The Blog

AUG 26 Are you ready to share your work?

The worst thing you can do to your self-esteem is rush to share your writing. If you haven’t put in the time revising, you won’t get the feedback you want. Your spouse might say, “Well, that’s a good start” and your writer’s group will tell you, “This has potential.”

While it’s hard to wait, it’s worth it. The best time to share your work is after you’ve revised and reread it so many times, you can read it through in entirety and have nothing more to revise, add, delete, or edit. This doesn’t mean your work is done, it means it’s ready for critique. For me, this means I’ve reread and revised my short story between 150 and 200 times. Then I launch the work out to my reader friends, family and most important, my writing group.

After you’ve received a first round of feedback, it’s time to do round two of revisions. Incorporate what you want, and throw the rest out. Remember, it’s your story. Just be sure to thank everyone and to take criticism graciously. If not, you won’t likely receive honest feedback in the future. Some of the most tactless editors are also the best. If they really care, they’ll look for every weakness in your piece.

Finally, start the revision process up again: reading, revising, editing, reading, revising, editing….I usually revise my short another 100 times. Once I’m happy with the outcome, I put it out there once again. This time, it’s usually much improved from the first time. Typically, I receive a few minor edits, but mostly compliments. That is when sharing feels great!