(no subject)

[intothewood]

Sharing. When do you determine who, when and how?

I'm very wary of sharing any of my writing beyond silly little things I care nothing about. It's like a native fear of picture taking - if they see it, they will steal my soul!

But there are precautions in sharing, especially things you're currently working on - or at least I think so, anyway. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I can't imagine I'm the only one who feels this way. Of course, I am a little extreme - I can't seem to let go of even one sentence. I was going to ask people to share a sentence from what they're currently writing, something that may sum up the gist of the story, but I don't know if I could reciprocate. Yes, yes, that is paranoid, isn't it. But I don't know you, you don't know me... we could all be soul stealers, who can say?

So how do you know when to share, with whom, and at what stage?

Comments

[smw]

When a writer is beginning to find their voice, the less said the better.

Funny; I'd say quite the opposite. Certainly there needs to be room left over for personal style, but the basic fact is that you have to learn the rules before you break them. I didn't make any serious bounds forward as a writer until someone was willing to sit me down and say, "This, this, and this? They don't work and they're ugly." Of course, that same critique came with "That over there is brilliant and beautiful and you should pursue it". So I got twofold directions: pushed away from my bad habits and towards my good ones.

As I've progressed as a writer, I've gotten a better idea of what I do and don't like in fiction, and I've adjusted my style independently; but I question if I would be so able to change if not for that first push.