When to Share Your Creative Writing?

Tara C. Allred
Jan 29, 2015
2 min read

In my third lecture on The Other Side of Quiet, Savannah Childs shares seven steps to help aspiring future authors prepare to share their work.

1. FIRST SHARE IN A SAFE PLACE

At whatever stage you are in start sharing now! Find a reader you love and trust to first read your work. For some people, family is the safest place to start. For others, anyone but family is the safest place to start. But start safe!

2. ASK FOR SPECIFIC FEEDBACK

Is your work still at a draft stage? Then what do you want the reader to look for?

Here are some sample questions:

Is the plot engaging?
Is the plot easy to follow?
Are the characters interesting?
Does the story take too long to begin?

Be sure to let the reader know at what stage you think the story is and what help you are specifically looking for.

3. ALWAYS ASK FOR WHAT THE READER LIKED FIRST!

Once the reader is ready to share a response, ALWAYS ask her to share what was liked first!

If it is someone you trust, she should be able to hone in on a good item first. Take note of the good, it’s very important to learn what’s working in the story.

4. NEXT LISTEN TO WHAT THE READER DIDN’T LIKE

If you are a serious writer, you want to grow. After you hear what works, you want to understand what is not working.

5. TAKE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE READER’S RESPONSE

Don’t immediately dive into the rewrites, or get so upset you drop the story completely. Step back and think! What was the reader really saying? Do you agree? If so, highlight the trouble spots and brainstorms ways to improve your writing. If you don’t agree, find evidence in the story that supports your answer. But be sure to give yourself a little time to think, so you don’t jump to a conclusion based solely off of emotion.

6. FIX, REWRITE, REPEAT

This is the step that will be the most vital in your growth. The more you master this step, the better your stories will be. Seek to fix the “dog’s misplaced legs” and you will become a better writer! And that should delight you.

7. THEN BE COURAGEOUS AND SHARE YOUR WORK WITH OTHERS

Finally I challenge you to do the most daring thing yet! I dare you to share your writing with others—in an audience that goes beyond those you love and trust! At first, it will be extremely scary. But you are a work-in-progress. Each time you write and rewrite, it will get better. And each time you share, you will get stronger!

These are the important steps to becoming the best writer you can be!