It sounds good, but the reality is scary.

Laurie and I have read each others work so often over the years, I no longer hesitate to send her whatever nonsense I may have spewed out on to the computer screen.

Wow.  That started out better in my head.

Er, what I meant to say was, I have grown very comfortable exchanging critiques with Laurie (and a couple select others) over the years.

Letting others read my writing can be, and generally is, a nerve-rending business.  What if they don't like it?  What if I have a mistake in there that I didn't catch and fix?  What if they read it and wonder what in the world made me think I should write?  Are they going to have suggestions for how to improve my writing or are they going to tell me to be sure to keep my day job?  It's scary!

It's necessary to face those fears, though.  Unless you write strictly for your own amusement or catharsis or whatever, someone is going to have to read something you wrote sometime or other.  If you can find someone who will, with pure heart and wholly honest intent, promise to give you constructive feedback, letting that person read your work can be one of the most instructive, encouraging experiences you can have.  The comments and opinions of a thoughtful reader can really help you see your own characters and stories in a clearer light.  What you thought was a hilarious bon mot when you wrote it (probably at about two in the morning after ingesting way too much sugar - no reason I should know this, it's just a guess.  Honest.) might really miss the mark with a reader.  You can't know if it's funny or pitiful unless someone actually reads it.

I'll admit, it isn't always a fun experience.  Sometimes, your reader gives you bad news.  The scene doesn't work.  The plot isn't cohesive.  The character is flat and uninteresting.  Sometimes, you come across a reader who isn't so helpful as they are caustic.  It happens.  But you survive it, learn from it, and, if writing is important to you, you pick up and carry on. 

If you haven't let anyone read your work with the intent of giving you honest critique, it's time to consider doing so.  Really.  Brace yourself and take the plunge.  Conveniently, we've set up Inkblots Forum for this purpose.  Click the link to your right (or in the previous post), post some of your work, go read and critique some work already posted by other writers (remember - review unto others as you'd have them review unto you!), and see what you can learn.

See you there!
~Sandy