when they ask about your book, find a one-liner

this isn't the time to share your work

I know everyone you see in these holiday days is going to ask, “how is your book going,” and “oh, yeh, you’ve been working on a book, haven’t you?” (Most of them mean well, and we know who doesn’t mean well, don’t we?)

Practice your one liners now, my friends. My response is, “yeh I’ve got a good start on it.”

This is the down side of following my other advice which is to put it out in the world when you are working on something, to invite content and writing good will.

No matter what … it is always too soon to share your work with the not-best-choice people. Unless the potential sharee is an objective professional who has made you no promises other than the truth, revert to the one liner asap.

Unsure how to know if you have the 'right' person? (Read as safe, neutral, supportive, willing, schooled in diplomacy, and loaded with skills and experience in your genre…) You should NOT have to say these things if the person is a safe share zone:

please give me your honest opinion

be blunt with me, I can take it

it's okay, if you don't want to

you won't hurt my feelings

I'm not attached to the writing, I want your response

if you don't like it, I get it

Nothing you say could influence me

The best possible person to share your work with is going to give your an opinion based on oodles of experience, high touch and down in the grass knowledge of the writing process, writing tools, comparables in your genre, and your desired outcome from their input.

Remember these things when you are considering sharing:

a. if you wait until the next draft you might have found a better person

b. you may not really need their input

c. do you just want someone to say it's good (but don't you want their "good" to mean something)?

d. what are you going to do with the feedback anyway?

Writing is a team sport. Don't fall for the romantic notion of the writer alone in the attic garret toiling for months and years sifting the wheat from the chaff. It's not true...it's a romantic notion. However, you will want, need and even benefit from great constructive feedback when you are most in need.

You know that lone writer you imagine was likely cranking out pages until their writing group met the next day and they could get their need for companionship satisfied. Then they cranked some more pages they never felt the need to show anyone.

Choose your one-liner right now…grab your notebook and write a few down. Say it out loud three times to the mirror until it feels like your language and go have the drinks, the meals, the gatherings, the get togethers…prepared.

Write on

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