Earlier this week, I posted part one of my short story After the Top. The first person I read it to found it boring. A couple of days later, I read it to my writing group. I was curious what they would think.
I’m happy to announce that they were very kind about it. Maybe because they saw that I was nervous. Maybe because they didn’t understand much since I talked faster than the winner of the World Auctioneering Championship. Or maybe they cut me some slack since that was the first time I shared any of my writing with them.
Whatever the reason, the feedback I got was very nice. They talked about my debut and “the short story that is building strong tension”. They also told me they looked forward to seeing what happened at the top. Someone even went so far as to call my story awesome. Wait a second … that might have been me. Never mind!
Anyway, the lesson I learned is that, when you write something, it’s important to get feedback from the right people. If someone calls your story boring, assume their taste is flawed. Don’t start editing your work. Instead, find someone else you can read it to (preferably someone who is not related to you). Sooner or later, you’ll get the feedback you’re looking for … hopefully.
If not, do what I recommended in my last post: get drunk. That makes all feedback taste good … I mean, sound good, of course.
I’m getting back to my story now. I have to finish it before my next group meeting. Have a good week, everyone.
Ada Ireland is a pen name I came up with for myself. Unashamed Writing is a name I came up with for my blog.