We’re walking down the same road here ! It may be easier for you when you realize you are not alone ! ..., Iain.
I just show them. Because whilst my book may not be the best I want it to be I know that it is at least good and usually I get more praise than I expect.
Hi ! Somewhere along the same road is the following, which may help to put your mind at rest. Some years back, I was watching a BBC discussion about a newly published book. The author was of course present plus three or four others. The author was a likable man, not at all pretentious and had written about a subject dear to his heart. Obviously not an intellectual but he was someone who had something to say and he wrote it ! In the group was a distasteful, single-minded-issue fanatic and obviously adored flaunting his intellectual aptitudes by showering the author with ‘gobbledygook-grammar’ questions. The author went red in the face and was unable to answer his attacker. The situation was very embarrassing and the satisfied aggressor grinned with contentment. Had I, been in the author’s shoes, I would have reacted in the very same way and as such, I have decided that anything associated with my ‘writing career’ will be done as a recluse..., no friends, no family ! I agree with Tenderiser here..., “friends aren’t the best advisors.” In the meantime, I’ve noticed that nearly everyone here hide their names* and because of it, any “embarrassment” goes no further than the site itself. (Unlike friends or the BBC !) As such..., don’t be frightened to post ! Just breathe deeply and click ‘enter’! Lol... Kind Regards..., Iain. * Of course, I know that anonymity is necessary in order to separate comments and advice from one’s career.
I wish I could give a better tip. Me? I am the reverse. I can't shut up about my work. Well, not just my work. Anything that I think is epic or awesome. Ever have that moment you see something really cool and you just want to tell all your friends about it? That is mean to 90% of my work. I can though understand the position. In the sense that it can be scary. It reminds me of jumping into a pool. When I was young that scared the crap out of me. Same with speaking in front of people. I got better at both. I realized that well, you need to jump. Because once you are in air or say the first few lines of the speech(for speaking in public) at the point where it is too late to take it back. Most of the fear disappears. Though not to say you should show it off. Maybe it needs more work and you don't want it to give off a bad impression. This is valid but in my expirence. No writer can truly reach there best without some feedback. Someone with fresh eyes. So you probably will eventually need to show your work. Especially if the goal is to be published and show your work. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Eventually you will and when you do. You will probably forget all about ever being nervous. I hope that helps.
In time, you get used to it. It becomes less and less scary. You'll always be a little apprehensive and nervous about it, but it does get better. Start off by showing it only to one or two trusted people, whom you know to be gentle and tactful, I'd say. All feedback is not created equal - it's worth searching out the right person who knows how to phrase things in a way that makes it easier to swallow, who can be sensitive to your work. And yeah post something in the Workshop here I think much like performing on stage - it's a matter of exposure and getting used to it. There isn't really any magic or short cuts to it!
Speaking of getting used to it, I suspect we all need a bit of thickened skin against bad critiques, given the day we get published we will no doubt have some negative criticism that befalls our book ratings and reviews.
Well you write something for others to read, no? If I get nervous with my work, I just tell myself this.
I used to have very much the same problem, in fact I still do to a certain extent. However, I've found that when it comes to friends and family, especially if they aren't writers themselves, they will be so impressed by the fact you are even trying to write a novel that they'll be reluctant to criticize you at all. Even if your story is not quite as good as you'd like it to be, and you insist they are as ruthless as possible in their critique, they will still most likely be positive about your work. Showing your work in progress to friends and family is the first step on the road to getting published, and they may be able to spot little flaws or errors that you might have missed I hope this helps
It might be easier to post some work in the Workshop and have strangers critique it. It's less personal, and the advice you get will help you improve your work so that you won't be as nervous when you finally show it to your friends and family. Just something to consider.
I have, and the advice given by everyone has been really helpful. My short story is now closer to a novella than a short story, and there is a lot less mistakes in it now
