Crappy Drafts? Get Them to the Right People

I have so many piles of crappy drafts, lol. What’s your count? May this be encouragement that whether your work is “good” or “bad” depends a lot on perspective.

Different people, different perspectives

The point I want to make within that is that it is absolutely critical to get your work in front of the right people. Whether you’re talking your general readership, an agent, etc., some people will be way more receptive than others, simply because of the nature of who they are.

This raises an interesting question, though: Does success in writing really depend on quality, or is it merely a matter of finding your fly?

I’d say it’s both.

How to connect with the right people who will love your crappy drafts

So, if you’re actually a decent writer who has worked hard to reach a high level of excellence, what can you do to make sure you’re connecting with the people who will love your crap?

✏️ Read the articles, books from specific publishers/agents/houses. Many will spell out what they are looking for on a submissions page or wish list, but seeing what they have accepted ensures you match both topic and style.

✏️ Use beta readers. Their feedback ensures your message or plot is landing exactly the way you want and gives you an opportunity to course correct for the intended audience if needed.

✏️ Develop an online presence. Sharing tidbits of your work and networking in communities that understand and enjoy your genre can help you establish a beta reader base and general following, which then helps in getting other professionals to take your work seriously.

✏️ Join a writer’s group for your genre. Online groups are great, but good reach demands networking in both in-person and digital ways.

✏️ Take advantage of your people — see who is willing to recommend your writing to others. Instead of asking them to share generally (which is good to do sometimes), have them share your work with specific people they know the work is a match for.

As a final note, understand that this is an ongoing process. You have to keep working at getting people behind you, because sometimes people have to fall out of your group for legitimate reasons (e.g., new, time-heavy job). It’s just as much about maintaining as it is growing.