I've got to stop sharing

littlewanda

Last night my imagination was working overtime. At 11pm I had a great idea for a short story and deciding I'd forget it by morning, I sat up to 12.30 and hand wrote it (well, scrawled it). This afternoon I typed up my first draft and feeling chuffed I've written a comical story for a change, gave it to my OH to read. I waited for a laugh, taking into account he's a very slow reader, but it never came. In fact, he said he found it confusing.

Now this is what he said about my dynamic dialague competition entry, which I got an honourable mention for. So is it me or him? Why, why, why do I do this to myself?

heather

Triumph of hope over expectation?

Does he read much, LW? Maybe it's just not his sort of thing. Or maybe he's just easily confused! (I will stop there, as I don't want to be accused of any -isms here.)

littlewanda

He hardly reads and if he does, it's never fiction. So, I've just confirmed that my OH is the last person I should get to critique my writing. Back to why, why, why?!

Jay Mandal

My partner gets confused, but then my characters are often called XXX, YYY and ZZZ!

heather

Is ZZZ the sleepy one, Jay?

littlewanda

And XXX the x-rated one?

Jay Mandal

Yep, that's me! Then it goes AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, EEE, FFF. After that, even I'm confused.

Carol

Sometimes what one person finds funny, another doesn't. He was obviously the doesn't...:)

febes

My partner is a nightmare. I let him read my work, but as he only reads Chris Ryan, Dean Koontz or Shaun Hutson (All od whom I have introduced him to!) I wouldn't consider him well read. I am slowly learning that if you want good critique of your work, another writer is what you need. Only when you are 100% happy should you release it to people who are not sure what they are talking about :D

Phots Moll

[quote=littlewanda]Why, why, why do I do this to myself? [/quote] I don't know, but I think you should stop.

If your partner was a vegetarian, would you expect him to enjoy and appreciate the chicken dinner you'd made? Asking someone who doesn't read fiction, or doesn't read the genre you write is as likely to go as well as that.

mema

well, mine is good - he would read carefully and would give me honest feedback. He's not a writer but reads quite a lot of different stuff, mostly non-fiction now. We usually like the same books/articles.
The problem is with me: when I'm sitting at my laptop typing away and he comes and asks me what I am doing, I'd quickly reply 'nothing' and try to close/hide my writing.
I feel, kinda, embarrased. PAthetic, innit?
Why, oh why , oh why?

;-)

dora

[quote=mema]I feel, kinda, embarrased[/quote]

yes why indeed?

ginab

Oh Mema I am so glad it's not just me! I am forever closing things or clutching notebooks to my chest and snatching up pieces of paper so they can't be read.
I will let my OH read my writing if and when it is published and not before.

Jay Mandal

Jane Austen's creaking door?

mema

Gina: but why? do you know why?

I've thought a lot about it recently and came to the conclusion that it must originate from my childhood. My mum wasn;t particularly supportive of my writing (to say the least) and I use to hide it from her, pretending that I was doing something more 'useful', like ironing, homework or tidying up my desk.
It's stupid now but I still do it.

Kangaroo

Mema, do you feel if you talk about it the magic of it disappears?

'The problem is with me: when I'm sitting at my laptop typing away and he comes and asks me what I am doing, I'd quickly reply 'nothing' and try to close/hide my writing.
I feel, kinda, embarrased. PAthetic, innit?
Why, oh why , oh why?'

Jay Mandal

In case you thought I was rambling ...

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:418CyBzqjm4J:www.pemberley.com/janeinfo/jealmcds.html+%22Jane+Austen%27s+creaking+door%22&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

LeeH

That must be awful to feel like you should hide it. I'm lucky in that everyone knows I like to tinker with writing and it keeps me out of mischief.

Liz

One thing you never do Jay is ramble.

I am lucky in that I do get constructive criticism but that doesn't make it easier! Many's the time when I have written what I (modestly) feel is a masterpiece of humour, to have them look at it blankly. Then sometimes I hand over something I think isn't that good quite frankly and they hail it as a work of genius. Well, not really, but you know what i mean.

My OH I trust on the whole, particularly if he says it's not charming. My son, depends on the mood he's in.

The people I trust wholly are my writing group who tell me in punishing detail just what's wrong. And also what's right.

I do feel for those of you who don't feel as if their writing is something to be proud of, or feel it is something to be embarrassed by. I found my whole attitude improved after the accolade of getting published, and then when I did the MA and had academic approval, i became much more at ease with everything. SO, get published! Try, try and try again. It'll happen. OR do a course where you get professional feedback which can make you feel a whole lot better.

Jay Mandal

Haven't got the boots for it, anyway.

Red

My OH doesn't do reading and has no interest whatsoever in my writing, and therefore leaves me to it. I have bits of paper and notes all over the house, and I don't feel uneasy in the slightest if my scribblings were read, but I know they won't. I don't look for approval from friends or family, because it's not them I have to impress. I just get on with my writing.

Stan2

Well done, Red.

dora

I think if my scribblings were read, I'd be in big trouble. :(