Member-only story
Experienced writers will warn you, “don’t share your ideas.” Not because someone will steal them, although that could happen. But the reason to be careful about new ideas is because people have few qualms about crushing your most favored idea with a few choice words and walking away leaving you to salvage the remnants of your darling like a tattered party dress. Or worse, causing you to abandon the whole magical concept before it even had a real chance to live — like Cinderella refusing to don the ball gown and go to the ball at all.
Yes, well, we’ve all heard this warning at one point or another. I certainly have and yet, like a fool, I did it anyway. I shared, with another writer, the basic plot points of the novel I am currently crafting. She is someone I thought might be affirming and helpful, encouraging. Someone who might bolster me a little while I toiled away. Yeah, well, not so much!
Here’s how it went down:
I met a newish writer friend for lunch at a small cafe in the Village. We were talking about writing groups and how to separate the wheat from the chaff when it comes to all the opinions. I have always believed that you can’t let another’s opinion push you too far off track, but if something sticks with you, have a look at it.
