When to Ask for Feedback

For some people, never is a good time to ask for feedback. Some writers don’t feel the need for input from others or at the most only one or two selected and trusted writers.

Some writers feel that by sharing their work with others prematurely, they dispel the energy of writing.

Other writers are anxious to get feedback, sharing their stories with critique groups, family, friends, anybody they can get to listen.

The best time to ask for feedback is when you understand what you need to know to improve your work. Let’s face it, we all want to hear how someone loved our story. We want an adoring group listening as we read the lines we’ve sweated over. I used to drive my younger daughters crazy reading drafts of stories to them. While that fed my ego, it did little to improve my writing.

If you use the “7 Stages” for revision to develop your story, you will know at the end of each stage what you have tried to accomplish and be better able to know what specific questions you want answered about the effectiveness of your writing. It’s also easier to know when the feedback you get applies to a stage you haven’t worked on yet.

Ask for feedback whenever you feel you need it, but ask for targeted feedback so that you don’t get discouraged because the comments relate to the later stages of your writing before you are ready.