This is my monthly post for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, and I have to confess that this month’s question is really apropos for me. The question is: “When do you know your story is ready?”
Honestly, I usually can’t tell, not on my own, because I’ve found I have no clue if a story is good or bad or finished or not. I guess that is why feedback is so helpful and necessary. Because I only see what I expect to see and I rarely am able to see the big picture.
So I suppose that is my answer. I know a story is ready when people tell me that having read it they got something out of it, in other words that the story really works, even if it’s maybe not their cup of tea. Or on the other hand if the “story” is still just a crazy jumble or boring or <insert crazily obvious to anyone else error I’m too close to see>. There have been times I thought this story sucks when the problems were minor and vice versa.
How about you? When do you know your story is ready?
Happy October and (to those who celebrate it)…
Anne Higa 
Hi, Anne! Usually I have a strong sense of whether or not I feel my story is ready, but I’ve never had a piece of writing that wasn’t improved by someone objective evaluating it. Constructive feedback is always helpful. Happy writing this month!
When I was working on the poetry chapbook, my eyes were way too close to see the glaring errors that were very obvious. Luckily, before I sent it out to other readers, a close friend whom I trust completely said, “This is crap and needs to be redone.”
Sometimes new eyes find what old eyes miss. Or something.
Having people read your work is essential! A great way to tell whether your work is ready.
Here’s my October IWSG post: Top 10 Ways to know if you’re ready to share your writing
When there is nothing left to do but fiddle with a few words, I’m done. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
My gut tells me when it’s finished. Best wishes, Anne.
What would writers do without those people who help us see things we can’t?
Hi Anne, Viola one of your co-hosts here! I have a tendency to know it’s finished (in my limited experience) if there is a sense of resolution. Not necessarily in the plot, but maybe with one or two of the characters. My only short story that the public has ever clapped eyes on, really didn’t have a sense of resolution. There’s a sort of “what next?” if you think about it, but the characters themselves come to a resolution of sorts. Thanks for sharing.
If you’ve done all you can, then set it aside for a time and come back to it and still like it? Then it’s probably ready. I finding more and more that distance helps.
Absolutely need those critique partners and beta readers. It’s amazing the problems we can’t see in our own writing, even when they’re obvious to everyone else.
This is honest. Thank you for writing it.
http://www.twobookminimum.wordpress.com
I find it really hard to make the decision too – almost impossible, in fact! Good on you for being honest, Anne!