Finding an audience

I've been thinking ...

I have remained excessively cautious about submitting my work to fiction journals, agents, and publishers, even though I know that that is the only way to get published.

My original plan for this blog was to address issues on grammar and writing. But taken from a larger perspective, finding an audience is very much an issue of writing.

Therefore, I am going to start posting fiction to this blog, and I invite any reader to give me whatever feedback or critique they would like. Keep in mind that there is a vast difference between criticism and critiques. Criticism often comes from a gut reaction, and though valid, it may not be helpful to a writer (e.g., "I don't like the main character."). Critiques, on the other hand, offer suggestions, observations, and reasons for liking or disliking a piece (e.g., "I don't like the main character because he doesn't act like a normal person would in that situation.").

There are some house rules and explanations:

1. You don't have to like my stuff.
2. Please be civil in your comments.
3. Specific critiques are more useful than generalizations.
4. Have fun.
5. If you like something, tell others about it.

Though I am working to overcome my shyness about submitting to agents, I am fairly thick-skinned when it comes to critiques. Just keep them constructive.

Also, I don't make apologies for my work. If you don't like something I wrote, that's fine. But keep in mind that my desire is to become a better writer, and I work hard to be the writer I currently am, so my choices on plot, characterizations, themes, language are very deliberate. The stories may not be to everyone's taste, so at the top of each posting, I will give fair warning regarding language and content (like a movie rating). If the content looks like it would not appeal to you, read it at your own risk.

Thanks. I'm looking forward to your responses.