Story not returned to sender
Oct. 25th, 2008 05:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
author_by_nightYou've written a story. Maybe it's a fanfic; maybe it's an original story. Whatever the case may be, you wrote it, and now want to know what others think.
So you do what anyone would do: you ask if anyone wants to read it.
Someone responds, "course I will!" So you send it enthusiastically, and await the response.
A day goes by, and the person has not responded. That's okay, right?
A week goes by. Two weeks. Four weeks. Four months.
This scenario has happened to all of us. Maybe it was just one friend who did it; maybe it was twenty friends who all said they'd read it. Nonetheless, it's a hurtful situation. Because while yes, every writer writes for themselves... writers need feedback to keep going. How else will we know if the story is bad or good?
But there are ways to soothe the pain - and to try and prevent it altogether.
The first thing you have to do is make sure that your audience knows it's not an obligation. Along those same lines, make sure the person knows what they're reading - and keep in mind their own time and interests.
For instance, people have genres they prefer to read, or not to read. While many are able to read more than one, there are people who aren't as willing to step outside their normal genre - both fanfic and original. Always make it clear what your story is.
Also, length information is important. A friend might assume you're sending them a chapter - so if you send them five, they might be overwhelmed. Or suppose you send them a chapter, but it's quite a long chapter. There's a difference between having the time for short/normal length chapter and having time for a long chapter, or for five chapters. Not to mention that nobody reads at the same pace.
Then there's the matter of knowing who you're sending the story to; I covered a little bit of that with the mention of being sure the person knows what they've agreed to read, but let's go deeper.
Some people are busy; asking your friend who has a newborn, a toddler, a new full time job, and their best friend's wedding coming up to read five chapters is probably not going to work. As I said before, some people will say yes, not thinking of the fact that that actually don't have the time.
Then there's people who love the thought of doing something, but in reality often fail to follow through. They don't mean to forget or procrastinate, and they certainly don't intend to hurt your feelings, but it happens. If your friend says he'll read the story, but he's also said he'd help you paint your porch, run a marathon, and make it to your New Year's Eve Party, he's probably not the one to ask. Make sure the person you ask is offering with full intention of doing it, not because it sounded like a good idea at the time.
However... it's important to remember something very important: People are only people. We've all said we'd do something that slipped our minds. We've all offered to do something with the intention of being kind, and only realized later that for one reason or another, actually making the time to do it wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. Just because a person forgot to read your story - or several people - does not mean they dislike you or your story. Things happen. Don't get discouraged because people make mistakes.
On the flip side... while writers have things to remember, so do the readers.
It's essential for both reader and writer to know what they're getting into. Make your limits clear: You have time to read a short chapter, but you don't have time to read a long chapter or five chapters. You'll read romance and erotica, but cute little kids with cute little bunnies just isn't your thing. You'll read the story, but you don't know if it will be within a few days or within a few weeks, because having a newborn and a toddler and a wedding to help plan makes you a little busy.
And be sure the writer is okay with criticism - that way if you do have problems with the story, you're not afraid to say it. (Although if the writer only wants the good stuff, you probably have to only say the good stuff - though there are ways to constructively criticize without coming across as remotely critical.)
It's also important not to offer to do something you don't want to do or can't do. It might disappoint the writer if you tell them, "I'm just not that interested in the genre, so I'd be the wrong person to ask", or "I really don't have time." However, it will be worse if you never get around to it, and they're wondering if you hated it so much you were rendered speechless and deleted it.
If you're a procrastinator and/or easily distracted... DO read it right away. Or, if you're a distractable type, read it when you have absolutely no distractions. Otherwise it won't get done.
Finally, if you like ideas more than the process - and I think we're all like that to some extent - make sure you really want to do it. Remember, this isn't a story out of a magazine or book or website you can put down and read a year from now when you're interested again; someone trusted you to read it and give feedback.
Feedback is a very complicated process for both ends; but with patience, understanding and good communication can help eliminate the complication.
So you do what anyone would do: you ask if anyone wants to read it.
Someone responds, "course I will!" So you send it enthusiastically, and await the response.
A day goes by, and the person has not responded. That's okay, right?
A week goes by. Two weeks. Four weeks. Four months.
This scenario has happened to all of us. Maybe it was just one friend who did it; maybe it was twenty friends who all said they'd read it. Nonetheless, it's a hurtful situation. Because while yes, every writer writes for themselves... writers need feedback to keep going. How else will we know if the story is bad or good?
But there are ways to soothe the pain - and to try and prevent it altogether.
The first thing you have to do is make sure that your audience knows it's not an obligation. Along those same lines, make sure the person knows what they're reading - and keep in mind their own time and interests.
For instance, people have genres they prefer to read, or not to read. While many are able to read more than one, there are people who aren't as willing to step outside their normal genre - both fanfic and original. Always make it clear what your story is.
Also, length information is important. A friend might assume you're sending them a chapter - so if you send them five, they might be overwhelmed. Or suppose you send them a chapter, but it's quite a long chapter. There's a difference between having the time for short/normal length chapter and having time for a long chapter, or for five chapters. Not to mention that nobody reads at the same pace.
Then there's the matter of knowing who you're sending the story to; I covered a little bit of that with the mention of being sure the person knows what they've agreed to read, but let's go deeper.
Some people are busy; asking your friend who has a newborn, a toddler, a new full time job, and their best friend's wedding coming up to read five chapters is probably not going to work. As I said before, some people will say yes, not thinking of the fact that that actually don't have the time.
Then there's people who love the thought of doing something, but in reality often fail to follow through. They don't mean to forget or procrastinate, and they certainly don't intend to hurt your feelings, but it happens. If your friend says he'll read the story, but he's also said he'd help you paint your porch, run a marathon, and make it to your New Year's Eve Party, he's probably not the one to ask. Make sure the person you ask is offering with full intention of doing it, not because it sounded like a good idea at the time.
However... it's important to remember something very important: People are only people. We've all said we'd do something that slipped our minds. We've all offered to do something with the intention of being kind, and only realized later that for one reason or another, actually making the time to do it wasn't as easy as we thought it would be. Just because a person forgot to read your story - or several people - does not mean they dislike you or your story. Things happen. Don't get discouraged because people make mistakes.
On the flip side... while writers have things to remember, so do the readers.
It's essential for both reader and writer to know what they're getting into. Make your limits clear: You have time to read a short chapter, but you don't have time to read a long chapter or five chapters. You'll read romance and erotica, but cute little kids with cute little bunnies just isn't your thing. You'll read the story, but you don't know if it will be within a few days or within a few weeks, because having a newborn and a toddler and a wedding to help plan makes you a little busy.
And be sure the writer is okay with criticism - that way if you do have problems with the story, you're not afraid to say it. (Although if the writer only wants the good stuff, you probably have to only say the good stuff - though there are ways to constructively criticize without coming across as remotely critical.)
It's also important not to offer to do something you don't want to do or can't do. It might disappoint the writer if you tell them, "I'm just not that interested in the genre, so I'd be the wrong person to ask", or "I really don't have time." However, it will be worse if you never get around to it, and they're wondering if you hated it so much you were rendered speechless and deleted it.
If you're a procrastinator and/or easily distracted... DO read it right away. Or, if you're a distractable type, read it when you have absolutely no distractions. Otherwise it won't get done.
Finally, if you like ideas more than the process - and I think we're all like that to some extent - make sure you really want to do it. Remember, this isn't a story out of a magazine or book or website you can put down and read a year from now when you're interested again; someone trusted you to read it and give feedback.
Feedback is a very complicated process for both ends; but with patience, understanding and good communication can help eliminate the complication.
