What Happens When You Share Your Story Early and Why It Makes It Stronger?

How sharing the story early changes the story itself

I realise what I have been doing on social media for the past couple of months appears odd to a lot of people. Sharing my story before it's finalised is probably considered a bit risky. Many writers are told not to share their work too early—but what actually happens when you do? Sure, there is an element of risk but I have discovered there is something incredible in it that I hadn't predicted.

People are responding.

I know, social media... that is the point. But when I say they are responding, it is telling me something about my story. It tells me what people are interested in, what they seem to really like. It also shows me what they don't like as much, which tells me there is something not quite working. Perhaps it needs to be clearer, perhaps it just doesn't work. This is bleeding into the editing process in a way I didn't notice at first.

I have only posted fragments, bits of characters, themes, ideas around scenes. I've played around with visuals and music to help with tone and it is fascinating to see what people respond to.

It is making me narrow in on what is important. What do I want to tell people? What is important to know in this story? I am now editing with a very different, critical eye and I am seeing the areas that are unclear, murky because I now have proof of what works and what doesn't from social media.

Then there is the truly fascinating idea behind interpretation and interest and how different the platforms are. The darker truths seem very popular on tiktok, whereas character and hints of scenes from the story seem to be better received on instagram and facebook.

I can't help but look at my book from different perspectives and I am now seeing ways through the gaps and the areas that I was struggling with because the themes, the characters, the messages are stronger in my own head; they have to be when you are trying to get a point across in less the fifteen seconds. I am becoming increasingly confident in what decisions work and which ones don't based on reactions to my posts, which allows me to approach them in my editing with a similar confidence.

It is crazy, but a great kind of crazy.

It is making me a better writer. It's forcing me to look deeper, it's fuelling my creativity, especially around reveals and tension builds. The audience is becoming part of the process. It is almost like I am building the story in real time and watching people decide what it means.

I'm getting to play and I am loving it.

There was a time when I felt like I was building this world alone. I liked the experience. I almost kept it to myself. But now I'm not, I am starting to realise that sharing it is actually making it stronger.

This story doesn't just belong to me anymore. And that is exactly the way it should be.