Conventional wisdom tells us to work in public.
Me? I prefer semipublic.
Before you tell me to get over myself, let me explain.
In my work, everything is public. I write with an author, we share the work with editors and agents, we revise, and it goes out to the world.
But sometimes I want a place to experiment, a place to play around. A semipublic place.
I’m not afraid of feedback. Feedback is a gift. I’m afraid of feedback too soon.
In semipublic, I can trust my intuition. I can let something develop. I can have a little fun without worrying that every word, every idea has to represent who I am as a professional or a person.
Exposing my nascent ideas to the world is too much for me. It’s really too much to ask of the audience. Not everything works. And that’s fine.
Let me sort through it all in semipublic. Then I’ll let you know what’s worth your time. And mine.
(Photo by Joel Reyer from Unsplash)