I wrote an essay and I’m getting feedback

So I wrote this big essay that’s existed in my head and in pages of notes and a few notes on the computer. I wrote most of it Monday and the rest Tuesday, then worked on it more Wednesday. Originally I wanted to post it early in the week but I realized it’d be better to take longer and to have a few readers first. I’m not trying to write a perfect polished essay right now, as the intent was to post here and hope it gets shared and hopefully write more on the topic for official publication sometime. So I asked a couple places if anyone would be interested; I got three responses on one social network and two on another. I tried and tried and tried and tried to get more (without asking anyone directly yet, feels like too much pressure) but got stuck with that. Well, a sixth person who might do more of a formal critique than I want…

I meant to mail out my file Wednesday night but it didn’t happen, it was more like noon Thursday. I was surprised to hear first from the one person I know least, with a lot of great commentary and an offer to make some minor edits (I got that file but haven’t looked at it yet!). Then a second response with a lot of encouragement and a good point about an absence in the narrative. Then hours later, another exciting response (with some ideas for where it could even be published or other projects I could do on the topic). Given my limited wifi I didn’t write a long response to anyone yet but I thanked them all.

Then I tried again to get more readers…no luck. I liked having feedback from people I don’t know that well, at least in person, but wish I could get at least one or two readers I DO know well. People who might be close enough to know a little of the story I’m telling.

I have a few suggestions for details and motivations to include, and came up with a few more on my own I’m surprised I left out. I don’t think it’ll make the piece that much longer, I mean it’s long enough that a few more lines won’t hurt. So I’ll be spending the weekend working on it, hopefully, along with the only million stressful things going on in my life!