Do you have someone read your story before sending it out if so do you take suggestions seriously or are you your own best critic?
(Michael said no, that he is his own best critic)
I always have my husband read my stories--although he is way too easy on me, but that's okay because I factor that in. I also run most stories by my writing group and they are good at picking up troublesome factoid things. Like is that amount of money feasible. Would that be enough time.
But since they don't have much time to digest it, in the end I have to be my own critic.
7 comments:
I always try to find betareaders for my stories, the longer stories, the more readers.
And as some of them have read several of my stories now, I know who of them are most critical, and I also know which things I am willing to change, and which aspects I am ready to fight for. But without betareaders I would feel very insecure when I sent a story out in the large & cruel world of strangers who don´t love me beforehand :)
I read every chapter aloud to The Beloved Spouse as it's finished. After that, I used to take chapters to a local writers group, but stopped when I moved a few years ago, as the drive was getting to be a burden. There was also the issue that I was veering out of the mainstream a little, and that was where their tastes were.
The last couple of books have gone to a good writer friend of mine, who shall remain nameless because he gets too many requests already, and I'm grateful he finds time for my work.
Generally, though, it's me.
Patti - Oh, I never send my work out without my first readers taking a look first. And that's so important to me because they often find things I wouldn't have found.
Fiction I always have several people take a look at before sending to an editor. With reviews and essays it depends. Usually I know my editors, so we go back and forth just between ourselves. If it is a new editor I am working with, I'll probably have a friend look it over before I send my piece in.
Since I once worked on regional tv spots and industrial documentaries and always had an assistant of some kind I brought the assistant idea along with me when I started writing books. First to do the finish typing (before computers) and then if I trusted her judgement to make any suggestions. In a quarter century I've had two assistants who've worked out. A woman named Linda has worked with me for the last decade. She's an amazing editor. She sorts out everything wrong with the first draft and gives me her notes. She also tells me if a scene doesn't play well or the pacing is off in a certain chapter. She's been proven right many many times. Then I do another draft and we talk about it. More changes to come. She's very funny and a true pleasure to work with. I love smart-ass women and she certainly qualifies in that regard. Numerous editors have told me that my manuscripts are among the cleanest they've seen. And that they'd been edited well. That's all Linda's doing. In some ways she's almost more of a collaborator than an assistant though she balks whenever I say that.
My wife reads all my stuff and I carefully consider her input, and usually follow her advice. She is much better read than I am, and I trust her opinions. Other than that I don't really have anyone I send them to; don't know anyone I would feel comfortable asking for that kind of time commitment. I hope that between my eye and Julia's I can get close enough that an editor will like it, and hopefully make further suggestions. I'm always nervous if an editor accepts something without at least a couple suggestions.
A more critical reader would be most welcome here.
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