This is my Insecure Writers Support Group post for June.
Alex's awesome co-hosts this month
are:
M. Pax, Tracy Jo,
Patricia Lynne,
Rachna Chhabria,
Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!
I have good news andbad insecure news.
The good news is, I finished my WIP! :D
The insecure news is, it will soon be in theteeth of the piranha hands of my beta readers, and I'll be gulping Maalox and biting my nails for weeks, waiting for their condemnation feedback.
Will they like my characters? Did I get the plot and pacing right? ...The motivations? Will they understand this companion novel even if they didn't read my debut? And will they be bored if they did?
Writers get more accomplished with time and practice, but there will always be gut wrenching moments when we show our work to someone besides ourselves (and maybe the dog) for the very first time.
Gah! *faints*
We 'meet' the first Wednesday of every month. If you're interested in learning more, click on the link above. And don't be intimidated by the size of the group. We're not expected to visit everyone on the list.
Alex's awesome co-hosts this month
are: M. Pax, Tracy Jo,
Patricia Lynne,
Rachna Chhabria,
Feather Stone, and Randi Lee!
Please stop by their blogs and say thank you.
I have good news and
The good news is, I finished my WIP! :D
The insecure news is, it will soon be in the
Will they like my characters? Did I get the plot and pacing right? ...The motivations? Will they understand this companion novel even if they didn't read my debut? And will they be bored if they did?
Writers get more accomplished with time and practice, but there will always be gut wrenching moments when we show our work to someone besides ourselves (and maybe the dog) for the very first time.
Gah! *faints*
IWSG is the
brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. It's a monthly bloghop that offers a
safe haven for writers to express their feelings and concerns without
fear of appearing foolish or weak. It's also a venue for offering
support, both in the form of comments and positive posts. Writers of all kinds are welcome.
We 'meet' the first Wednesday of every month. If you're interested in learning more, click on the link above. And don't be intimidated by the size of the group. We're not expected to visit everyone on the list.
Congratulations on your WIP! That does have to be nerve-racking but you are so right, that's how we get accomplished. Time, practice and beta readers feedback. :-) Have a great IWSG day!
ReplyDeleteI think it will always be stressful showing our work to someone else or submitting it for crits or publication etc. Maybe we just need to accept the fact that we will be nervous and will need to have wine and/or chocolate on hand. :)
ReplyDeleteYAY!!! On getting your WIP finished. And even when I think I couldn't make my book any better, my critique reader says I have lots of work ahead of me...blah...I hope you get good news!!
ReplyDeleteALRIGHT, MELISSA!!!!! CONGRATS! Don't worry too much, they will LOVE it! Even if they think a few tweaks are needed, it can only make you work that much more FANTASTIC!!!!! Keep smiling. You're done with round one!
ReplyDeleteYay and congrats on finishing your WIP. I understand the nervousness, because my WIP is currently with my critique partner. My advice would be to distract yourself.
ReplyDeleteRachna Chhabria
Co-host IWSG
Rachna's Scriptorium
I *know* the betas will love your wip - and if they don't, tell them I'll buy a WIP and add a "H" :)
ReplyDeletePS: forgot to ask last week... but was thinking of you and yours during all that rain... hope all is well...
I always get those worries when a book is released and people I don't know begin reading it. We can only have confidence in ourselves that we did the best we could.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing your manuscript!
LOL! I know that feeling only too well. In recent years I've taken a different approach. It's not, "Will they like this?" It's, "How do I need to fix this?" And I want them to give it to me straight because reviewers are going to be ten times more brutal. I'd much rather hear it from my friends.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing! Just think of the feedback as another coat of polish. Then it's not so scary.
ReplyDeleteYippee! The hurry up and wait with baited breath stage! Kudos for another milestone achieved. Thanks for sharing it with us.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on finishing!! I have no doubt your readers will LOVE the story. How could they not? You and your stories both rock.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing that WIP Melissa! I'm sure it will be great and whatever the betas tell you will only serve to improve an already wonderful MS. You're nearly there ... again! =D
ReplyDeleteWTG on completing your WIP! Give yourself three cheers. Beta readers are there to help you develop a great read. Think of it as a partnership for bettering your story. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to digging in!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I just read another post (Medeia Sharif) who sent her WIP off to betas. 'Tis the season.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing! I know, I hate the waiting, too, but unless my readers HATE what I've written (which hopefully they'd be kind enough to disguise,) I end up really loving the comments and critiques. It's inspiring and helpful to have new perspective, and to see how much time and thought they put into my work. So, I guess I'm saying I hope you end up enjoying it, too!
ReplyDeleteAnd how did I forget you're a twin mom??? Thanks for the support - any and all advice is so much appreciated!
How scary! Sending your baby out for the first time. Be brave :)
ReplyDeleteI love my beta readers, and I don't get so worked up about that part. When I send it to my editor is when I bite my nails.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on finishing your WIP! Woohoo! I'm sure your betas will love it, and if they're anything like mine, will also have great suggestions to make it even better! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on having work ready to hand to beta readers! Yes, it is always very nerve-making to take that step. And writing does get more complicated the more we learn, the more we have to keep on learning. But what a fun (?) way to learn.
ReplyDeleteDenise :-)
My IWSG post on Mindfulness
I know this feeling well. Did you hide the Maalox?
ReplyDeleteCongrats! That feeling never goes away. Going on my fifth one and as I write it, I feel the same way I did with my first. "Am I doing this right?" "Will she like it?" "Will she get where I going with the plot?"
ReplyDeleteIt's torture at times. I have to pull myself back and yell at myself to knock it off lol.
Congrats! I'm sure your betas will love it. At least they are trusted friends who are on your side, right? Best case, they adore it. Worst case, they think it needs work but point out a whole lot of awesome ways to polish it up. (I really don't think they'll hate it.) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I'm sure your betas will love it (love slashing it with red, right? I'm kidding.)
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Yay for finishing wips!! I'm sure they'll love it and have lots of great, helpful comments for you! Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteOog, I know how you feel. I finished my WIP last month, and I already have people asking to beta-read it. I'm so thrilled to have volunteers, but I know I'll be all kinds of nervous when I start sending the book out for them.
ReplyDeleteHope everyone who reads your book enjoys it and has all kinds of helpful feedback. ^_^
It's perfectly natural to be insecure when your work is in other people's hands, but I'm sure its much better than you fear it might be.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on getting a completed first draft!
Congrats on completing the first draft of your WIP!
ReplyDeleteScary and exciting I'm sure...
Oh, you mean this WIP? *waves it around and cackles*
ReplyDeleteCan't stay long. I have some reading to do!
Congrats. I am still on my first book - third edit and I finally gave the early chapters to my beta readers. It was awesome to have someone like my work. Even if I have major changes, they all want more. Here's hoping yours goes well too.
ReplyDeleteI totally get the nail biting moments. And then when I send it to the editor. Then the proofreader. Then hitting publish. I'm probably not helping you. But congrats on getting the WIP done!
ReplyDeleteIt has been so long since last time I gave something to beta read, but I can perfectly remember the anxiety as if it were yesterday. Yet I think everything will be alright because you are indeed talented. ;) dragon hugs!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Melissa! I'm almost there with this WIP and I'm nervous already. That feeling never goes away, but hey. We write because we love it.
ReplyDeleteMazel tov! And let me know if you wind up needing another reader, for any reason, I'd love to check it out!
ReplyDelete