honesty? - Writers Forum

Crazy_dude6662 · 09-04-2005, 02:08 PM

okay i wrote a book and asked my mum her advice (shes the only one who read it all) she said it was good, but i dont trust that judgement, she says she isnt just saying that to me.

i showed a teacher in school she said it was brilliant, there were a few problems with spelling and grammer but other wise it was quite good. i dont kno if i should trust this judgement either. what do you guys think??

Verago · 09-04-2005, 02:19 PM

What you wrote is most likely FAR superior to anything the teacher sees in a day, so to her it might seem brilliant. And of course, your mom will say that it's great, even if it isn't.

Get a friend (a true friend, mind you...) to review it.

Crazy_dude6662 · 09-04-2005, 02:20 PM

i suppose that might work, but they might lie to spare your feelings

Isis · 09-04-2005, 02:36 PM

Some friends won't worry about offending you, because you've known each other so long and been through a lot and ended up still liking each other. The friend that will tell you your haircut sucks when it does, and that you still can't get mad at...that's the person to show your book to.

Dirkin · 09-04-2005, 02:48 PM

I have a friend who always tells me exactly what he thinks. He's so brutally honest, usually I don't show him my work. He's an editor, so he always nitpicks... I'm going to show him my re-write when its done...

Ejp414 · 09-04-2005, 04:21 PM

Put it down and look at it in a month. I swear, it makes such a difference.

mswietek · 09-04-2005, 06:57 PM

Ejp's advice is good. Unfortunately, unless your friends are also writers, going to them may not be the best idea. They will, most likely, try to spare your feelings. Can you find a local writer's group? They usually gather at libraries and may be better suited towards giving you the feedback you need.

Michael

Anarkos · 09-04-2005, 08:03 PM

Put it down and look at it in a month, or send it to one of the more experienced and ideally published members here for comments and criticism.

Gauda · 09-04-2005, 11:34 PM

No, really, you CAN count on their honesty O_O

I think this was the purpose of writingforums. To share and critique work in the first place. But be prepared for a tough critique - people don't hold back on here (you'll really appreciate it in the end, though!)

I think that you are the best editor for your own work. You know exactly what you want and you can alter it as you please. As others have said, don't look at it for a while and then pick it back up when it's not fresh in your mind. You'll see all of your mistakes and do-dads and it will probably be much improved after you pick every little thing out.

Crazy_dude6662 · 09-05-2005, 02:21 AM

http://www.writingforums.com/viewtop...330&highlight=

theres the first one or two chapters

mammamaia · 09-05-2005, 06:55 AM

imo, you should never ask a friend, lover, or relative to critique your work [guess i should also include teachers]... only someone knowledgeable about good writing, who's a relative stranger, can give you the unadulterated truth about your writing...

BookLover · 09-05-2005, 07:58 AM

I totally agree with you maia. No matter how honest they are, they will always be biased. You should go to a stranger.

Dirkin · 09-06-2005, 12:03 AM

My friend always gives me the unadultered truth. So much so in fact that I rarely show him anything I do.

Kane · 09-06-2005, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mammamaia

imo, you should never ask a friend, lover, or relative to critique your work [guess i should also include teachers]... only someone knowledgeable about good writing, who's a relative stranger, can give you the unadulterated truth about your writing...

Why not teachers, Maia?

mammamaia · 09-06-2005, 06:14 AM

re teachers, i was just referring to verago's remark that, in effect, teachers see so much bad writing from students not being held to high standards these days, that they might praise a student's work mainly because it's better than the rest, and not necessarily good compared to professional level writing...

thinking about it, i can see some logic in that, so wouldn't put much faith in a teacher's praise unless that teacher her/himself was a qualified judge of publishing quality writing...