When you give a friend/family your novel, what sort of advice are you after?
Are you looking for general thoughts and impressions? Do you like it when people give you advice on what they'd do with the story, as if they were writing it?
Poem: If Wishes were horses
1 year ago
2 comments:
I've found that most family/friend types aren't good about giving honest feedback. I gave the opening chapter of my novel to two good friends. One I got lots of feedback from and she read the whole thing. The other never gave me any feedback and all, and I didn't bother giving her the rest of the novel.
The friend who read the novel then talked it up to her family, who proceeded to look for it, an unpublished novel, on Amazon. I was tickled by that little story. The other doesn't really read fantasy, so I don't talk much about my writing to her anymore.
I'm careful who I talk to. I only talk about my writing once someone has become a good friend. I don't really ask for advice. I just say, what do you think?
One of my blog buds and I have exchanged novels and have extensively critiqued each other's novel. We also critique each other's query letters. However, this is the first successful critique partnership I've ever been involved in. It's very hard to find someone whose work you enjoy, and who enjoys your own work. She was tremendously helpful to me and she tells me that I was helpful to her as well.
I had quite a number of people, of whom, though I'm sure well intentioned, never did get back with comments. I actually got to the point where I stopped asking!
Do you usually seek critiques as you go, that is, a few chapters at a time? You mentioned that you didn't give one friend the rest of the novel.
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