Be careful who you show your story to. Your parents and close relatives may say they like it just to make you feel good. Show it to someone who won't lie.
Three years on and I am only just rewriting the book my entire family said would be the next N Times bestseller--because they take 'optimism' and 'support' to ridiculously unrealistic levels.
I had to virtually beat an honest review out of a friend (literary-minded, well-read friend) so that I knew what to improve and where to go with the ending, etc.
If I could do it all again I'd send it to a stranger at an online editing co and take it from there.
