I have given my 3rd draft to a published writer and a PHD academic for feedback on how it reads, what is and isn’t clear, what they want to know more about, and any other input that they are happy to share. I’ve told the both that I have no expectation on what or how they respond to reading my work. For both of them I’ve let them know that if nothing else I hope they enjoy the read.
I received notes from the writer, and along with being grateful I am pleasantly surprised at how well it was received. Yes there are suggestions and questions and feedback pointing to sections in need of improvement, but there’s fewer than I expected. In my mind the first and last chapters are the problem children in my story, only one of these two chapters was pointed out as needing development. I’m a bit dumbfounded that there isn’t more suggestions and questions about the draft than what was returned to me.
There is still feedback to come from the other reader which I hope to have by the end of this week.
While I’m waiting I’ve been reading ancient tales to keep my head in the realm that I’ve taken my story structure from. I’ve been thinking about the feel of the novel, the bigger picture. It’s been a relief to have some breathing space while I come to terms with the next steps.
Before sharing my work I wasn’t committed to the idea of publishing. The feedback that I’ve had so far has encouraged me to take the leap in that direction. I’m clueless about how to proceed, but that sums up this whole journey and I have managed to get this far.