Dr. Judith’s Saturday Blog – Be A Doer … Not a Dreamer

The Awareness of Useful Feedback

A week doesn’t go by, one I don’t get queried by authors for my opinion of their work in progress.

When authors show me … reveals … their work in progress, the first thing I need to do is a shift. Before I give any feedback, I must imagine the WHO … who is this being written and created for?

Saying, “I don’t like it,” isn’t useful, it’s never enough. Never.

Unless the work is designed for you, your words fall flat fast. Something like, “If someone loves this genre_____ or this theme ______, this might be perfect for them,” would be more appropriate and welcomed.

Find two or three truthful and positive things to say.

Encourage. The author-to-be is at work.

One Sunday afternoon, John and I watched Big starring Tom Hanks, the imaginative story/movie of a pre-adolescent boy who makes a wish to become big. He does and becomes a physical adult yet remains the young boy in his mind and actions. There are lots of insights and lessons throughout the 100 minutes that unfold. You quickly learn that you don’t have to be twelve years old to be a toy designer, and you don’t have to be twelve to give useful feedback on a new design—which young Josh does handily.

When someone trusts you to share their work, and cares enough about the world to bring the work forward, that’s already something worth applauding.

They are working at it.

Bravo from me.

Dr. Judith Briles is The Book Shepherd … Publishing & Book Marketing Expert, Coach, Consultant … Author of 45 books including How to Avoid Book Publishing Blunders, her memoir When God Says NO, and her historical fiction The Secret Journey and The Secret Hamlet. Subscribe to her Tuesday and Saturday blogs on her website, https://TheBookShepherd.com.