by Jim
Hi Jim.
I have always wanted to share stories as I have so many in my head constantly, but all I want to do is write some and get feedback as to whether I should go for it or not. Any suggestions as to where I could post something? Please note I work so time is limited sometimes.
Hi Maria,
Great question. So this is something that has plagued writers from the very get go. Personally, I would say to just write. I’m not kidding, forget the feedback until you have your stories out on paper. Once you do, then read them over once or twice. If they look good from your perspective and you’re happy with them, that is when you can start looking at feedback.
As an INITIAL FILTER I would say ask a trusted friend or family member. I use the term initial filter because in my experience family members and friends aren’t the most reliable critics of your work as they don’t want to offend you… however if even they say it’s bad, there’s a good chance you need to start over.
Now let’s say they give it a seal of approval and give you the usual song and dance about how great it is and how you need to get it published, now it’s time to look for a real critic. The best advice I can give you there is to seek out another writer. There are plenty here on wordpress that are willing to do peer edits in exchange for the same, or you could go to sites like Goodreads and join one of their writing circles. Have someone there look over your writing and see if there is any merit to it. They’re usually pretty good about giving you their opinions straight.
Another option would be to have a professional look at it. I would discourage this because… well they’re not cheap. $.10/word may not sound expensive, but when you’re like me writing books that go into the 100k word range… yeah that’s expensive.
Another option is to have a writing student look at it. A quick google search for student editors usually will give you a HUGE number of student editors that are nearly, if not as good, as professional editors, but they tend to do the job for around $100.
So those really are your best options. All I can say is be careful of which option you choose and do your research before hiring anyone if you go that route. There are con artists and schemers everywhere. Just be careful, okay?
I’m going to open this up to the comments section now. Readers, do you have any advice for Maria, would you be interested in looking her work over? Let her know in the comments below!
Readers,
Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.
I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.
You can also add me on Twitter!
Also, feel free to check out my works of Fantasy and Historical Fiction, Available on Amazon and where ever books are sold. See the link below:
http://www.amazon.com/James-Harrington/e/B00P7FBXTU
Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!
-Jim
James Harringtons Creative Work 
I was once in Maria’s position with no clue if my writing had potential or not. I joined Critique Circle, and have been on there for 3 years. I’ve shared novels and short stories with some really supportive and encouraging people. Some are professional writers while others, like me, are working towards that goal. But they really helped give me an idea of what my strengths and weaknesses were so u could work on them. I tried Scrubophile, but I wasn’t thrilled with the format. But that was my issue. Both are great for some feedback from budding writers like yourself. CC even has a newbie queue for stories so you get to play in the kiddies pool for abit before going for the big pool.
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