Rough Drafts Should Remain. . . .

PRIVATE.

Yes, people. Rough drafts are just that--rough. To get, or request, feedback on something that is not fully formed is just asking for trouble. The only time to allow someone to read a rough draft is when you have a specific reason for someone to read it. Then you need to make it clear what you expect from their read (notice I didn't say crit?? This isn't a crit. It is a reading.) of your work.

Beginning writers ache over every single word they place on the page. They tweak and rearrange and nitpick and rewrite each word, sentence and paragraph. They think their work is the next Great American Novel--I know I did--BUT just because you agonized over each and every word doesn't mean your novel is ready to be viewed. Numerous times craft elements are missing.

Writers who do this tend to be focused on one element and not the ENTIRE body of work. The bones are there, but what happened to the muscles, sinews, fat and flesh?

For other writers a first draft is a puked out thing. Sometimes it turns out well, but other times it is a mess that an author has to fix. TRUST ME, PEOPLE, NO ONE WANTS TO READ YOUR VOMIT!

I used to be in the first category, but now I'm in the second category. Depending on the situation, I will make one exception to my DO NOT LET ANYONE READ rule and that is when I specifically request DO NOT CRIT. I want a gut reaction whether or not I hit the mark with a specific problem and need to move on.

I requested this of two different people recently on two different stories. One, I already wrote a blog about here. But the other was a romantic suspense I asked a friend to read the first twenty-five pages. I specifically requested a DO NOT CRIT. Let me emphasis, DO NOT CRIT! just give your gut reaction to the pages.

For her the story didn't begin until page 19. Okay, this didn't surprise me considering my original draft started at about that point. Two, my friend didn't understand this character's trust for a group of truckers when this character is freaked out, exhausted and on the run. Good Point! I didn't have sufficient motivation for her to do this. Oh, I have a reason for her to do this, but a reason isn't good enough--the character must be motivated for the reader to believe this. This series of scenes neatly ties a subplot to the main plot of the story AT the end of the story, but WHY would this character trust them at the beginning of the story?

I made a bullet point note about motivation at the beginning of my manuscript and I'll deal with it later, depending on how the story unfolds. If I need to delete it, then I'll delete it.

Do I think it was easy for both of these writers NOT to critique my work? No, it wasn't easy for either of them. They both wanted to comment, but they respected my request and gave me the feedback I needed to move forward on both stories.

And I will say that I appreciate the restraint it took for them to respect my request. :-) Thanks, ladies!

Now, if I can find some time this week with family invading my home and wedding stuff to attend, I'll . . .

Write on!