Post by Joy Pixley on Jul 2, 2016 8:29:52 GMT -6
I spend a lot of time giving feedback to fellow writers on works in progress, which I like because I hope it's helpful, but now I have a new dilemma. I have become friendly (acquainted and emailing but I wouldn't say really "friends" with yet) with someone who's several steps ahead of me in this writing game. He is just about to publish the third book in his five-book series. I won a pre-print version of the third book in a contest, and bought the first two books on Amazon. They're self-published, but he's done a very professional looking job with them: great cover, great binding, etc.
My question is: does anyone really want feedback -- that is, criticism -- on a book that's already published, or do they really only want to hear what was great about it? I'm torn. I have some negative feedback that I think could be useful to think about when writing for future books, and especially for the last two books in the series. But I don't want to seem like I'm tearing down a fellow writer who's working so hard to get himself published. At some level, what's the point of criticizing the book if it's too late to change it? Well, to do better next time, but that's little consolation. I'm not sure how I would feel in the same position. I'm pretty sure I'd only want to hear positive things, and not get bummed out that my book sucked. (His book does not suck, but that might be my initial irrational reaction in his place.) But then, the only way I improve my writing is by soliciting and really listening to the negative things. (Like when my CP just tore apart my latest novel chapter where I introduce the love interest / antagonist -- and was totally right about it, too.)
I'm worried that if I ask him if he wants feedback, he'll say yes even if really he would rather only hear the good stuff. I do know that if I give him any negative feedback, it will be important to cushion it with lots and lots of positive feedback about what I thought was great.
Argh. Not sure what to do.
My question is: does anyone really want feedback -- that is, criticism -- on a book that's already published, or do they really only want to hear what was great about it? I'm torn. I have some negative feedback that I think could be useful to think about when writing for future books, and especially for the last two books in the series. But I don't want to seem like I'm tearing down a fellow writer who's working so hard to get himself published. At some level, what's the point of criticizing the book if it's too late to change it? Well, to do better next time, but that's little consolation. I'm not sure how I would feel in the same position. I'm pretty sure I'd only want to hear positive things, and not get bummed out that my book sucked. (His book does not suck, but that might be my initial irrational reaction in his place.) But then, the only way I improve my writing is by soliciting and really listening to the negative things. (Like when my CP just tore apart my latest novel chapter where I introduce the love interest / antagonist -- and was totally right about it, too.)
I'm worried that if I ask him if he wants feedback, he'll say yes even if really he would rather only hear the good stuff. I do know that if I give him any negative feedback, it will be important to cushion it with lots and lots of positive feedback about what I thought was great.
Argh. Not sure what to do.
