Very often we hear people say, I have a good story with me, but I don’t know how to write it .
We have to remember that the readers who don’t read fiction are those who seek information on their favorite topics. Theses non-fiction readers would love to read, only to gather information, and the writer here emphasizes only on communicating the relevant information.
However in fiction writing, the writer needs to hold on to the interests of the readers. The readers expect to be entertained and excited while reading it, making fiction writing uniquely difficult. There is no doubt that practice would make your fiction perfect, but you won’t be able to know if you are progressing in the right direction, unless you get some feedback on your work.
It is therefore, natural that you would like to show your work to your friends and family. However they would be more focused on providing you with encouragement, and wouldn’t want to give you a real picture, if it isn’t good. Also people who know nothing about writing can hardly help you to improve your writing.
For constructive and a good feedback’s, you should rely on other writers and book reviewers. Therefore connect to book reviewers and writers groups. These groups may be those that physically get together locally, or meet over the internet or through forums of organizations etc.
You need to be prepared for an honest and hurting criticism, particularly in the beginnings. Some may be indifferent, offering a harsh criticism which could be a disheartening experience. But you should remember here that the reviews are from individuals with extremely different tastes, and that these are their personal opinions. Learn to accept criticism and don’t forget to thank each one of those, who offered these.
It would also help you if you could critique others work. Taking a critical look at other writers work can help in improving your own writing. As you begin to recognize flaws in others works, you can get to implement these better in your own work.
So this way your book now gets better shaped, before it reaches an editor, prior to its publication.