Asking for criticism on writing is kind of a weird thing. First, it’s an obvious request. After all, it is absolutely vital that a writer get more eyes on his or her piece before trying to send it out professionally. Without it, I would be firing off first drafts of stories and wondering why every one came back with a big fat rejection.
However, it’s weird because I’m basically asking people to give me more work to do. Further, I’m asking people to tell me how bad I am at this. It’s a kind of emotional catch 22: positive feedback makes me feel good, but is functionally worthless, while negative feedback is a kick in the teeth, but gives me a solid foundation for improvement. My ego desires and craves positive feedback, but I know that I need the negative. It’s a bizarre dichotomy of internal feelings.
I did learn, however, that it’s not just the recipient of the critique that feels this conflict. The critic, too, has to deal with a decision between making someone feel good about themselves and giving them useful feedback. If it’s an anonymous exchange over the internet, this is rarely a tough decision. However, my alpha readers are friends and family, so it seems to be much tougher.
Take a look at this comment from my father, who was my first alpha reader on my first story:
Shawn Stanford
Yeah, there’s just not enough going on to engage me. There are some cool ideas, but they don’t really contribute to the story.
As I was reading it, I kept thinking: Why is this important? How is that going to matter? What’s going to happen now?
But, it wasn’t, it didn’t, and in the end, not much happened.
Fuck me, I feel like an asshole.
Are you sure you want my input on this?
Yeah, dad, this is exactly the kind of input I want on this. In the end, I’m trying to make money, and that means I need things to be as good as reasonably possible before sending them out. Yes, I thoroughly enjoy writing, but I need it to generate income. I don’t have time for ego-boosting lovefests in my critique sessions.
Of course, “as good as reasonably possible” is also an important phrase. I don’t have the time to spend months on a single short story so that it’s absolutely perfect in every way. I need it to be good enough to publish or good enough to be almost published (especially this early in my career). I need to finish a story, make a few bucks, and move on. When I have the safety net for a few months of dedication, I can start working on longer work (novels, novellas, etc.).
Feedback is a vital step in the writing process, and soliciting it is very rewarding. I finished two drafts of my first story last week at roughly 5000 words. It’s back in the alpha readers’ hands and, hopefully, I can get a few beta readers on it this afternoon. If all goes well, I’ll be making my first actual submission tomorrow or Wednesday.
Now, to come up with an idea for the next piece…