybe XD But not before.

Huh. I guess I'm in the minority here by having found an occasional alpha reader really useful as I work on my novel draft. One of my CPs and I have been sending each other chunks of chapters as we've progressed in our mutual projects and it has been wonderful! We both acknowledge it's draft so we don't get hung up at the sentence level. And we've both been super excited to read each other's stuff and cheer each other on in little updates, which provide motivation. When we get hung up or have gaps, it's also been great to talk thru the storyline thus far with someone else who knows the characters and end game. No major critting - more commentary at a big picture level.

I think it works because a) we have a high degree of trust established through an extended beta relationship turned CP; b) we didn't even have to state any rules about no major LBL and no "woof what were you thinking" type commentary. That's just assumed, I suppose . And finally we really just dig each other's concepts and styles, which are different enough that we don't bleed into each other's thinking.

I think it also depends on the project. Frex, I wouldn't do that for a short story, or my novella projects. And my earlier epic fantasy draft that needs a major overhaul? Nope nope nope, not subjecting any poor soul to that until I gut it, using what I've learned in the years since I finished it.

ETA: Although, I will note it's quite enough to drive one crazy while waiting for the next chunk. You're always on a perpetual cliffhanger .

I wouldn't be opposed to sharing the rough draft of a stalled or challenged WIP, to get some perspective, but otherwise no. I don't mind discussing in progress works, though. Discussing work helps get me thinking sometimes.

No for me, never the first draft. That mess is meant for my eyes only. I think if I found somebody who was ultra-patient and understanding of the fact that my first draft will be a complete mess, I might be willing to let them see it, but otherwise no. I'd rather just beat the idea out on my own, use the first draft to figure out where I'm going, and then only show the second draft or whatever to people.

Yup, I do it. Having an alpha reader (actually, two!) read my work in chunks is a huge part of my motivation. I'll get to a part that feels like a good stopping point, then I'll go back and edit that part, and then I'll send it out to my alpha readers, do some minor revisions (or else make a note to fix when I'm done), and then move on to the rest of the story.

There are two major reasons this works for me:

1. My main alpha reader is my sister. She is my mind twin and likes all of the same things as I do, and we have been writing stories for each other since we were young teenagers. I'm also never offended by her criticism because, I mean, she's my sister. My other alpha reader is my husband, who is only allowed to read it after my sister has told me where the broccoli between my teeth is. He is the source of at least half of my ideas, and his input during the process has been invaluable. He's not a writer, but he's creative and sometimes inspires me to take the story in a whole new direction than I'd planned.

2. I'm a pathological extrovert and have a very difficult time doing anything without talking about it and getting input from people. I don't think I could ever finish a novel if I had to do it totally alone, with no one to whom I can constantly blather on and on about it.

For example, my family at the dinner table:
Husband: So, how was your day?
Me: HOW ABOUT THAT LINE I WROTE THAT YOU LAUGHED AT WASN'T IT AMAZING
Husband: Yes dear.
Me: CAN WE TALK MORE ABOUT THAT CHARACTER YOU SAID YOU LOVE
Husband: He's great
Me: TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN NEXT

Other than a scene or two shared with a writing group, no. I’m like the painter who doesn’t want to show off their work until it’s done! And even though my family knows I’m good at writing, I’m not entirely sure they all know how much I write...

Once my novel is polished to my perfectionist standards, then I will share it all.

Nah. Not a WIP. It has to be finished first.

I'm one of those writers who is weirdly (maybe stupidly) precise and detailed on the first draft (I usually do quite a bit of editing after that point, but don't normally do a second draft unless a specific part of the story needs it - I guess I draft in my head first?), so I'm [usually] comfortable with sharing my first draft with my beta readers, but only them. Beyond them I'm intensely private about my work, to the point that most of my friends don't even know I'm an author. So there's a certain level of trust that I've built up with my beta readers, too. If I didn't have those specific people, I don't think I would share first drafts. Though I've had mixed feelings about what I do share. Because while I really appreciate the reactions and feedback to each chapter as they're being written, I somehow... feel like the story isn't mine anymore after that point. I feel exposed, like my insides have been turned out. And I'm always terrified of a negative reaction, and that they're just faking positivity, and it really is terrible and I'm just blind to my mistakes. So I'm always sitting there nervously waiting for a reaction whenever I send something. I don't know. There's just a very special feeling my stories have when no one else even knows they exist yet, you know what I mean? Yet there's also the feeling you get when your characters/plots make other people really feel something... I suppose I should just learn to be more patient, and my self-confidence could really use some work, too.

JJ Litke said:

My approach is to write men as if they are human beings,

Click to expand...

Obviously you write fiction.

caw

LOL, love the humor in the answers here.

Never, never, never. I mean, I would like to show my face in public, so no, never. I tried once to make use of my husband as an alpha reader because I was so stoked about the story I was writing. As soon as I finished a chapter, I would print it and hand it to him. He was so caught up in the story, things were going well, he was proposing ideas for the ending, and then... we moved across country. Why is this a problem? The major interruption caused the story to die completely. I never finished it. My husband was so disappointed that he said, "Never do that to me again." LOL! So I haven't. And all the better. Refraining from showing anyone the initial draft creates a tension and excitement that keeps me writing to the end. The reward of finishing and editing a bit is getting to show off the results.

In short, inner editors all turned off (if I'm lucky), those first drafts are so deplorable that there's no way I'd risk anyone getting sick from the toxicity rising from the pages.

I recently completed a novel (pending potential revision, of course). I was maybe a third of the way through when I was thinking I should get some kind of feedback just to make sure I wasn't completely out to lunch. I sent the first chapter to my sister. She enjoyed it and wanted more. Before long she was hooked and her feedback was a welcome bonus. It was also helpful as a spur to keep going and finish the stupid thing. I'd say it's a good gig if you can get it.

Not unless I thought it was the cleanest first draft I've ever written...which has yet to happen.

quianaa2001 said:

Was just wondering if anyone else did the same?

Click to expand...

I work differently from most writers. My first draft is usually pretty well polished when I put it on paper. The draft stages go on in my head. I've done entire books, books that have sold, where I wrote a first draft, the editor ran through it, I corrected/changed what needed work and then it went to galleys.

I've also known writers who can't get a coherent sentence on paper until the fourth or fifth draft, let alone hold a book together. But the majority are in between. Unless they write for any of the current crop of news outlets, I swear nothing has ever passed an editor's eyes.

Do what works for you. After all, you're unique -- Just like everyone else.

Jeff

Since my mother is a poet we're always swapping early drafts. I find it really helps highlight the parts that need work or that were going nowhere and she feels the same way. Also it's a good excuse to meet up for coffee .

It depends. A couple years ago, a writer friend and I exchanged chapters as we wrote them, not for feedback but for encouragement. It was a good thing for both of us. I've also sent sections or chapters to alpha readers who knew they were giving feedback on the overall plot and not finished prose.

So it can work, but you and the reader need to be clear on expectations.

First drafts are usually pretty rough (mine are anyway) - so, what specific input are you looking for?

I have my wife go over selected chapters of the first draft - and ask her to look at dialogue. Does it flow? Does it seem genuine? What about the word choices of the characters? Everything beyond dialog (in my work) is in too much of a state of flux to have any input be valid.

My co-writer. We go over each other's chapter drafts and make edits, and then it goes in our official draft document. So, by the time we have our "first draft" it's pretty clean. We've allowed friends and family to read individual chapters from said first draft, but it hasn't been until we've done our second draft re-writes and edits to fix up pacing/plotting that we've felt we can show the whole to anyone.

Put a well-honed chapter into SYW on a Bad Day at Black Rock, and you may well feel as if it's a first draft.

I don't have a problem with it. Mind you, I've been writing seriously for 26 years and have a few books under my belt. I don't make enough from writing to live so need to keep my day job and a number of colleagues (and friends) are endlessly hassling me for early peeks at whatever I'm working on.

The half dozen or so people to whom I am happy to show early bits are very useful. Yes, they are already fans, but they are never uncritical in their feedback. I have several times made changes to drafts on the basis of beta feedback, and surely that's the main point of having betas.

I made the mistake of letting a few friends have my first draft; now they have no interest in reading my later refined version. Save them for the near-finished version I say.

My first draft is for my eyes only.

I have three alpha readers for my first novel. They never saw the first draft (thank god), but I started sending them sections of the first rewrite as I did it. I would send them ~10,000 words at a time. The best part about this is that I would re-read these sub-sections myself and could see if not enough was happening in that part, or if I was losing my own interest. I made sure each sub-section ended with a reason for the alpha reader to get excited for the next part. Overall I think this helped keep the plot interesting.

I’ve kindly asked them to do it again with the—hopefully—final rewrite. I’m not sure this is going to be as effective. Story changes may stick out like a sore thumb to them. We’ll see. Maybe its time to find my beta readers instead.