Who do you
ask for writing advice?
I got a chuckle out of this bit of “What I Learned in 2008” from Kevin Lehane’s blog:
"#1 Never, ever pitch your ideas to your parents. Their blank faces and/or follow-up queries of: “Is that it?” or “Did I tell you Mrs. Ryan up the road is dead?” are scriptwriting kypronite. If you’re parents are like mine they’re barely aware movies have writers, and assume the actors just turn up on the day with a team of make-up artists and decide from there."
That’s one side of the equation. The other possibility is that you will have parents (or friends) who dote on you or are too afraid to hurt your feelings and thus will rave about anything you come up with.
It reinforces the rule: If you want to get good feedback, ask somebody who’s done it.
(You'll find writing advice in my book, "Your Writing Coach," and on my websites: www.yourwritingcoach.com and www.timetowrite.com)
