StoryTV With Jennifer B., Episode One: How Do I Know If My Story Sucks?

How many times have you been writing something and then asked yourself: does this suck?

My guess is, too many times to keep count. I know, because this is a question I hear often in my conversations with writers.

And it’s something I’ve experienced myself.

When I finished writing my first novel back in 2008, I wondered if it was any good. So I sent it off to one of my writer-editor friends for a second opinion.

What came back was valuable feedback that I was able to use to make the decision that the story wouldn’t work as-is, and I’d need to do a full overhaul. Fast-forward to the present, and I’m finally to a place where I’m going to publish what I’ve written.

It took questioning the story that I had to help me see how to turn it into the story that I wanted.

Questioning the quality of your story is a good thing. It means you care enough about the end result to ask the question. 

I decided to answer this question in the debut episode of my new webshow: StoryTV With Jennifer B.

Note: I am a novice videographer and editor, at best. I figured the information I’m sharing is more important than the perfection of the video. Will do better next time.–jb

I’d love to know how you’d answer this question: how do I know if my story sucks?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

Ready to hire a content editor to give you feedback on your story–what’s working, what’s not and how to fix it? Check out the Read and Feedback program.