The feedback is starting to roll in for Woman’s Best Friend. Only for the first half so far; I’ve had a few requests for the whole story, but I haven’t been able to send them yet since that file is at home and I’m at work during the day.

Writers must simultaneously believe that their work is both the greatest story ever told (or else what’s the motivation to keep writing it?) and the most worthless drivel ever put to paper (or else how can we take rejection, which is inevitable?)

My ego is taking the customary post-new-story bruising, and it’s rough. But it’s necessary. It’s not just necessary that you give me feedback, it’s necessary that you be ruthless about it.

Because the people who read submissions are overworked, way behind, underpaid, and with each manuscript, all they’re looking for is an excuse to toss it out so they can move on to the next. Only a story which grips them flawlessly from beginning to end will be published.

I do want to remind you that I’m looking primarily for your experiences as you read. I’m looking for what you felt and thought, not how you think you would feel if X was changed/added/removed, because…let’s face it… we don’t really know. (And I’ve already received one grammatical ‘correction’ which would make the sentence incorrect. Needless to say, you can’t take all of everyone’s advice.)

But thanks for the feedback I’ve gotten so far, it’s already been a huge help.

Those who have requested the full text will receive it later tonight AFTER I’ve made the corrections already made evident in feedback to the first half, and done a quick polish/edit of the second half. I want it to be as quick a read as possible; it’s necessary that I edit it before I really begin to hate this story.