The Most Dangerous Game: Talking About Your Work In Progress

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Campfire Technology, a 2021 NaNo sponsor, creates writing software to help storytellers write better stories faster. Get 30% off lifetime purchases with Campfire’s offer for NaNoWriMo writers! In this post, author Jackson Dickert shares some of the dangers of talking about your draft:

Hey, Wrimos!

As an extroverted writer, one of the biggest factors in my writing productivity tends to be sharing/talking about my writing. And the effects of discussing my writing vary depending on where I’m at in the writing process.

I love to talk about writing. Nothing gets me fired up about writing more than talking about it with someone who’s also passionate about storytelling. But when I start talking about my specific work in progress… Things get a bit more nuanced.

Let’s say I’m early on in outlining a project. It’s got lots of dragons and magic. So, I go talk to a friend about it, and I tell them about the cool dragons I’ve dreamed up and the magic system I’ve designed. They go wild. They tell me how cool it sounds, what a fantastic idea it is, and all-around gas me up. “It could be the next Game of Thrones,” my naive but very well-meaning friend tells me.

Nothing kills my drive to write the story faster than that scenario. And it’s 100% my brain’s fault. Once my ideas are validated, once I get that dopamine bump from being told how great my idea is, the project is instantly less exciting to me and I’m not as likely to work on it. (Not to mention, that’s a lot of pressure! Though friends are always well-meaning, a grandiose comment like that could make someone too nervous to ever touch their project again.)

Now, I’m sure not everyone is like this, but it took me a good bit of time to figure out that it’s vital I “write the first draft with the door closed” as Stephen King puts it. I need to outline and draft my stories without saying a word to someone else. I don’t even share with anyone that I’m writing a novel, because it’s the same thing.

“Wow, you’re writing a novel? That’s so cool!”

“You’re writing a novel? Very impressive.”

“I’ve always wanted to write a novel, good for you following your dreams.”

You wouldn’t think that all that positive feedback would hurt my productivity, and it probably doesn’t for everyone, but it does for me. My brain gets the reward before it’s done any work. That’s why sharing my writing is damaging to my process.

Now, this all changes as soon as I hit a roadblock or the first draft is done, because that’s when I need the help. If I’m stuck in a story, nothing gets me unstuck like talking about it and brainstorming solutions with both writers and non-writers alike. If I’m in the middle of the story or preparing to edit, that’s when the feedback is most helpful for me.

All this to say, just like all writing advice, you have to figure out what works for you. This is just my experience. I’m sure there are people out there who discuss their outlines and it encourages them to write their story faster. But if any of this sounds familiar to you, hopefully my experience can help you figure out what you need during your writing process.

Once you figure it out, however, you should share your work over at www.campfirewriting.com/explore.

Explore is Campfire’s new platform for writers to display their projects and grow their readership. You can show off character profiles, your outlines, and even your manuscript if you want. (Among other things like languages, magic systems, cultures, maps, timelines, relationship webs, character arcs, species, research, and more).

Did I mention it’s free? You just need an account to post a project on Explore, no credit card required.

Check out the project I made for my young adult novel, The Quest for the Golden Plunger, which follows a rowdy, irreverent group of teenage boys at summer camp.

On your published Explore project, you can also embed videos and link to your book’s Amazon page to help hungry readers find your books.

During NaNoWriMo, you can use Campfire Write’s free account tier to help you keep track of your story. After you win NaNo, publish your story in Explore to show off everything you worked so hard on in November!

Here’s a cool fantasy project from YouTuber Shadiversity which helps introduce people to his world and even has the first two chapters of his book, Shadow of the Conqueror, available for free.

Whether you love to share your outlines, or you’re a bit more like me and hold off on discussing your writing until you’ve got a first draft, Campfire Explore is the perfect place to share your work once you’re good and ready. 

Until then, happy writing, and kick NaNoWriMo’s butt this year!

Jackson Dickert is Campfire’s Chief Marketing Officer. He loves epic fantasy stories and humorous young adult novels. His debut novel, The Quest for the Golden Plunger , came out this year and is a perfect read for anyone who needs a laugh after the way the last year or so has gone. His current hyperfixation is vikings.