I asked two "friends" if they would like to read the draft to it. There is no hurry. But I never even got a reply from either of them. Nobody bothered to take ten seconds out of their "busy" day. I not going to ask anybody else. Also I was thinking about adding photographs which would work as illustrations. I could do the illustrations / photography all by myself, but it would take much more time and it would be much less fun. I thought my "friends" would enjoy it. It is a comedy book. And I was looking forward to seeing them explode with laughter while reading it. I would have welcomed criticism before publishing it, risk making a fool of my self. I do not want to tell the details of the book. I also trusted my "friends" be cause I worry that what if other people infringe it? Sadly, I will not make any more friends. I am through. Has society become so "social" that all they want to do is play video games, "share", and watch useless entertainment? Is direct one on one simple communication something people do not do ... or I am unlikeable? Sorry but I never figured out the "We Work Jobs We Hate. To Buy Things We Don't Need. To Impress People We Don't Like". Lifestyle that seems to be the only thing to do if you want "friends" and "relationships". I have many different books (and films) that I would love to write / make. But based on this new level of optimism, I will probably make every effort to ruin my own projects be cause I assume that nobody wants to read / watch.
I know how you feel. 27 years ago, I was working on a book, and asked a friend if he wanted to read the first daft. When I heard nothing after four months, I asked him for the draft back, he returned it without discussing it. After letting some more time pass, I finally asked him what he thought of it, and he replied "I'm not qualified to give an opinion". To this day, that remark still confuses me.
Maybe join a writing group -- you'll get feedback on your writing, and you might make some new friends.
Probably because there is no such lifestyle. It's certainly not necessary for having relationships, I know that much. Anyone who doesn't like you unless you buy shit, IS NOT YOUR FRIEND, and never was.
It takes a lot of effort to read someone's work, especially if it's not your genre, for example. Even in writer's groups. No answer might be better than some negative review given out of a sense of duty. Just sayin...
I've had trouble getting people who knew me to read a -single-page- excerpt, even after I'd read novel-length material of theirs and offered critique. "Oh, I'm too busy" and "If I read your thing I'd have to read everyone else's" were two of the lines I got. And I engaged in discussions about the situation that took longer than it would have taken for the people to read the darned thing. Appreciate the people willing to make the effort to read your stuff, and remember who you can count on, but consider them the exception rather than the rule.
You should cultivate friends who also have an interest in writing, so that you can read each other's stuff; or join a forum devoted to writing. I beta-read books for several of my friends and have friends who read my stuff. In fact, some of the best books I've read in the past few years have been unpublished or self-published works.
You're an awful friend if you didn't offer to pay them, and they're awful friends if they take your money.
I've learned to do my hobbies for own personal benefit and satisfaction only. Other people have their own hobbies and aren't likely to care about yours in the way you want them to. I love creating crochet and cross-stitch projects, but when I show most people what I'm working on their eyes gloss over and I can tell they are 0% interested. But that's okay. Because I don't give a shit about their basketball picks or the car they're working on. Everyone has their things. Find other people who are into the same things, or accept that your friends may not always care about your things. I know that I feel just as much accomplishment and satisfaction from completing a crochet project whether others like it or not.
If you want feedback for your writing, I recommend the following sites: *Critters Workshop (for SF/F/H) *Zoetrope (all genres, be careful for those who may take feedback too seriously) *Critique Circle (all genres)
@In_Correct : I'd be glad to give it a read and give you notes. I love Star Trek and am a writer as well. For what it's worth...
Actually, i've observed that the friends may find it intimidating and worried that they won't react the way they think they should for their author friend. If it was me, I wouldn't ask friends or relatives to go over a draft...not even my wife. I would find someone who has experience in reviewing drafts for someone who wants to publish. Yes, you may have to pay a fee. But if you really want to publish it, it should be worth a shot. You didn't really describe the book clearly. "comedy" can mean anything, and it is relative. My advice is to stop using this as an excuse to stop making friends, and find someone who reviews draft professionally or at least frequently for a variety of people.
If this is a book that you plan to have published, I think it may be better to connect with a group of people with substantial writing experience, instead of just getting random friends to review it. Kor
Sometimes, people really don't have the time or energy to read thoroughly. I'm myself guilty of that. Still, there are many professional and semi-professional writers here and on other SciFi boards. They might indeed be able to give you far better advice than your friends.
I thought I would update what happened. Last month one of the people texted me saying that they were thinking of me and decided to say Hi. Etc. And one of the things she asked was how my book was going. Which I actually have not finished because I have thought of new things to include in it. But currently I am watching the entire series of Star Trek Voyager for the first time and that might mean I am going to be on this website commenting about everything lol. Thank you for the kind messages. I will let you know when I have completed the revision of it.