As I indicated in my last post – I'm starting a new project. I finished the first chapter and decided to get my boys to read it. In the past they haven't shown much interest in reading published books let alone my books.
After they read the first chapter, they asked what the book was about so I read them my very rough query and then the ideas started to fly.
For an hour I listened to them make suggestions. You should do this. That would be so cool if you did that. Maybe this would help the plot. Some of their ideas were good, but a lot were clichéd.
So I've decided to keep my chapters to myself until I've finished my whole first draft.
What about you? When do you start to share your work with family or do you?
10 comments:
I sometimes share the initial idea to get suggestions, but I usually wait until I have a draft that's in very good shape to share with my daughters. They are very good critics, so I often find I use their advice, esepcially about places where they got confused.
I don't. They just know it's a part of my work. Though my son would read something if I had something appropriate for his age. In general, my writing schedule has become too much a part of their life.
I tried to explain what I wrote to Monster Child but ended up comparing it to Sense and Sensibility, and she wanted to know when they would make a movie of it, she'd rather watch it. And who would I get to play Ellis, would it be the same guy who played Edward. She likes him.
She's only 6.
This is such a big question for me. My girls are too hung to grasp what I write and my husband, as loving as he is, just isn't interested. He's not a bookworm like me. In fact, he's just about the exact opposite.
So, after coming to terms with the reality I won't be sharing my books with my immediate family, I've found my mom gets more dumped on her. ;)
~ Wendy
I have had my daughter read my YA story to find out if it seems realistic to her. And I have a sister I may also share my next WIP with. She would be my hardest critic though as she is a 'pro' reader!
Lol! That's so cute they wanted to help! Good thing you know what is considered cliche, though ;) I don't share with family. Ever. My best friend is the first one who ever sees anything, but she's it until it goes to crit group.
I'm not much of a sharer. I've met people who talk about their writing CONSTANTLY and I wonder how they can do it. I am just weird about it. I can talk about things I've written in the past (although I've found most people don't really want to hear about that, either) but I can't talk about what I'm working on now.
ROFL! I have to be careful when I talk brainstorming ideas with my hubby (who is excellent and good for me) in front of my boys. Like yours, they are exuberant about "helping" but they are still young and yeah, their ideas usually end up being stuff that's already been done in a big way so I can't copy it, lol.
I usually don't share stuff with them until WAAYYYY down the line.
Good luck with your shiny new project!
It depends. Some stories I keep very close to my heart and don't talk about them for fear of sucking away all the energy from a new idea. But after I have the initial draft done, I'll usually share it with my critique partners.
Very, VERY rarely, I share with my husband small bits as I write, but I don't want anyone to influence the end product until the end, so I wait until after I've finished.
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