Dear Writers: Don't be Afraid to Let Someone Read Your Work
Preferably me
Every writer deserves to have their work read. I don’t know where I’d be in my writing journey if I didn’t have friends and family there to read and review my work, however, I know many writers are terrified at the idea of anyone reading their work.
I understand the apprehension in sharing your work with the world. I mean, it’s scary. You want to get everything just right so that if anyone actually does read it, they’ll love it. Subsequently, you end up toiling away at a piece of writing until you convince yourself that it's perfect or grow to loathe it and believe that your writing is terrible.
We’re writers. We’re not perfect and neither is our work. We have messy manuscripts, stringy incoherent sentences, and complicated plots we haven’t worked out yet. We ramble, jump between thoughts, and discover new things about our characters at inconvenient times. It doesn’t matter. Let someone read it.
We’re writers and our work wasn’t created to be hidden away, a victim of our own self-doubt and self-criticism. It’s created to be placed under the world’s microscope so others can relate and get inspired by it.
I personally love reading and reviewing writers’ work. It gives me an opportunity to help writers grow and improve. Plus, I get to read a lot of great books I may have never encountered otherwise.
But what if they don’t like it?
Good! You need that push. You need to be told what people don’t like about your writing just as much as you need to be told what they do. You can’t get better without knowing what you have to improve.
However, you have to be sure you’re ready to accept criticism. DO NOT show your stories to others before you’re ready to grow and improve your craft.
Well, who should read my stories then?
I suggest you start with friends and family. Make sure it’s someone who will be sincere without being disparaging. Then move onto sites like Webnovel or Wattpad (yes, I know it has a reputation but trust me on this one) if you want to publish the first draft and see how people feel about it.
******
If you liked my article and want me to read your story, follow this link, and I’d be happy to help out!
