I’ve been blessed with many supportive and encouraging friends and family. Many of whom have offered, asked, or begged to read my manuscript. A select few, I said ‘yes’ to, as beta-readers, but for the rest of you, I’m making you wait.
Why?
I want you to enjoy my book.
But Morgan, you say, I’m sure I’ll love your writing! Plus, I could be part of the process and that would be fun!
Yes, supportive friend, it would. But I want you to still be excited when I’m published.
Morgan, you don’t think I’d still be excited?
Friend, you can only read my story for-the-first-time once.
Seems obvious.
And I want you to travel the journey WITH Lilyen. If I let you read an earlier draft, you won’t be able to stop yourself from comparing it to previous versions. You’ll wonder why I changed [this] and why I didn’t fix [that]. I want you to enjoy the very best I can offer. When someone is working on a chocolate-chip cookie recipe and you get to try every batch, eventually, cookies are still tasty, but you’re not enjoying them, you’re stuck in Evaluation-Mode.
I don’t know, I really love chocolate-chip cookies.
Keep the excitement, just wait a little longer.
Good points. 🙂 I find, too, there’s a point at which it becomes TOO MUCH feedback, you know? Sometimes I need to hear the same comments more than once, but maybe like three times is enough. 🙂 I’m a bit slow.
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Sadly, my experience is quite opposite. My old joke was if I want to clear a room, I tell folks I work in child support. If I want to clear a block, I tell folks I’ve written a book. But then ~sigh~ I live in Texas–we’re not big on reading here.
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Awww! I’m sorry your friends and family aren’t more literarily inclined.
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