The Hardest Person to Find
I read a lot of blogs and watched a lot of author interviews when I first started writing. Since writing didn’t really come naturally to me, I scoured the internet for tips. Quickly, I found that the most common advice given to new writers is to let lots of people read your work and give you feedback. That’s great advice! Getting feedback for your writing is absolutely imperative for growth. . . However, the blogs fail to mention an important caveat. It’s possible, and if you’re just starting out, likely that nobody will want to read your book. I find myself in that situation all the time.
Look, this isn’t me throwing a pity party about how nobody wants to read my 270 page grounded fantasy novel about a bunch of religious fanatics. I get it. Shoot – if a friend of mine came up to me and said, “Hey, I wrote a book. I’ve never written a book before, but I woke up one morning and decided authorship was for me – wanna read it?” I’d be tempted to make up some excuse about why I suddenly contracted an allergy to unpublished literature. Reading a book is a commitment. One that becomes cripplingly arduous if the book is uninteresting. As an unpublished author of a debut fantasy series, I have absolutely nothing to back up the promise that my book will be an interesting read, besides my own opinion about my own writing.
Finding someone to read your book is hard enough, but it’s not where the challenges end. It’s even more difficult to find someone who will be honest about their reading experience. My friends and family love me. They know I've worked hard on my book, and the last thing they want to do is invalidate that hard work by criticizing it. Unfortunately, when the fortune cookie comes through, and I finally make it big, the rest of the world won’t be so concerned about my feelings. Criticism, both fair and unfair, is an inevitable part of publicizing your work.
It’s important to keep in mind that not all criticism is valuable. There’s a very specific type of criticism you should seek. Find people who are willing to give you feedback, because they want to see you succeed. Most people will dismissively say, 'Wow, you’re so talented!' while others might tell you that you suck just to be spiteful. Finding someone who tells it like it is because they genuinely want to see you reach the moon is incredibly rare. Unicorn/mermaid rare. If you’re able to find that person, keep them very very close.
My boyfriend is that person for me, and I appreciate him so much for it. I swear to the deities above, if he hadn’t been honest with me about where my story was lacking, I never would have created the most interesting and complicated character I believe I will ever create. There was a gap in my story that I never would have seen without his honesty. When I filled that gap . . . things got a lot more interesting in the world of the Mettalium. 😏 So, swallow your pride, suppress your ego, and push for feedback. Ask everyone. Break down doors and bust through windows until you find people who believe in you enough to be honest with you. They really are the hardest people to find.
Written by: Taleah Graves