:root { --color-brand: #2e3cff; --color-text-primary: #181818; --color-text-secondary: #687385; --color-white: #FFFFFF; --color-error: #CC3C64; --color-success: #07815C; --color-border: #ECECEC; --background-primary: #FFFFFF; --background-secondary: #f7f6f2; --background-hero: #f1f4f5; } p.unsub { padding-top: 4px; font-size: 14px; } .c-archive__image { margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: center; } .c-archive__image-img { max-width: 100%; height: auto; border-radius: 8px; /* Optional: rounded corners */ } .c-post-card__visibility a { color: #2e3cff; background: #f1f4f5; padding: 4px; border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid #f1f4f5; } .c-post-card__visibility a:hover { border: 1px solid #2e3cff; } /* Hide feature image from migrated content */ body.post-template.tag-hash-substack .c-post-header .c-post-media { display: none; } .c-logo__img { max-height: 35px; } .u-type-500 { font-weight:700; } .u-color-brand { color: #fff; background: #2e3cff; border-radius: 4px; padding: 10px; } .u-color-brand:hover { color: #2e3cff; background: #fff; border-color: 2px solid #2e3cff; } .c-home-right { box-shadow: 0 20px 40px -10px rgba(0,0,0,.2)!important; border: 4px solid #2e3cff; border-radius: 4px; margin-bottom: var(--space-64); background-color: var(--background-hero); } /* Link behaviour in page descriptions */ .c-archive__description a { color: #2e3cff; text-decoration: underline; } .c-archive__description a:hover { color: #2e3cff; text-decoration: none; } /* Membership page (no longer used) */ .c-membership-plans { margin-top: 20px; } .c-membership-plan { padding: 32px; } .u-mt-32 { margin: 32px 0 48px 0; } .member-pull { padding: 32px; border-radius: 4px; background: #f1f4f5; } h2.member-pull-title { padding-bottom: 8px; border-bottom: 1px solid; } p.member-pull-para { } .c-post-card__meta { z-index: 2; } p.intros { font-size: 1.4em; font-weight: 600; line-height: 1.6; padding: 30px 0 15px 0; } .c-content hr:before { content: ""; } .c-content hr { margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 50px; border-top: solid 1px var(--color-border); } a.kg-btn-accent:hover { color: #fff; } .c-subscribe { border: 4px solid #2e3cff; box-shadow: 0 20px 40px -10px rgba(0,0,0,.2)!important; background-color: #f1f4f5; } .kg-embed-card { background-color: var(--color-white); } .c-content a:not([class]) { color: var(--ghost-accent-color); } .c-content a:hover { text-decoration: none; } p.hello { font-size: 1.2rem; font-weight: 600; } .c-header .is-membership { display: none; } .c-table-of-contents__heading { } /* Testimonials */ @media (min-width: 64em) { .c-testimonial { display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(3, 1fr); grid-template-rows: 1fr; grid-column-gap: var(--space-40); margin-top: var(--space-40); margin-bottom: var(--space-40); } } @media (min-width: 64em) { .c-testimonial-card { margin-bottom: 0; } } .c-testimonial__card { display: flex; align-items: flex-start; margin-bottom: var(--space-40); } .c-testimonial__icon { color: var(--accent-color); fill: #2e3cff; } @media (min-width: 64em) { .c-testimonial__icon svg { width: var(--space-24); } } .c-testimonial__icon svg { width: var(--space-16); } .c-testimonial__content { flex: 1 1 auto; margin-left: var(--space-24); } .c-testimonial__text { font-size: 16px; } .c-testimonial__text a { color: #2e3cff; text-decoration: underline; } .c-testimonial__text a:hover { text-decoration: none; } .c-testimonial__author { font-size: var(--font-size-xsmall); margin-top: var(--space-8); font-weight: bold; } @media (min-width: 64em) { .c-testimonial__author { margin-top: var(--space-16); } } .c-testimonial__date { font-size: var(--font-size-xxsmall); font-weight: var(--font-weight-normal); text-transform: uppercase; }
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Bad reasons for not showing your writing

Iain Broome
Iain Broome
— 1 min read

This is a nice post from over at Get Me Writing, and this is a point I very much agree with:

… if you’re showing people for feedback, and you’re worried about them stealing it, you don’t trust them. If you don’t trust them, you probably don’t trust their feedback either. So you shouldn’t show it to them. But don’t let that stop you from showing it to someone else that you do trust.

Honestly, if you don’t want to show anyone your work because you think they’ll pinch your awesome idea, then, well, you sound just like my mum. She was even hesitant when I told her I’d sent my novel out to my agent. Not any old agent. My agent.

So long as you know and trust the person you’re sharing your work with, you’ll be absolutely fine. Plus, I refuse to believe that the world is even slightly populated with cleptowriters. Most of us are lovely. Aren’t we?

Iain Broome

Iain Broome Twitter

I'm the author of the novel, A is for Angelica. Every week, I send Draft Mode, a newsletter full of tips and tools that help you improve your craft and promote your writing.