Poll: Do You Share Your WIP Online?
Posted by annastan on January 8th, 2010. Filed under: Polls, Random Fun, WIP.A friend and I were having a discussion about writers who share parts of their works-in-progress online, not on critique websites and the like, but on their personal blogs and websites. While we both were amazed by the bravery of said writers who can put teasers and excerpts online for all to see, neither one of us could imagine doing it ourselves.
We decided it scared us on two levels. First, it takes real guts to put your work online for others to read when it hasn’t gone through extensive editing. It’s showing your writing in its raw form, which can often be far from perfect. Second, if you post an excerpt of a WIP, there’s no telling how much that excerpt might change over time. In fact, that part of the story might wind up being completely cut out in a later version. (And, I suppose, there is also the fear of someone stealing your work.)
I guess I’ve always been a bit on the shy side when it comes to having people read my work. I can also be hesitant to share too much about a premise of a WIP because I’m afraid it might change. Even on this website I wasn’t sure if I should put descriptions of my manuscripts under the “Writing” section. (In fact, one of the summaries that’s there is actually pretty different from what the story is currently about.)
I know there are people who feel very differently about this subject, so I thought it would be fun to put together a quick poll and see what the general consensus is about sharing WIPs online. So, if you would, please take a minute to fill it out. I’m interested to hear your thoughts!
January 8th, 2010 at 7:43 am
Great discussion, Anna.
I don’t have the nerve to share any parts of my WIPs. They are usually very raw and even when they’ve been polished a bit, I don’t think I’d share.
But never say never, I guess that could change or maybe one day there’d be a compelling reason to share. Haven’t found one yet, though!
January 8th, 2010 at 7:44 am
You have good points. It will be interesting to hear agents and editors on this.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:47 am
I have a generic blurb on my blog, because I think it helps find critique partners and like-minded writers if other people know what flavor book I’m writing. And I think it probably says something about me as a writer. But, that’s as far as it goes. I think there are good reasons to hold back. But, that being said, I know of people who have gotten invaluable feedback after posting some of their stuff.
January 8th, 2010 at 7:52 am
I posted a teaser one time on my blog, and it was very scary to do. I’m also really shy when it comes to sharing my work. I would never be able to do a regular post on “Teaser Tuesday” like a lot of people on my f-list do.
January 8th, 2010 at 8:13 am
I wouldn’t put my WIP online, but it’s not because I don’t have the nerve. It’s because it’s a WIP. I firmly believe in Julia Cameron’s zip-the-lip theory when it comes to this. Once you have a draft and you want feedback, fine. But not before. (That’s just me.)
January 8th, 2010 at 8:17 am
I’ve shared some of my work occasionally, but I’m not sure it’s a practice I want to keep up. Blog feedback is always encouraging, but not very helpful from a critical standpoint. I think if a writer simply wants to share for fun that’s great, but if they’re looking for feedback to help them improve, a writer’s group would be a better forum.
Below are links to my own blog for some of what I’ve shared in the past:
My WIP:
http://perspectives.rea-hedrick.com/category/kidrodell/
Some of my poetry:
http://perspectives.rea-hedrick.com/category/poetry/
Feel free to leave whatever form of feedback you like.
Thanks!
January 8th, 2010 at 8:22 am
Shari – I know what you mean. It does seem like you need a lot of nerve to put your WIP out there!
Nathalie – I would be interested to hear what agents and editors have to say too, since often writers are told not to post their work online. Though I think this usually means in its entirety, not in excerpt form.
Heather – I feel the same way. It’s not for me, but others seem to get a lot out of it. I guess it depends on your personality and your approach to writing.
January 8th, 2010 at 8:27 am
Alexandra – You’re so brave for posting a teaser! Is it something you’ve done more than once, or was that one time enough?
Andrea – I know a lot of people who feel the way you do. Some even feel like it will jinx their WIP to talk about it. I guess it really just comes down to comfort level.
John – I think you make an important distinction between posting work for feedback and for general encouragement. You said you’re not sure if you’ll keep it up – is it because you’d hoped to receive constructive criticism but wound up getting mostly encouragement instead?
January 8th, 2010 at 9:02 am
I never share online, and I rarely read other’s stuff when they do share online. I guess sometimes I don’t see the point. Are people really looking for an honest opinion or are they excited about the new words they’ve written?
January 8th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Great question! I wrestled with this issue for a long time and finally ended up putting a short, general “blurb” of each manuscript on my website, as well as one or two sentences from each completed (ready to query) manuscript. I’m absolutely paranoid about people stealing my ideas, but I also want to give a “taste” of what I write, so this solution works fine.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:22 am
I have never posted my work on my blog. But when when my wip is fully revised and I’m querying, I will have a separate page for my work. I will have the title and a blurb, maybe even part of the query. And I might even create a trailer, just for fun. When I get an agent, I might post the first couple pages or even the first chapter.
January 8th, 2010 at 10:26 am
PJ – That’s a good question. It seems like some people are genuinely looking for feedback while others just want to get their work out there. I rarely read when people post excerpts, mostly because I feel like I don’t want to intrude!
Anna – That sounds like a good compromise. By posting a summary and a couple of lines, you give people a sense of your work without exposing too much.
Laura – That’s an interesting idea to make part of your website correlate with your query. It sounds like you’re much braver about putting your work on your site than I am!
January 8th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I have shared bits and pieces of work on blogs. I labor mostly in obscurity, so it’s not that big of a deal. A blogger I regularly read shared pieces of her NaNoWriMo piece during November and I loved what I saw and can’t wait to read it when it’s complete. I say go for it!
January 8th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
I started doing it because I connected with other bloggers who were doing it themselves. I wasn’t really sure what to expect, and DO appreciate the encouragement, but I’m finding that it’s not helping my writing and feels sometimes a little bit exhibitionist.
On the other hand, for those of us who are not published, there is the unshakable sense that if we aren’t putting out *something* new every once in a while interest in what we’re doing will fade and when we are ready to publish we’ll have lost touch with who might have been readers from the start.
January 8th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
John, that’s an interesting point about keeping potential readers interested until you do have something published. It’s also really fun to go back after an author has their book out and see what previous versions of it were like. I guess there’s just an amount of confidence you have to have about your writing (without it being exhibitionist, like you said) to keep putting it out there for others to read. Or, if you lack the confidence, maybe it’s easier to fake it online.
January 8th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Wow Cheryl, sharing excerpts during NaNo seems especially brave to me! Since Nano tends to be pretty frenzied, I could see the writing being even more raw than a regular first draft. Then again, if the story is engaging, it could be really exciting to read it in installments. And, like you said, it makes you eager to read the finished product. Thanks for sharing this example!
January 9th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
My agent asked me to take down blurbs on my books that were on my blog because she felt that if an editor did happen to read them and then later my MS crossed their desk, the concept & novel might not feel ‘unique’ to them if they didn’t put the two together. I think she has a good point!
January 9th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
Angela, that’s a really interesting point. On the one hand, sharing parts of your writing can get people excited about it. On the other hand, as you said, you don’t want potential publishers feeling like it’s not “fresh enough.” Thanks for sharing your experience!
January 10th, 2010 at 10:09 am
I lean towards what Angela said. My manuscripts are Picture Books and it’s almost impossible to get a critique without sharing the entire work. As I’ve read on Verla’s site many times, once you put something on the internet, it’s published. There is artwork I’ve prepared for my Picture Book dummy I would love to share on my site. But, an art director has passed it on to an editor to be considered. Sharing the visuals would release the unique idea. That’s something I’m cautious about. I do like the idea of private blogs with mutiple users having access . . . possibly hearing about it through facebook friends, etc.
January 10th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Thanks for sharing your perspective, Cynthia. You make a good point that picture books (both text and illustrations) are practically impossible to share online without publishing the entire story. As you mentioned, the private blog might be a good option for getting some feedback without having this problem, but I’m sure that comes with its own set of complications.
January 10th, 2010 at 11:58 am
I put the first chapter of my work on my website when it was fully edited and I was ready to start querying. It worked in my favor–I had one agent offer to read my full manuscript based on the strength of the query and the chapter online.
January 10th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Wow Beth, that’s great! As Laura mentioned above, putting excerpts of your work on your site in correlation with your query can be a great tool. Clearly, it can work!
I wonder if you’ve kept the first chapter up now that you have an agent? Does your agent have a preference either way?
January 10th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I post teasers once I’m past 100 pages and sure that I’m confident in my idea.
Before that point, I’m utterly mortified of anything remotely related to the WIP.
January 10th, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Delilah, I think that makes a lot of sense to only post when you’re confident about your work. It’s funny that you feel good after 100 pages of your WIP since that’s usually when I’m at my most frazzled! Beginnings tend to work a lot better for me than middles and endings.