8 - Sharing work

I should probably show my work to more people - my fiction writing that is. I don't have an awful lot to show. At least I don't have an awful lot of writing I consider to be of a high enough quality to be scrutinised over - a few short stories, a couple of chapters, some flash fiction.

Sharing work can always be a struggle. The hardest part is finding people you trust to give you helpful feedback. 'It's shit,' isn't particularly useful and, 'it's amazing,' is just as bad. It's the greatest feeling to know someone admires your work but them simply saying they love it is no use when you're desperate to find out whether this line here works or is too obtuse.

Then there's the whole 'letting people into your soul' element. That doesn't bother me. Telling people I write sci-fi is harder. The amount of people that laugh or suddenly lose interest is unreal. Getting over that obstacle makes anything after a piece of piss. Knowing I write sci-fi can be embarrassing. Them thinking my story implies that I'm a paranoid, psychotic misogynist with an irrational fear of authority, I can handle.

Finally there's that fear constantly circling your mind. I think Marty McFly summed it up best.

What if they say I'm no good? What if they say, "Get out of here kid. You've got no future"? I mean, I just don't think I can take that kind of rejection.

That's started worrying me less and less. Maybe knowing I'm no good is a good sign because I can let my idle dreams and ambitions float away. Sure I'll still write, but I'll write just for me.

Basically what I mean is that maybe it's time to put a story out there. Post it here on this blog and get some feedback - positive, negative, whatever.

If I did, would anyone read it? Would anyone give feedback? That's the only thing stopping me.

As a final thought, does anyone else out there write fiction? If so, fancy sharing some too, exchanging, biting the bullet together?