fear of being read
Tue, 2002-05-28 18:24
#1
fear of being read
Does anyone else have this conflict going on which is that one half of you loves to be read and likes feedback, would like to be published, but the other half is @!#$-scared of people you know personally reading your work, and getting a sudden glimpse inside your head?
It seems so trivial!
I found myself praising abc to a friend yesterday and he asked for the URL. I gave it him vaguely knowing he won't remember it off his head. Then I started worrying about him reading my stuff and recognising himself. The thought made me cringe somehow. When I looked through my stories there is no mention of him!
Do you think published writers have this sort of problem to get over, or do you think it never bothered them?
moya_
I think everyone feels a bit like that -chucking your baby out into the cold cruel world - it's scary, but being read is the whole point of writing. Better a site like this than giving it to someone you know to read. That makes me really nervous. Also I'm sure I read somewhere that people don't recognise themselves in fiction (only their friends).
Threada
I think you probably could write a graphic description of someone you knew, right down to their moles, but if you changed their name they wouldn't recognise themself. People are thrown by minor details (and I am too)
The process of writing can be compared to naturism. The hardest part of taking your clothes off is making the yes/no decision to take them off. After that the cold air hitting your naked body is a doddle in comparison.
iceman
I think the key to writing is to believe in what you write and to accept that others may lack your faith. In my own experience, I have found that by posting scenes and seeing what others post afterwards (like a chain story but each piece is much longer) that you can get more comfortable with letting others read your work and indirectly comment on what you have just written.
iceman
iceman
I think Poetry is always going to be more personal. With poems I try to write from within me. Its hard to explain, but I find if I am honest and I say what I want to say the poem works better. Poetry will always be more personal. Poetry you can read and it affects you. It can make you laugh or cry. Some poems will draw out things you thought you had forgotten. And in doing so, maybe, you then write about it.
iceman
Mike Hoy
I love nothing more than nailing a good story and putting it up against my toughest critics: my friends and family. It's SOooooooooo embarrassing but usually they get excited about certain parts of the story that I never thought much of. I love it when they get that look in there eye and tell you "ooh that was good, I like that." Of course the most valuable is criticism. They're helping you more by badmouthing your dialogue and story than by praising it. I say find the meanest most honest people you can find and let them read your best work. It will humble you and force you to write better or quit. Either one is acceptable, but I imagine you'll stick with it and try harder next time.