Fiction Writers Can't Find Readers for Early Drafts
Many writers are seeking feedback on their work, struggling with plot development, dialogue strengthening, and managing the writing process. There's a common theme of self-doubt and questioning whether more writing is actually improving their craft.
SOURCES (60)
“Over the last couple days I've written this short horror story called "When the light runs out" About the psychological horror of Immortality and isolation and because it is my first one ever written i need some feedback and stuff i did good on and…”
“Hellooo! I am 21 and writing my first ever story of my life. A crime story! Yess. Before that I wrote only one story when I was 14. And it was mainly based on adventure. I show that to my literature teacher and he told me all my mistakes. At that time I got upset and quit writing. But recently I have discovered that fire again. Of course because it's my first time writing a real story, it's having so many loopholes. Some scenes are feeling like they are running too fast. Some actions are”
“Looking for 2-3 readers for the first 3 chapters Content warnings: needle/medical content (recurring), forced bodily extraction presented as a legal, normalized practice affecting minors, grief. No on-page sexual content, but a slow-building coercive dynamic with a powerful antagonist runs through the book. Happy to beta-swap if you've got something around the same length or shorter. Title: The Marrow Tax Premise: In the walled city of Ossin, every citizen over sixteen pays the Tithe: once a”
“Delete if not allowed but here’s the first chapter of what I’m currently working on! One “Again?” Little Mateo asks hopefully Frankie smiled. “Again.” The little boy grinned at her from across the small therapy room, clutching the tambourine in both hands like he’d just been handed the keys to a kingdom. Frankie lifted her guitar. I am thirty seconds away from throwing that fucking tambourine out the window. She strummed the first chord. “Okay, ready?” Mateo nodded enthusiastically. Frankie star”
“I'm almost finished with my second draft and so I took a lot of the feedback that I got here and decided to rework the chapter arrangement and pacing, as well as how I establish the core characters. Would you keep reading? How do you feel about the way the characters are introduced, and do they feel more fleshed out than before? How is the pacing? I would also like to emphasize that even though this is a psychological horror, I wanted to ramp up the tension organically rather than just make”
“hello, I've been writing for years, though I've never shared it with anyone close to me who could tell me if I'm the next Cervantes or just some random Wattpad writer. So I'm turning to you, fantasy writers. I have two works that I'll leave in the description, and both have a bit of a science fiction feel. The first is "in development." Yes, that's right, I've been looking for a title for 10 years and I still haven't come up with one. If anyone has a goo”
“I’ve wanted to write a book for years and years, and I finally started. I’ve been needing a hobby for a long time, and I think this might be it. It’s a horror/slasher book. I have the first drafts of chapters 1 and 2 done, and I’m working on chapter 3. It’s definitely rough, but it feels good to finally be writing it. I’m debating whether to go back and expand these chapters some or just keep going into chapter 4. For anyone who’s finished a first draft, did you go back and change things as you”
“I recently made a post with a short blurb of the plot of my story, with feedback here in the revised version In a world where visions of monsters drive people mad, the blind hunt humanity chasing salvation. A Prophet uses his ability to see both sides to guide a group of survivors—but every time he flips his vision to sneak towards safety, he edges closer to losing his mind and joining them in their horrific delusion. Any feedback on this new version is appreciated. submitted by /u/a”
“Looking for feedback. Trying my best :) submitted by /u/RepulsiveTwo7282 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I’m new to this subreddit, and I wanted to share a project I’ve been passionately working on and expanding for a while now. It’s a sci-fi/post-apocalyptic story titled "Atherdeen". you can find it on the website’TAPAS’ Here is a quick overview of the world I've built: Synopsis: After a devastating 15-year nuclear war following the "Great Desiccation," humanity was saved from radioactive extinction by the "Yellow Warrior," a genius who harnessed the”
“I'd love to hear what genre you're working on and what your story is about. submitted by /u/regularsizedrudy_ [link] [comments]”
“If you read it, please leave a comment on whether you enjoyed it or what you think I could improve etc. If you want the context: This follows my main character, Jackie, who isn't human mind you. He's a species known as Bugbot. In this chapter, he recalls the moment he was born and what follows after submitted by /u/OssieChannie [link] [comments]”
Hello, I'm new to writing, well seriously writing. I have been an artist for years and I'm ready to put it into story form, I'm just looking for someone I can lean…
“Hi everyone, I am currently working on a grounded, non-supernatural psychological horror thriller titled The Sunday Lasagna (working title: Wet Glass ). To protect the full manuscript from plagiarism, I am only posting Chapter 0 as a stylistic sample, followed by a summary of the premise. Please keep in mind that this is a first draft , so there might be minor blemishes along the way. I kindly ask you to oversee those little errors for now, as I am primarily seeking feedback on the core voice, a”
“Hello everyone! This is my first time writing at this scale, so I am hoping for any kind of feedback on my psychological horror story so far. My writing fundamentals are not the best and I feel there is something more I could do in terms of the structure of the story (or maybe not idk). I am also very new to reddit so my mistake on anything I missed on my post... Part One A rule runs throughout my town: a wandering eye will get you lost in its Periphery. Such a simple phrase, but it's import”
“I still don't know if i should have psychical and psychological games and how I'll do the psychological ones CHAPTER ONE (1) - Satou Umiko awoke one morning to the darkest rain clouds she'd ever seen. She couldn't help but get a feeling of doom just by looking at it. It was a school day and she just couldn't get herself to rise, the doom and gloom of the day already making her feel down. Rainy and dull days always did this to her, seasonal depression is what her therapist cal”
“Sorry for the phone symbols on top and some of the pictures don't exactly start from where the last picture cuts off. I hope that doesn't ruin the reading experience too much though submitted by /u/OssieChannie [link] [comments]”
“Hi, As I start my second draft I'm looking for feedback on my first page. The genre is YA Folk Horror, the setting England in the 1990s. Thanks! submitted by /u/NorthCountryBoy4225 [link] [comments]”
“I'd really appreciate some feedback on my writing. This is a very new genre for me, and it's hard to gauge my own writing on how it lands. I can handle (constructive) criticism! Or tell me if you like it! Thank you all so much! The Monster in Your Closet I’m the monster in your closet. You cannot escape me. I smell your sweat and your fear tastes delicious. It makes my mouth water. You know I’m here. You are lying perfectly still beneath your covers, breathing slowly through your nose. I”
“Hey! I’ve recently started posting my novel Fallen Halo: Reign of Sins and I’m looking for a few people who enjoy dark fantasy/dystopian stories to give it a genuine read and tell me what they think. The story takes place in a world controlled by the Order , a powerful church-like military organization that claims to protect humanity from the people known as Sinners . Sinners are outcasts who possess supernatural abilities connected to their greatest sin. At the center of the story is Delaynie ,”
“I am reposting this, cause in my earlier post i used A I to fix the grammatical mistakes of my story, and to polish it and I think that was a mistake, cause it changed many things from my original raw version. I accept my mistake and i am uploading my 1st raw draft for feedback and i thank the people who gave their honest opinions on my previous post. And I apologise for my earlier post here is the raw version sorry for the grammatical errors and phrasing problems. Note: This story is completely”
“I'm trying my hand at writing short stories. Would love some honest feedback on this one — please critique my writing! ***************************************************************************** The Neighbour Evenings have always been special to me. I wouldn’t say because I like sunsets, or because I want to see birds go home or because I love seeing the first of the stars come out — it’s much simpler than that; evenings are when I finally get to sit down and breathe. Mornings at my place”
“Genre is Fantasy/LitRPG, and it's still a rough draft right now (I wrote it yesterday lol) so might have to change a bit, but wanted to get some eyes on it to get some early feedback, I can show my first chapter if anyone wants, but for now just wanted to see what people's initial impressions and thoughts were. submitted by /u/jacecalloway [link] [comments]”
“Hi! I'm just looking for some feedback as a newbie who's only picked up writing recently as a hobby and was wondering whether this draft was worth pursuing. (NOTE: the pretentious language is deliberate, this is a self-pitying unreliable narrator with delusions of grandeur [but hopefully the writing makes that apparent lol]) submitted by /u/Creepy-Branch9427 [link] [comments]”
“Hi everyone! I’m looking for a few early readers to check out the story on Inkitt and share their genuine thoughts. I’d especially appreciate feedback on the opening, pacing, characters, and overall reading experience. Constructive criticism is welcome too I'm mainly interested in learning what works and what could be improved. Thanks to anyone willing to give it a read! submitted by /u/EmbarrassedTill7662 [link] [comments]”
“Hi all, I've never shared my writing for critique like this before, but I'm currently working on my second novel, a psychological horror story. I'd really appreciate some feedback on an excerpt from one of the earlier chapters. Condensed blurb: The story follows a man struggling with a dark past, a marriage on the brink of collapse, and a presence that seems determined to use his deepest fears against him. But to escape what haunts him, Jack must first confront the parts of himself h”
“Hey everyone! I’m looking for a few readers to check out a short Prologue I recently finished, around 600 words. Mostly, I want to see if it hooks your interest and gets you excited for the rest of the story. I'd love any honest feedback and thoughts you’re willing to share! __________________________________________________________________________ Darkness had already claimed the terrain, stars glimmering overhead like a sea of embers. He woke beside a shallow stream. Stars reflected off th”
“hi guys! nervous about sharing my work haha. this is the opening scene to my adult steampunk-noir fantasy debut, please critique if you are so inclined! TW : violence/blood/murder The corpse on the other side of the counter was getting to be rather inconvenient. For one, Kesler couldn’t leave with it in tow until the joint cleared out. For two, Newt kept tripping over the guy’s legs and sloshing drinks all over himself. For three, the body would have gone all stiff by now, so he would have to ch”
Got an idea for this story, wrote a few pages. Was wondering if anyone would be interested in reading the first 7 pages or so and let me know what you think.…
“Please. Critiques, what you like and dislike, if the hook is good enough, prose, too many inner thoughts? submitted by /u/faolanjern [link] [comments]”
“I just wanted to share the first chapter in case someone might enjoy it. I used Chaty to help me write it in correct English, as it's not my native language. If this isn't allowed here, remove it please. 🐈⬛ It was a beautiful evening. Autumn had settled over the northern lands, turning the trees along the old stone road to gold and deep red. The last light of the sun rested softly over the fields, and a cool wind carried leaves across the road in slow, wandering circles. A little girl”
“I used to DM dnd for a long time for friends a few years ago and over the years I came up with a lot of original scenarios and ideas, but I never tried my hand in writing an actual story before. Recently I decided to do just that, but since I am used to describing scenes and places as a narrator. I would like to know if readers are usually open to that kind of narrator heavy exposition instead of a first person one, also while for me the dialogue feels natural and a few friends I talked with see”
“Hi, I’m asking for as much feedback as possible on my work in progress, To Light The Match. Story: A man, Juliet Graves, doesn’t realize he has psychosis as he goes around taking the lives of those who he believes have harmed him in the past all while having to hid everything from friends and family. He begins to question his morals and reality itself, yet he still tries to get his job done. Here is the prologue: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-qzmeE46p1GKTxAocfvD4EiF5SMK4TCxEQwWv-mIGdo/edi”
“Nearly “finished” draft for my 2006 horror-comedy period piece RAWR XD. I haven’t quite worked out a Logline but I’m going to Title: RAWR XD Genre: Horror-comedy Pages: 107 Logline: A mild-mannered teenager must rescue her best friend/crush from a supernatural entity he summoned after meeting on MySpace before it either enslaves or destroys their small Virginia town. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nxP2GHDznnzlzcm8RNfaLVI0mPrG2KP3/view?usp=drivesdk submitted by /u/Bang_the_unknown [”
“This is my first ever short story. submitted by /u/Stock_Hunter_2380 [link] [comments]”
“Hi! This is my first time sharing my work on the internet. I started reading fiction in my late teens, but I only really started writing seriously this year. I'm slowly building my stamina for longer and longer works, but, as a non-native English speaker, I'm still learning my way around the language. This is the first piece out of many failed attempts that I'm semi-proud of. I imagined this scene as if it were being recorded by an abandoned tripod camera somewhere nearby: close enou”
“Hello all. I recently finished what will be my debut novel, a short horror novel at only 45k words. One final read through and polish is all that is left, well, that and the blurb. [All Jake wants is a final blowout with his mates before real life drags them apart. While backpacking through Europe, an invitation to a secluded Greek island feels too good to turn down. Free drinks. Free rooms. But what's the catch? While his friends throw themselves into the party, Jake knows something is wron”
“I tend to write horror flash stories in a series called Golden Stories, just a way to group some writing ideas and portray hauntings or slasher killers that come to mind. Currently, I'm writing a chapter called "Strašidelné". The idea is that a haunting materialized from a painting of a woman creates an obsession directed at the homeowner. My intention is to make it clear to the reader that it's something unsettling and sickening, and that Jimmy, the homeowner, feels horrified”
“Hey everyone, I’ve been sitting on a sci-fi/horror book idea for a while now, and I’m finally at the point where I want to start writing it in English. However, before I dive headfirst into the drafting process, I wanted to run the premise by you all to see if it’s something you would actually pick up. Here is the quick pitch/blurb: 'If your reflection smiles a second after you do... it’s already too late.” It starts with a glitch. A fraction of a second where your image in the mirror doesn’”
“Recently started planning and writing a book because I have writing experience thanks to dnd and I had a vague idea in my head, plus I saw a yt video on a really awful fantasy book and decided whatever I make will probably be better than that lol But now, I'm dealing with a frequent problem of mine; imposter syndrome and self doubt deep enough to dwarf the ocean, so it would be nice to have someone read what I have so far and tell me if it's ok. Main feedback I'm hoping for is if it”
hi i finally finished my first short story that i think is worth anything. leave a comment or dm me if you’d be down to give advice ! submitted by /u/Amazing-Injury6755 [link]…
“I'm hoping to get some feedback and opinions on what people think of my story idea, as well as some general grammar checks since I wrote most of this at night. So let me first tell you a bit about it before you read, so you get some understanding of what I'm trying to do here. While this story is an original work, it does pull a lot from dreamcore, weirdcore, liminality and surrealism. Generally targeting people who like strange and maybe a little bit creepy other worlds like the backroo”
“I'm writing a story about a boy who is persecuted by their medieval village by breaking one of the 8 sacred rules. The village hangs the boy, but the rope snaps, and he falls into the pit below him early. He progresses through this cave he's fallen into, but quickly the cave turns into an abandoned, modern facility with newer guns, and weapons. There's hostile entities galore, and he's going to have to learn how modernized things work, explore, and escape to take revenge on the v”
“I'm a 15 year old, and I'm writing a story about a boy who is persecuted by their medieval village by breaking one of the 8 sacred rules. The village hangs the boy, but the rope snaps, and he falls into the pit below him early. He progresses through this cave he's fallen into, but quickly the cave turns into an abandoned, modern facility with newer guns, and weapons. There's hostile entities galore, and he's going to have to learn how modernized things work, explore, and esca”
“Would anyone here care to read one of my two stories? I have a science fiction mystery at 16,000 words and psychology horror war story based on the early days of the Russo-Ukraine war at 35,000 words. And I would appreciate some feedback. submitted by /u/thesixfingerman [link] [comments]”
“Tagged NSFW just in case. I'm writing a sort of horror/thriller romance thing, and there are some relatively graphic murder scenes in it, so I'm not too keen on just posting it in the usual places that are recommended without looking into it a bit more. I know about many different websites, and have used several subs like r/DestructiveReaders , etc, but does anyone have a good rec for where to look for feedback on horror/thriller type writing that involves murder and such? submitte”
“I just finished this first draft and I need feedback for it (I know this is probably the laziest cover you could ever see but I don't really know how to make covers ok!) Little summary: In a world after the civilization came back from a devastating war, people has to rely on special equipment to survive, little did they know, these tools would be the very tool the most mischievous serial killer knows to man would use to kill them all https://docs.google.com/document/d/12bjfdc6sA43I6Ic437GO3F”
“In the Shadow of the Sun Tia'tiel is a clay mage who hides her curiosity behind her masks, fulfilling her job with a practiced smile. Questions are dangerous, inquisitiveness more so. When strange occurrences, unknown visitors and the revelations of lies within sacred doctrine bring Tia's curiosity to a boil she will have to decide how far she will go to learn the truth of her world. Endido is daughter of the Goddess of the Sun. Unlike her mother and sister she is made of shadow, an anat”
“I just finished putting all seven of my short stories into one Google Doc and (hopefully) put them in the proper format for publishing. I would highly appreciate it if someone could take a look and give their thoughts, letting me know if I did something incorrectly, things I need to add/remove, etc, Keep in mind, this book will be published 100% independently through Amazon KDP, no publisher deals or anything of the sort, just me. I’m also completely new to this and have zero experience. My only”
“I would like some feedback on a science fiction dark romance concept that I have. This is a rough outline so please be kind. The story takes place hundreds of years in the future when humanity is at war with an insect-like alien race. The FMC commands a platoon of human troops against the aliens. She is humanity's greatest war hero and their greatest military leader, revered by her allies and feared by her enemies. However, despite all of her accomplishments, she finds herself feeling alone”
“Just looking for feedback or advice on my writing. Thank you to anyone who has the time to do so! submitted by /u/Bastionism [link] [comments]”
“Heyy guys! i’m writing a dark romantic suspense/mystery book and looking for readers to check out the first 10 chapters! Blurb: Sofia’s brother died in a suspicious "accident," and she refuses to let it go. Digging into his encrypted files leads her straight to a shadow operation in Madrid—and into the orbit of Alexander Moretti. Alexander is cold, calculating, and secretly owned the shell firm her brother used right before he died. Now Sofia’s getting anonymous texts warning her to”