Some of you already know this week the WriteonCon is going on. For those of you who don't know what that is (Mom), it's an online writing convention. There will be some agents, some organizers, and a whole bunch of writer's looking for their break into publishing. And some other writers hoping to learn so they can improve their craft.
I'm in that second group of writers. I want to learn more about craft and hopefully next year, I'll be ready to post a query and hope for an agent to ninja me. (The agents wander around the forums with ninja names, posting on anything that interests them).
The most awesome part? It's free.
I signed up for the forums and critiqued for the first couple of days. And then I started to think. I could post my first 250 words up there. Other people were posting things from stories that weren't finished, things that weren't ready to be queried.
So I considered. And then I sent my 250 words to my mom and my best friend. Hoping they'd tell me, no it's terrible, don't do it. They didn't. They told me to do it.
I had to suck up some courage and be brave. It's hard putting your work out there. I mean, I've posted work before. I used to write fanfiction--which can still be found online--and some original work. But they're all from before I was serious. Back when I thought I knew what being a writer meant (sitting around and browsing the internet until inspiration hit you).
I read some reviews. Are people going to tear my work apart? Am I really far away from publishing? At the end, I realized I was afraid. I was letting fear hold me back. Fear that someone was going to burst my bubble and tell me that I couldn't be a writer. That I didn't have the talent.
But I can't live like that. You can't be a writer if you're afraid to share; if you're afraid of some rejection. So I sucked it up, put on my big girl pants, and posted.
Nothing terrible has happened. Of course, I've only gotten two reviews, but I think that sort of points to what I was already thinking. That I'm an OK writer. There's nothing terribly wrong with what I do, but I might need more experience and practice to really get there.
If you're interested, here's the link to my story Magic Wanted. Feel free to read it and tell me what you think :) Or don't. I've discovered I'm OK either way :)
I'm in that second group of writers. I want to learn more about craft and hopefully next year, I'll be ready to post a query and hope for an agent to ninja me. (The agents wander around the forums with ninja names, posting on anything that interests them).
The most awesome part? It's free.
I signed up for the forums and critiqued for the first couple of days. And then I started to think. I could post my first 250 words up there. Other people were posting things from stories that weren't finished, things that weren't ready to be queried.
So I considered. And then I sent my 250 words to my mom and my best friend. Hoping they'd tell me, no it's terrible, don't do it. They didn't. They told me to do it.
I had to suck up some courage and be brave. It's hard putting your work out there. I mean, I've posted work before. I used to write fanfiction--which can still be found online--and some original work. But they're all from before I was serious. Back when I thought I knew what being a writer meant (sitting around and browsing the internet until inspiration hit you).
I read some reviews. Are people going to tear my work apart? Am I really far away from publishing? At the end, I realized I was afraid. I was letting fear hold me back. Fear that someone was going to burst my bubble and tell me that I couldn't be a writer. That I didn't have the talent.
But I can't live like that. You can't be a writer if you're afraid to share; if you're afraid of some rejection. So I sucked it up, put on my big girl pants, and posted.
Nothing terrible has happened. Of course, I've only gotten two reviews, but I think that sort of points to what I was already thinking. That I'm an OK writer. There's nothing terribly wrong with what I do, but I might need more experience and practice to really get there.
If you're interested, here's the link to my story Magic Wanted. Feel free to read it and tell me what you think :) Or don't. I've discovered I'm OK either way :)
Congratulations on being brave! Sharing work is difficult. I'm doing WriteOn Con as well, and so far the comments have been very helpful. I'm only smarting from one... a fellow who basically said "didn't like it, but don't know why". Just remember that you can't please everyone (statistically speaking, there is someone out there who hates Harry Potter, bacon, AND puppies), and just take away as much as you can from the comments.
ReplyDeleteI'll check out your post. Find me if you'd like! My username is Jeannette S. (original, I know).
Found you! I like your first 250 words. Very cool narrator. :)
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