Write a GREAT Book! 41 Puzo never showed his work to anyone until he felt that he was really done with it. He resisted the temptation to get feedback because he saw it for what it was: a desire to receive congratulations for having written a book before it was actually written. Of course, negative feedback could be even more dangerous. Writers can be so devas- tated by criticism at an early stage of a book’s develop- ment that they give up on the project altogether. 吀栀at’s like being depressed because your child hasn’t gotten into Harvard—even though your child hasn’t been born yet. Although Puzo was against showing a work in prog- ress to anyone, there might be a couple of exceptions to this rule. For example, there can be bene昀椀ts to getting feedback from a carefully selected reader whom you don’t know too well, but for whom you have real respect. Because of the distance in your relationship, your emo- tional response to what you learn can be manageable. You can get good information—and inspiration too— from joining a writing group. Somehow sharing your work in a group setting has a di昀昀erent e昀昀ect than an indi- vidual exchange. In short: be aware of the potential impact of show- ing an un昀椀nished work. Keep in mind the saying, “Never show a fool a job half done.” Within certain limits, you may still want to share your work in progress. Just not with fools. Or with really close friends.