Amateur writers of the Escapist, do you do this?

[Queen Michael]

I was writing a novel a while ago. I never let my girlfriend read it, because I didn't want her to feel obligated to say that everything I write is great whether it is or not.
So, amateur writers of the Escapist, do you let your girl/boyfriends or mates read what you write? And what do they say about it? And do you think they're being honest?

Captcha: know thyself. Fitting, somehow.

 

[Aerosteam]

Only when I definitely know they're going to like what it's about. I would never take the risk, even if I did, the following conversation won't go very far.

"Hey, Jacob! Want to read my MLP fanfic?"

"I don't like MLP."

 

[aba1]

I don't write but I am a artist/designer/animator/web designer/game designer... you know what I will just say multimedia designer and I do share most of my work with my girlfriend just so I can get a second set of eyes to look it over give me another point of perspective. We have been together so long shes actually fairly knowledgeable at this stuff without any formal training.

If there is anything I have learned over the years it is that it is always important to get outsiders to look at your work because sometimes you will be so close to the project you won't realize when things are not as good as they could be. For instance when I am doing video and text scrolls I know all the words so I read them a lot faster so I get others to read them to make sure they scroll at a rate that is fast but slow enough people can read without rushing.

 

[DugMachine]

I usually don't let people read my short stories and if I do it's only my mother because she's extremely well read and will criticize the hell out of me if she thinks it's necessary. I think i've let my girlfriend read one of my stories before but of course she's not going to say it sucked (it did my mother told me so ).

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I usually pitch my ideas/work to some of my family members and more specifically, one of my cousins who likes fiction as much as I do. They are usually intrigued at some of my stories and my cousin really appreciates the complexity that some of my works go into.

 

[Guffe]

I don't write.
I did once just to piss my teacher of, we had a writing course were we did poems and short stories (like 3-5 page stories) but I did them so fast and my teacher hated me only giving like 5s and 6s (out of 10 were 4 is the lowest, you don't pass with a 4) and so during the extra time after writing a poem for 3 mins and still having 40 or 60 min left of on the clock I started writing a short storie, fiction, a sort of blend between, warcraft, naruto, bleach, warhammer and other stories which was 19 pages long.
My teacher hated me for my personal views on things that didn't have with school to do and the fact that he thought my writing was sloppy and he couldn't read my writing. I bet he enjoyed staying up correcting that story, I doubt I've ever seen so many red marks in a text before

 

[The_Lost_King]

Uh maybe I would if I ever finish Chapter 2. My writing prcess is slow. It goes make Chapter, good you have the script and what you want to have in the chapter. Good you have the details reread them and fix them again. Plus I barely even write it. I don't get much done. Oh and then I would need to find someone who likes Mass Effect. Or with a different novel that I probably won't make someone who like fantasy, though that would be easy and my friend would definitely help me cause she write books to.

 

[Palademon]

Whenever I present any ideas to people I'm often the first to realise any problems, yet I don't want to fix them, so I end up not wnating to tell anyone.

Although I seem to have this strange habit that whenever I think something I've done is good, people think it's bad, but if i think I've done badly, people think it's good.

 

[mParadox]

On occasion. It depends on the material really.

If it's a review, I'll let the users be the judge of that.

But if it's a report on something far more serious, then I'll let my parents have a look at it. In case my cynical remarks touch far too many buttons.

In case of short stories? Eh, post 'em and see what happens.

 

[WhiteFangofWhoa]

It's fanfic mainly, so no.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

I let one of my co-workers have a draft of one of my stories a few weeks ago. It is the first time I have ever let anyone I knew in person read my work voluntarily.

Through high school I was mocked enough just for the fact that I did write, so I didn't want to give people any extra ammunition. Then in university my experience with my classmates on the Creative Writing course was bad enough that I didn't write at all for the last six months of the year and another four or five months after that. The university writing course is the closest I have ever come to stopping writing for good.

Of course, nowadays I'm trying to get published, so hopefully people will be reading them.

 

[jackinmydaniels]

I don't usually let close friends or family read my stuff, typically because it won't do me much good because all they'll do is tell me it's great just so I don't get upset. Not that I would if they did but I just don't really see the point.

 

[The Funslinger]

Well, when my folklore book was published, everyone that read it during the publication process loved it.

I let my friends read my Pokemon Yellow review that was recently spotlighted here, and they said it was very good.

I'm not letting anyone read the novel I'm working on, though.

Inb4 'that novel ya been workin' on'.

 

[PleaseDele]

Better yet. My girl is my co-writer.

 

[Woodsey]

Nope, only people I let read my reviews ('Woodsey Weviews') are you ugly bunch.

 

[Mordekaien]

My stuff that I write is mostly on my internet blog, and most people that read it, liked it. My girlfriend supposedly can't be bothered, however I think she read some of my poems I wrote. But I don't hide things I wrote, I only put them out on the internet when I think they're ready.

 

[Trivun]

No girlfriend here, but I do let my friends and family read what I write. That being said, I no longer can really be considered an 'amateur' writer since I put out a rather large volume, I simply haven't got anything published yet outside of a couple of student paper articles. I trust my friends and family to make an unbiased judgement, and I make sure that strangers are reading my work too so I get a full range of views...

 

[Zealous]

I've shown my old teachers some of my stuff, but apart from that I generally keep my writing to myself, although I've shown a few pieces to some friends and family I guess.
One of the major problems with showing people my writing tends to be the lack of material to show... If I represented one of the seven deadly sins I would be sloth without a doubt. Speaking of which, damn you internet, you time wasting paradise!

 

[SckizoBoy]

Eh... some of the less contentious stuff is on my blog.

I get my sister to read some passages that I write up on the spare of the moment. Her biggest criticism being that it requires a proof-reading. I'm fully aware that from an intellectual perspective, I write well, but writing a smooth narrative is difficult for me because I write a series of scenes, then crowbar them together. *shrug*

As for the rest of my folks, my old man doesn't read the stuff I tend to write (hell, he won't read anything that was written after HG Wells' time!) while my mom... no disrespect to her, but her English is kinda crap.

 

[Jacco]

I was writing a novel a while ago. I never let my girlfriend read it, because I didn't want her to feel obligated to say that everything I write is great whether it is or not.
So, amateur writers of the Escapist, do you let your girl/boyfriends or mates read what you write? And what do they say about it? And do you think they're being honest?

Captcha: know thyself. Fitting, somehow.

I don't let people read them until they are finished. Otherwise they bug me about the ending and stuff.

That being said, I tell them I will never let them read my things again if all they say is "it was good!" That doesnt help! The entire thing is not perfect. You will not offend me by telling me it sucks or that you didn't like this or that. You can't improve without critique.