Would you let someone read your novel before you were done writing it? What if they asked? This is a friend who is familiar with my work. And I have been editing things as I write. I can see both pros and cons when it comes to doing this. What are your thoughts on this?
I see pros and cons also. Pros being you can get reader opinions before the book is finished, perhaps give you ideas etc. Cons being: You may get caught up in a loop with your WIP and never actually finish it. Also negative criticism could discourage you.
I find it encouraging to have someone else read as I go. You can ask for no feedback, if you don't want it until you're done. Writing a whole novel is a long slog. Feeling as if you have an audience, even a small one, as you go can be really valuable if you're having trouble staying motivated. If you're not having trouble with that, I'm not sure I see the benefit.
I get my wife to read my WIP, she is very supportive and gives me some suggestions here and there. She also seems to have a better grasp of English Language, i.e. use of commas, semi colons etc. We are both from England!
The one thing I miss most about my fanfic and pre-publication original fic days is exactly this. The lack of immediate feedback where I would post a chapter and then sit back and watch the comments/kudos/favorites come in has been so hard to get used to. I've weaned myself off of it to the point that I don't use anyone as a first reader anymore, but I also can see a decline in the amount of time and enthusiasm I spend on writing as opposed to those days.
Same with me. Sigh. (Maybe we should experiment with a subscription service - some way to get paid AND post our works in progress...)
Patreon kind of fits the bill, but you'd probably have to post something not meant for future publication.
If you think it would encourage you to keep working on it, then I see no problem. However, keep in mind that you want honest criticism, and honest criticism might hurt. So, if you think honest criticism might make you a little discouraged, you might want to wait until you’re done writing it.
I've said this one another thread, but 3 members of my family are reading my WIP. It happens that I'm there when they read it, as I take it with me when I visit, so I get to see and hear immediately what they think of it. Whether I need that for the motivation or not, I'm not sure, but it's great when I get the reaction I'm looking for - things that you can't fake, like surprise, shock, tears welling in their eyes as they read, and so on...
I sometimes have some people take a look at my stuff before it's done (mainly my larger works), but I prefer if it's to a point I'm happy with, so they can then give their advice and I can change stuff accordingly
I haven't finished any original stories yet, but I know that I prefer the idea of getting feedback while I'm working on a project. It helps keep me motivated and can even give me ideas of changes I can make in the future.
I have a close circle of people who read my stuff as I write it, but it's mostly family. Helps stay motivated when they're always clamouring for more!
I've never had family members read my writing. I always feel like I will be embarrassed if they see some of the things I write! I have to give props to people such as you who doesn't mind family reading your fiction, though. I've wanted a few of my friends to read my WIP, but they tend to have, well, lives, so it's not very reliable! Have you ever received different kinds of feedback based on whether it was a family member, a friend, or a stranger?
Well, my friends usually just say things like "Oh my god, it's so good!" (Which is lovely to hear, but not so useful! I need to know where it isn't good!), and my brother once said, after reading a 10,000 word chapter: "This is terrible. I don't think there's anything here you can salvage. You'll have to rewrite it." (Which made me sad, but luckily he sat down with me and explained in detail all the ways it sucked, but then suggested amazing ways to make it not suck which genuinely helped. We talked about that chapter for eight hours. An actual editor I'd have to pay money for would probably not be as thorough as my brother so I'm lucky to have him) I've never had a stranger read my stuff as of yet. I'm quite shy about my writing. When it comes to looking at friends stuff for them, I'll always try to be gentle and constructive because I know what it's like to have people critique your stuff. It's like your story and characters are your children in a way, you raised them and gave them hopes and dreams and you send them out into the world and then the school bully (editors) rip them to pieces.
That's about as much as I would have expected. There is nothing worse than getting feedback that is simply "OMG SO GOOD!". As you said, it's not very helpful! I have been posting my current story on Fiction Press in the hopes that someone will actually give me the feedback I'm looking for. But so far, not much luck. I also am a bit shy about my writing, so it's hard for me to think about advertising it in order to give it attention. I am happy that you've been having the opportunity to get feedback that actually will help you refine your story!
Well I have some free time at the moment, so if you like, I could have a look at your stuff for you? Always happy to help.