You should only present your story for appreciation when you have completed a signpost?

questions
#1

I am writing a story and I have decided to resolve the story down to the event level.

It seems like I have looped time and space which gives the story a very grey feel to it.

This is great, I have tried giving the individual scenes to friends to read but they can’t see the forest for the trees.

I’m thinking it’s best to wait until I have completed signpost one to give them something to read.

Asking someone to make sense of a story from just a series of modalities at event level doesn’t seem to be working for me.

I would like to know what you think.

#2

I generally do not show my stories to people until I feel they are fully baked, or as far as I can take something before I need feedback. And only then would I show them to someone who would offer specific, committed feedback—like a writing coach or Alpha or Beta readers. I wouldn’t dish them out willy nilly to people who are not committed to me as a writer or to the project.

I also do something similar with my Art. The act of containment is important for an artist. Containment helps to protect your creative project and allow it to build up energy around it. If you share it too early, show it off, so to speak, you’ll risk losing your mojo around the project— and/or the piss off your muse and lose her.

Just my two cents of feedback. Use it or lose it.

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#3

Agree with @MiggsEye. Stephen King in his book On Writing calls it “writing with the office door closed”. I think of it as “first draft is only for YOU”. I really like that, to think of my first draft as a playground so that when I ask the question “what should happen next” the answer is always what I think is cool, what’s awesome to me.

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