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Test Audiences...helpful or hurtful?

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BobSkull:
I wouldn't know. I almost always keep my writing to myself(which I'm always criticized for by family). Basically the only person I share my writing with is a girl....... friend that I am co-writing with. But other than that I tend to keep it to myself, although before I attempt to get published I will probably have a few friends read it and tell me what they think.

Velkyn_Faer:

--- Quote from: Dom on January 12, 2007, 04:43:49 PM ---I've a test audience...varies between one and three people. It is good for morale for someone to comment as you write, and also, it's really, really fun to be able to discuss your world with someone and not have them look at you funny.  It's even better if they like one of your characters.  It's also good to have a second pair of eyes look things over so they can point out flaws or comfirm things that you've seen yourself but aren't sure if you want to cut or not, even early on on the story.

I don't have family look my stuff over, and not-like-me friends...meaning, friends I didn't meet through books.  I tend to be very quiet and innocent-looking in real life, and I'm not really sure how they'd take my stories.  They'd look at me considerably differently, I'd think.

--- End quote ---

A second pair of eyes always helps, because it's new material for them. You know the words should be 'the big dog' but you were in a hurry and wrote 'tehbigdg'. Still, you know how it should be, so your eyes skip over it. Same with it's' (intentionally spelled that way) or any words when you've got the sentence in your head. Like, sentenead (sentence in your head). They'll notice, whereas you might not.

I do not want my family reading my stuff, mostly because of reactions, too. And friends, because I don't want them to lie and say it's good if it absulutely sucks.

It's all about a trusted audience who will do what is best for you. Egos do re-inflate, and you'll be better off if they're honest.

Velkyn

the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:

--- Quote from: Velkyn_Faer on January 24, 2007, 05:05:18 AM ---
A second pair of eyes always helps, because it's new material for them. You know the words should be 'the big dog' but you were in a hurry and wrote 'tehbigdg'.

--- End quote ---

It's not that worries me, spell-checkers will find that.

It's a secondary character's mother's name being one thing in chapter 3 and something else in chapter 15. Or me being so sure that it's obvious how this particular govvernment works, because of how much I have gone on about it in my notes and in two other vaguely related stories, that I leave out a key bit so it makes no sense to someone who's not read the other two stories.  That kind of thing, a good continuity reader is essential for.

Velkyn_Faer:
I seem to forget about you guys and your crazy spellcheck. (Doesn't work for me on my computer.)


Ah, true, true. That is very, very essential, then.

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