I had an email from someone who had read my "Your Writing Coach" book and said it had inspired her to start writing again. She said she'd written the first 400 words of her book and asked whether I could read them and give her some feedback.
I said no, partly because unfortunately I don't have time to read other people's work and give them feedback, but also because it was far too early in her process to get feedback. I can understand that she needed some some encouragement, and I did encourage her to keep going and trust her own instincts for a while.
Asking for feedback too early is dangerous because you are too vulnerable. You probably haven't yet settled into a style and you may find after you get into the story that actually you need a different opening.
Typically, first drafts start too soon in the action. We often find that it helps to write ourselves into the story; for instance, we might describe how a couple gets ready for a dinner at their favorite restaurant, then we describe the drive there and how a careless comment creates some tension, and then we get to the dinner scene where an all-out argument breaks out. However, when we go back to do a second draft we realize it would work much better to start the story with the argument and we cut the first six pages.
As somebody (I think it was me) once observed, "A first draft doesn't have to be good, it just has to be finished." The second, third, and fourth drafts are where we work on making it good as well.
(Whatever you're writing, it's a good idea to protect it. I cover that in a special report I've written: "Stop the Rip-offs! Protect Your Material." For tips and more information go HERE.)
