I just paid cash to a literature teacher to give me his honest opinion about my work because i cant trust my family about it anymore and i have no one else to show it to.
Was it wasted money? My biggest fear is him telling me is good just to not hurt me because i paid. I just need one honest opinion.
Probably unless you find yourself taught
>Was it wasted money?
I think it was, but have no credentials, so.
All I am saying is that writing style appeals to different groups of people
I think certain books trash while others love it: case in point; 1984
I might have despaired too much, i know. It was just that i realized that there was no point in showing it to my sister, she just liked everything i did so it was the most likely that she could not really judge me, same as my mom. And there is no one else. And i have showed some of my works to other friends and they got bored so i wondered, what if what i write is just boring? Id still write anyways but knowing would make me try to understand what im doing wrong.
Anyways yeah i probably fucked up but its done. I only hope he at least gives me some good commentary.
Why not just sending it to every publishing house you know of? They don't care about eventual mistakes, and if the core of your work is good enough they'll either tell you what to fix or hire a editor.
Yeah, that was a waste of money.
why not just do some digging and find an amateur authors forum or something where they'll actually care to do it since it isn't anonymous?
I have never been very interested in publishing, dont ask me why cause i dont know. I just want to write and to be a good writer.
i did search but i felt like all opinions in those forums were very vague and ended up being a circlejerk. Same with literature salons, i tried going on those but everyone just clapped after someone read their shit, it didnt make any sense.
Depends on how much you gave him.
Find a group of writers and do prima vista readings with them
It's great practice
how much is too much?
What happens if in two weeks this book get published by someone other than OP, what can OP do then?
critique thread
Thats my other problem actually. NO ONE around me writes novels. Is insane. Everyone writes poetry, i know everyone here gets offended when i say this but im sick as shit of poetry. And if they write novels they are never as excited about writing as i am, they just do two pages a year and arent thinking at all about finishing it.
I mean there MUST be someone out there but it seems i suck at searching or im very unlucky.
How much did you give him?
i dont write in english, i went to some critique treads in spanish and they told me i was good/not bad but i dont think they can judge that much. Reading one page and reading an entire long ass novel are too different experiences completely.
Thats an interesting question. I think i could sue him and show that my computer files are older than his.
I wouldnt mind unless it makes him filthy rich however and that wont happen.
50 bucks
Still, writing formally with the idea that someone will read it and give you feedback is good for your habit.
Also, Veeky Forums is prone to being overly negative, because hyperbolic negativity is expected. "Hey it could use some improvement but it's alright" translates to "You're a talentess hack kill yourself" on Veeky Forums. Unless you have thick skin, I recommend avoiding the critique threads. Or, at the very least, submitting the same writing to reddit and Veeky Forums and then balancing Veeky Forums's caustic negativity with reddit's saccharine 'please-love-me' praise.
1. If you respect his taste and opinion and honesty, it wasn't wasted. If it was basically a stranger or just someone at school, then yes it's wasted.
2. Just make it clear to your family members to be honest, painfully so. Ideally a male family member, they usually have less issues with it.
3. Try to find someone like-minded for some kind of one-on-one, like a letter exchange. I completely agree that most kinds of forums, salons and so on are worthless. Partially because the people who seek out those are just narcissists and worse.
There used to be good people for it on here before Veeky Forums became shit, I don't know where they congregate nowadays.
4. And fuck 95% of people who write poetry, 99% of young people who write poetry, 100% of young people who write poetry without sticking to any formal characteristics.
It's nothing more than a quick cop-out to apppear emotional or a writer, the equivalent of learning one Nirvana riff for the guitar.
Just FYI, this doesn't happen in real life. There are a multitude of methods which one could employ to prove provenance, and in the end it's just not worth the hassle of a potential lawsuit for the fleeting fame and tiny amount of cash which a first time novelist enjoys.
You understand me i see. I might have been in too much of a hurry, i dont particulary respect his taste but since he teaches i know he is well read thats why i wanted his opinion.
As for my family is not that i think they are dishonest, is that i think they cant judge my writings properly. Like, because they love me, something clouds their eyes and makes them think "this is good" no matter what i show them.
Ill keep on searching, is done so im not going to worry anymore about it. Ill still write even if he said everything i do is shit.
How long is the piece?
500 pages
I don't know this person, but I wouldn't read it all for $50.
...
Be more outrageous, OP. It's the best way to guarantee good feedback. If people tell you 'it's unethical and I don't like what you're writing nor am I sure you should be writing about it, but I'm not going to pretend the style and prose aren't exceptional' then you can assume they're not lying.
I would've critiqued it for free desu so long as it's worth reading
is this a joke told by myself, to myself, at my own expense?
Yes.
This is also your answer.
Easiest 50 bucks ever made.