Is this something? (Would you be willing to do me a favor and read something for me?)

Image by churl via Flickr

I’ve always wanted to do a series on this blog called “Is this something?” In my imagination, the way this works is I post excerpts from work in progress and I ask you where you think it’s going and whether it’s worth my time. I always thought it would be a great way to get some feedback , create more of a community feel to this blog, and help to make readers of the blog feel more invested in my various works in progress.

Unfortunately, I’m really weird about sharing work I don’t feel is finished which is why I’ve never really done this. Something like Mistress Novel, for example, I’m not willing to show to anyone until it’s as good as I can make it. However, I’m starting to realize there’s a real difference between work that I have faith in but simply isn’t finished and work that I’m really not sure where it’s going at all.

Do you remember the play I nicknamed Enterprise Play?  I wrote that play the middle of the night by hand on a pad of paper like a crazy person. Unlike all my other ideas, Enterprise Play had no personal relevance to me and what I think about life, it was just a story I couldn’t get out of my head and so I wrote it down. I think that’s why I have always been weird about it. In a way, it came too easily and so my brain refuses to accept that it might be any good.

What I’m saying is, I need your help. Enterprise Play has now gone through three drafts and, frankly, I’m still not sure what to make of it. It’s a one-act play and is only 11 pages long. If you have a couple moments to spare in the next week, would you be willing to read it for me?

I’m not looking for typos or spelling errors, though, if you see them and you’d like to let me know about them I’d appreciate it but please don’t make that your focus as you read it. What I really need to know is, is this something? Is it so bad that you think I should trash it or do you think it has some potential?

Specifically, I need to know things like:

• This part is awkward.
• I like this part.
• I don’t understand why she did this.
• I cried at this part.

Basically, I’d really like to know how you feel about it and what parts are working for you and which aren’t, even if you have no idea how to fix the parts. I’m wondering more about your organic response to the material and less about the nitty-gritty technicality of how the writing is. Let me just say now: please, don’t worry about my ego. It is quite robust. I assure you. If you think it massively sucks goat balls, please tell me.

Detail is awesome. An email that just says, “It’s good” or “It sucks” is less helpful.

If you’re willing to give this material a read, copy and paste the following link into your browser: http://bit.ly/fTvQVe

(I have to do it this way so that Google doesn’t index the PDF file and make it show in search results.) The only thing I ask is that you please e-mail me your notes instead of leaving them in the comments below just so that your opinions don’t taint the opinions of whoever reads it next.

Like I said, it’s really short and should only take a few minutes of your time.

I super 1 million appreciate the help!